when antidepressants CAUSE more symptoms/anxiety

[joannap]

i am on 10mg ssir and in the past have been treated/had tests for chronic stomach pain, tmj and am due at ear, nose and throat tomorrow for sinus pain/swelling. have just read on my medication leaflet that approx 1 in 10 people suffer inflamed sinuses, jaw and gastric problems from taking the medication!!!! why do doctors refuse to treat you as a whole person and insist on treating each part of your body separately? surely it does not take a genius to realise that my symptoms could be linked to taking an ssri for years? the least they could do is to suggest it! so my meds that are supposed to cut down on anxiety could actually be causing health problems that are making me more anxious! :mad:

i came through a big setback several months ago with pure acceptance and am seriously thinking of weaning myself off the 10mg and see if these mysterious "can't get to the bottom of them" symptoms disappear.

[Dahlia]

I've had a similar problem. With every SSRI I have had very bad diarrhoea. Whilst that is listed as a common side effect in all the pack leaflets, and is shown to be the most likely side effect for sertraline, I was told the diarrhoea was IBS or anxiety. Yet when I come off the SSRIs, the diarrhoea stops.

[Jumpy]

Hi

I have had all sorts of horrible tests camera up bum and down throat while on cit and was told it was IBs. Stopped the cit and things improved a little. I am now back on cit and wow bam all the horrible stomach and bowel stuff is so much worse. The answer I am given is take anti sickness tablets they will help. So now I am taking anti-depressants on top of all my normal tablets. Then my docs answer to side effects is take more tablets.

Over the last few days I have come very close to throwing the whole lot in the bin and the only thing stoping me is I know I can't handle another bout of depression it was so bad last time. So for now I am putting up with the side effects.

I see two different specialists for 2 different problems, they are actually giving me conflicting advice and so my doc is not following either set of instructions. I would love for them to work together especially as there consulting rooms are next door to each other.

So perhaps the question is can I cope without the tablets to see if its them causing the problems. If the answer is yes I would pop back and see your doc and get his ok to come off them.

[joannap]

i too had the camera down the throat - not nice! showed nothing even though i felt like i had been punched in the stomach. i really think i am going to try and go down the meds free holistic approach - it sounds like many of us are in the same boat - taking meds which then give us side effects which are stressful in themselves! x