Quote Originally Posted by ShortyW84 View Post
I'm in such a state due to other issues that I have also made a post about and not sure if these tablets have also made that worse but I'm so scared right now I have bowel cancer and can't see a way through all this
Be aware that the gut and the enteric nervous system (ENS), the mini brain that controls it are by far the most serotonergic organs of body making about 95% of the body's output compared to less than 2% for the brain. Serotonergic antidepressants may affect its functions for a while which can cause side-effects such as heartburn, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, lack of interest in food and subsequent weight loss, etc. In most cases this settles down after a few weeks. However, SSRIs may also stimulate the appetite causing weight gain too. It comes down to how your biology meshes with the med.

The ENS is directly linked to the brain via the vagus nerves and seems to be the dominant partner with most of the data flow originating from it. It is also connected to the heart and lungs which enables it to trigger anxiety side-effects such as rapid pulse and shortness of breath in addition to gut related anxiety symptoms. It is arguably the tail wagging the dog. Electronic vagus nerve stimulators which affect the ability of the gut to communicate with the brain have proven to be effective for treatment resistant depression, though not so for anxiety disorders.

Fun fact: The ENS likely evolved before the brain between our ears.