Whatever date the Winter Solstice was this year, we've made it. We've been in fog here all week, and my brain is foggy, too. Seeing my doctor today to see if some adjustments need to be made in meds. This is where it started getting confusing. On December 22, 2023 I was told by my doctor that all my symptoms of anxiety, tremors, vertigo, high blood pressure, confusion, etc. were Serotonin Syndrome. In other words I had too much of the brain chemical that was supposed to elevate my mood and ward off depression, But too much serotonin can be deadly. It could have led to extreme muscle spasms and even heart failure.
The really frightening part was that I’d been taking the over
the counter supplement SAMe for at least 5 or 6 years. My neurologist never
cautioned me not to take it with antidepressants. When my family doctor found
out, he immediately said, “You should not be taking that!” No one had told me, and the “warnings” on the
box were vague. I guess it was partly my fault for not asking more questions,
but I thought I had. At every doctor visit, we go over my list of medications,
both prescribed and OTC.
The main trigger of this episode was a simple misdiagnosis, I
think. In early November I told my doctor that I was feeling more depressed,
but actually I was more anxious. Yes, I did have symptoms of depression, like
lack of motivation and feeling sad. Both Thanksgiving and Christmas were not
very joyous holidays for me. But now I
see that the increase of the antidepressant Lexapro, was the opposite of what I
needed. I had too much serotonin in my system, instead of not enough. (I wonder
if there’s a blood test they can do to determine this? It would be a lot better
than just trying to analyze symptoms that can become confused. Almost 2 months
after the low dose (only 5 mg) of Lexapro was added, my doctor could finally
see that my real problem was too much serotonin, just the opposite of what he’d
first thought. I’m not blaming him, because brain chemical imbalances are
tricky to diagnose. I blame society’s attitude toward people with mental health
problems. There hasn’t been enough good information given to the doctors or the
public. And every person’s biochemical makeup is unique, so what works for one
may not work for another.
Anyway, he instructed me to stop the Lexapro for one week and
then restart it. But only a few days after restarting, my previous symptoms got
much worse. Here’s what happened on January 4, 2024:
Next
stage of my shaky new year. Anxiety turned into bad vertigo. Paul and I went to
the health club. He walks the track while I go to Taichi class. Only tonight,
as I leaned over to change my shoes, the whole room started rocking. I clung to
the bench and felt like I was on a carnival ride, not a fun one either.
A
friend from the class saw me and went to get a staff person to help. After
several minutes they found Paul. He had to go change out of his running clothes
while they got me a wheelchair. Got wheeled to our car. Now that I'm home in
bed I feel better. But so much for getting my exercise done! My doctor thinks I
have been getting too much serotonin, which helps fight depression. But too
much gives anxiety, tremors, and vertigo. Other bad stuff, too. Not a good way
to start the new year.
BUYER BEWARE! After
over 20 years of doing the wrong things unknowingly, I have learned a lesson I
must share. It took hours of internet research to find the actual scientific
research--which we consumers, and apparently many physicians and pharmacists
are unaware of. If you take any antidepressants or migraine medications
(and in my case I take both), you must NOT take any common cold or allergy
remedies. No antihistamines, decongestants, expectorants, cough suppressants,
or pain and fever reducers. There are a couple of nasal sprays that are okay
and acetaminophen is okay short term, but be careful to avoid overdosing this
one. The old fashioned things of stay home, get rest, and drink plenty of non-caffienated
fluids are the best.
Why don't doctors
warn about this? My own theory is that the makers of OTC drugs, put any
warnings in the very small print, if they mention at all "a very rare side
effect called Serotonin Syndrome. " In my recent research, I've found
that: yes the extreme side effects: heart problems and muscle spasms and delirium
are rare. And these other symptoms I'm having are easily mistaken for other
conditions. That's what has been happening with me. As a result, some of the
drugs I was told to take have actually made matters worse. When I look back,
I'm surprised I've made it to 70!
I'm not out to sue
anyone, I'm just hoping to keep others from my mistakes. Off and on for 20
years, I've had those little whirls of vertigo, slight tremors, anxiety,
occasional irregular heartbeats, hot and cold flashes. Sounds like menopause,
right? That's what I thought, too. But I passed that 20 years ago. In the past
15 years, these symptoms have gotten worse. I've had 3 major vertigo events.
One was last night at my health club. The whole world was rocking and rolling
while I held onto a bench for dear life.
I know the next
thing people will tell me is to switch to the "natural remedies". But
the truth is they are chemicals, too, just like the drugs. Anything we put in
our body has the possibility of nourishing it or having ill effects. There are
lots of plant products out there in nature that are toxic to humans. So again I
say, Buyer Beware. Try to find the most up to date research from reputable,
third-party sources. And remember even too much of a good thing, even vitamins
and supplements, can be bad.
My hope now is that
all these adverse reacting chemicals will flush from my body, that I will
regain some strength and equilibrium, and be able to enjoy life again. But these symptoms have been going on in my
life for a long time, and it may take a long time to get back to equilibrium.
