Serotonin Syndrome

[ravfem]

i am not a medical professional, but i have experienced something relatively new, that not many people know about...but let me tell you...they need to know about this. Please feel free to copy & post wherever you think it should be.

Serotonin Syndrome is a potentially deadly syndrome that can happen when someone takes 2 medicines that affect the serotonin levels. In my case it was a pain med & an anti-depressant, and i think this is the common link in most cases, it was tramadol (ultram) and paxil cr. i have taken both of these meds for 4+ years, but this just happened, so don't be lulled into thinking since you've had a good tolerance history, it can't/wont happen.

Almost 2 weeks ago, i started feeling like i was outside my body. Everything was delayed, weird....i found myself wondering, "is this really happening?" a lot. my sense of smell grew 100x stronger but only with certain things. They smelled the right way, only very intensified.

i drove long distances while in the throes of this...one trip i was on the road for almost 4 hours. i should NOT have been driving at all! i felt sorta high and like what i think an acid trip would be like....and like most intoxicated people thought i was fine to drive. A very good, dear person helped me the 2nd time by talking with me on the phone while i made my way home.

i ended up going to the ER, twice. The first time, the dr was nice but treated me like a mental case...did some basic blood work and sent me home with a z-pack because my wbc was slightly elevated (isn't it almost always slightly elevated anyway?)...think he just kinda wanted to get rid of me.

The next morning, i felt much better. Come to find out that was because i was so sick i hadn't taken my reg meds for the past few days. But, i took them that Saturday. And was back in the ER on Sunday. The dr this time was obviously irritated with me....i ended up leaving before being discharged.

i came home and started poking around the net. Now, i have to say i'm not big on doing this in general, because there is sooo much mis-information out there. But, i came across this program that checks your meds for any possible interactions. And there, i learned about Serotonin Syndrome. Looked that up, and had over half the symptoms listed.

Went to my dr the next day and figured out a plan of care for getting off one of the drugs.

People, if you or anyone you care about takes anti-depressants and prescription pain meds (narcotic or not), PLEASE talk to them about this! If left untreated it can lead to death.

i never ever want to go through this experience again! It was pretty darn bad. Also....because it's a relatively new syndrome and ER docs can't be aware of every single thing going on, they usually are not aware of this syndrome, so really, if you end up in the ER with it, be prepared to show written proof of it!

This is the website to check your drug interactions....just load all your meds and it'll let you know what's going on.

http://www.healthline.com/druginteractions

and here are a few sites re: Serotonin Syndrome The first one is a joint effort with the NIH.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/007272.htm

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1011436-overview

https://health.google.com/health/ref/Serotonin+syndrome

And PLEASE do NOT stop taking meds suddenly, ever!! Call your dr immediately so y'all can figure stuff out if you think you've got this.

Y'all be safe and take care!

rhonda

[katsarecool]

Rhonda, thank you for posting this very valuable information and the links!

I have been taking tramadol for three years now and an anti depressant at the same time. The pharmicist at Walgreens warned me about this problem about 2 years ago! All pharmacists should know about this and warn their patients. It is even on the literature they provide with medications at Walgreens. Thankfully I was able to get off the antidepressants for the depression associated with chronic pain. In hindsight I made the right choice!
Pharmacists know way more about medications than most doctors. So when picking up your meds and they ask you if you have any questions just say yes and then ask about all concerns.

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by ravfem

This is the website to check your drug interactions....just load all your meds and it'll let you know what's going on.

http://www.healthline.com/druginteractions

Thanks for this...a wonderful website for anyone on prescription meds. I plugged in all of mine (for diabetes, high blood pressure, triglycerides, etc.) and it was good to see how they rank and what to watch out for.

Glad you got a handle on this situation and are working with your doctor...that had to be scary as can be.

[Sachita]

wow how scary! Thank goodness you're ok. Very good to know because those are two common drugs.

[Soft*Silver]

I take tramadol and Celebrex. Have for months. I am so overwhelmed by how many pills I take and how often my medicine changes. I see 7 different Drs/specialists on a regular basis. More when health matters dictate needed newcomers to the team. I say "team" loosely. My PCP and my psychiatrist who gives me my antidepressants are the ones who most carefully monitor my meds.

I walk into offices and spout off my symptoms of any recent concerns and they look at me like I am neurotic or a hypochondriac. This infuriates me. Because of one such experience, I had hallucinations during a sleep clinic session because the Dr gave me 4 TIMES the amount of ambian I am use to taking. His reason? He wanted to make sure I slept. I have since been told Drs usually dont prescribe ANY sleeping meds for this procedure. Duh.

I thank you for posting this. I too have read the literature in the packets the drugs come in, and have been told by my pharmicists about this concern but am told by my Drs that it probably wont happen. They say I need the meds.

Wow. Makes me feel SOO safe and on a good medical path...

not!

::::shakes my head and walks away:::::having nothing more to say

[Deborah]

Good information to know...I did a drug comparison on some of the things I was taking until recently and found a def interaction with more than one...that is very scarey...and I find that I was exhibiting some of the side affect behaviors/symptoms. SCAREY indeed! And you are right meds I had taken for long periods and not had problems with may have begun to have adverse affects when adding yet another medication such as TREXIMET for migraines. I had someone telling me that I needed to check and see what was going on and I didnt believe it could be the issue BECAUSE I had taken these meds off and on for a very long time....I have since stopped taking most all of them, and will make sure to check this out when adding anything new.

And just because your Dr. says you SHOULDN"T have a problem don't take that as meaning you WON"T.....crap this isn't good!

[Ryobi]

I'm SO happy this was figured out. You were very smart in the way you went about getting it figured out. I'm happy you didn't take anyone's word and went with your gut. Honestly, I don't think you would be very fun to trip with, at least not on the phone. *smart ass grin*

[lipstixgal]

I'm glad to hear that you are alright and safe now. Wow I plugged in my list and wow I need to be careful with all the bipolar meds I take but no antidpressant thank G-d I don't want it and don't need it at this time I do however take lyrica on a need be basis but only when pain is bad...good thread..

[ravfem]

Originally Posted by Ryobi

I'm SO happy this was figured out. You were very smart in the way you went about getting it figured out. I'm happy you didn't take anyone's word and went with your gut. Honestly, I don't think you would be very fun to trip with, at least not on the phone. *smart ass grin*

Hey, at least you remember the phone calls...wish i did

i'm just awfully thankful for you being there for me, Boobear *kiss*

[T D]

My doc took me off of Tramadol a few months back because of new information that they're finding about this medication. I hated to give it up, but it needed to be done.

Thanks for this information, and I'm sorry that you had such a horrible experience!!

Happy New Year!!

Originally Posted by ravfem

i am not a medical professional, but i have experienced something relatively new, that not many people know about...but let me tell you...they need to know about this. Please feel free to copy & post wherever you think it should be.

Serotonin Syndrome is a potentially deadly syndrome that can happen when someone takes 2 medicines that affect the serotonin levels. In my case it was a pain med & an anti-depressant, and i think this is the common link in most cases, it was tramadol (ultram) and paxil cr. i have taken both of these meds for 4+ years, but this just happened, so don't be lulled into thinking since you've had a good tolerance history, it can't/wont happen.

Almost 2 weeks ago, i started feeling like i was outside my body. Everything was delayed, weird....i found myself wondering, "is this really happening?" a lot. my sense of smell grew 100x stronger but only with certain things. They smelled the right way, only very intensified.

i drove long distances while in the throes of this...one trip i was on the road for almost 4 hours. i should NOT have been driving at all! i felt sorta high and like what i think an acid trip would be like....and like most intoxicated people thought i was fine to drive. A very good, dear person helped me the 2nd time by talking with me on the phone while i made my way home.

i ended up going to the ER, twice. The first time, the dr was nice but treated me like a mental case...did some basic blood work and sent me home with a z-pack because my wbc was slightly elevated (isn't it almost always slightly elevated anyway?)...think he just kinda wanted to get rid of me.

The next morning, i felt much better. Come to find out that was because i was so sick i hadn't taken my reg meds for the past few days. But, i took them that Saturday. And was back in the ER on Sunday. The dr this time was obviously irritated with me....i ended up leaving before being discharged.

i came home and started poking around the net. Now, i have to say i'm not big on doing this in general, because there is sooo much mis-information out there. But, i came across this program that checks your meds for any possible interactions. And there, i learned about Serotonin Syndrome. Looked that up, and had over half the symptoms listed.

Went to my dr the next day and figured out a plan of care for getting off one of the drugs.

People, if you or anyone you care about takes anti-depressants and prescription pain meds (narcotic or not), PLEASE talk to them about this! If left untreated it can lead to death.

i never ever want to go through this experience again! It was pretty darn bad. Also....because it's a relatively new syndrome and ER docs can't be aware of every single thing going on, they usually are not aware of this syndrome, so really, if you end up in the ER with it, be prepared to show written proof of it!

This is the website to check your drug interactions....just load all your meds and it'll let you know what's going on.

http://www.healthline.com/druginteractions

and here are a few sites re: Serotonin Syndrome The first one is a joint effort with the NIH.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/007272.htm

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1011436-overview

https://health.google.com/health/ref/Serotonin+syndrome

And PLEASE do NOT stop taking meds suddenly, ever!! Call your dr immediately so y'all can figure stuff out if you think you've got this.

Y'all be safe and take care!

rhonda