Posted by LostBoyinNCReturns on March 17, 2012, at 9:44:29
In reply to Re: What is 'SSRI activation syndrome?', posted by RiFi on March 16, 2012, at 6:05:13
> Hi Eric,
>
> The symptoms you've described sound like Serotonin Syndrome (I experienced it earlier this week and it ain't fun!) It occurs when too much serotonin is released into and/or remains in the brain. It typically occurs when the dosage of an SSRI or SNRI is increased, or when it's combined with another drug (lithium in my case, but it can happen with many other psych meds, pain killers, cough medicine, supplements, herbs etc)
>
> If you look it up at 'pubmed health' you'll see that the symptoms are very close to what you described:
>
> Agitation or restlessness
> Anxiety
> Diarrhea
> Fast heart beat
> Increased body temperature (fever, sweating)
> Loss of coordination
> Nausea
> Overactive reflexes
> Rapid changes in blood pressure
> Vomiting
> Hypomania
> Muscle spasms (including general stiffening and soreness of muscles - flu-like, viral symptoms)Actually, I dont think I am getting serotonin syndrome when I increase the dose. I think you have to take the background context into take, I "activation" when I just take 50 mg zoloft if I dont take klonopin and blood pressure meds at the same time. And I did not used to get the side effects nearly as bad before I developed high blood pressure. And I do have the akathisia diagnosis from a good Neuropsychiatrist. And akathisia has nothing at all to do with serotonin syndrome, although the symptoms are similar...restlessness, having to move, anxiety, "activation," etc.
I also know that 50 mg benadryl (an anti-cholinergic used to combat akathisia and mild EPS symptoms) decreases the side effects I get if I try to increase the zoloft.
It is complicated, it really is. I really wish these psychiatrists had formal blood testing and better diagnostic methods to prevent situations like I am describing.
later,
Eric
poster:LostBoyinNCReturns
thread:1013011
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120316/msgs/1013294.html