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Posted

Just wanted to ask. I started taking prozac in April...initially it helped with some of my POTS symptoms and also seemed to help emotionally. I only take 10 mg. My EP said to start taking 20mg. I tried but I was crying alot then...so I cut back. But I really still feel like I fly off the handle faster than usual and i don't like it. I thought prozac was to even us out....??

I also started taking the pyridostigmine...I felt very irritable this morning. i just kept biting my tongue, trying not to say too much!

Has anyone noticed this....perhaps i am irritable as I don't ever feel well either...but it feels more like a chemical thing. I also take bb's....have been taking them since January but haven't noticed irritabiltiy with them....

Thanks!

Erika

Posted

I don't think my irritability issues are from med's since I only take them as needed but sometimes I do have a short fuse. One of my first symptoms of dysautonomia was I would get angry at things for no apparent reason. I was so sick & passing out, migraines etc that I couldn't take the stress of anything. I have thought of taking AD to see if they would make me calmer & be able to handle stress. Maybe the reason you are irritable just feel bad. Are you in pain? Hope you get better.

Posted

Like alicia, I too dont think my irritability is from the meds. I think for me, it's a mixture of being angry at being sick, feeling like I am not in control of anything anymore, losing my independence and not enough blood getting to my brain for me to think properly and logically. Again, like alicia said, I think the stress of being sick has made me not be able to handle everything else as well as I used to.

It is like something just changed inside of me when I became sick, and I feel like I have become an angry person. I seem to lose my temper very quikly and dont seem to have patience anymore.

Since becoming sick I dont sleep well anymore, and I really think that that has a lot to do with it. Sleep deprivation can make even a healthy person go crazy!

I think it is hard to be happy when you are feeling unwell most of the time.

Posted

Remember WE are dealing with that whole fight or flight response!

I think all those brain chemicals can stimulate agression/irritation just as easily as panic. When I was at my worst, POTS-wise, I would snap at everyone. I don't think it is the medication, I think it is just another facet of our "fascinating" medical condition. :(

Posted

Not being a psychologist or a psychiatrist, take my comments with a grain of salt.

Yes, I absolutely believe medications can alter mood. When my mother began beta blockers, she became depressed enough to need hospitalization. They switched her medication. Irritability is also a manifestation of mood. I would guess that a medication can cause this.

I know for me that taking raniditine (Zantac) for GERD makes me irritable. I'm am aware of that effect on me, but I do continue to take it because after many years of trial and error with meds, it definitely helps me.

The only way to know for sure is to stop a med and see if you are less irritable. You must speak to your doctor before doing this, but tell him why you want to experiment.

Also, IMO, having a decreased blood flow to the brain when upright can contribute to irritability, not to mention feeling poorly much of the time.

Posted

Oh yeah - firewatchers post just reminded me of one more thing...

I cant speak for everyone, but I know that when the results of my TTT came back my adrenaline levels were REALLY high. I think from memory that high adrenaline can make people angry / aggresive. I'm not saying that adrenaline is the culprit in your case, but that all it takes is one hormone / chemical to be a little (or a lot in my case) out of balance and you could get these sorts of symptoms.

Posted

Thanks everyone!

In fact it just seems to help to voice that I am irritable. I feel a little better today...

I will just keep an eye on it and talk with my doctor. It may just well be the combination of the adrenaline stuff...and how badly I feel most of the time. Also...easily overstimulated...does this make sense to anyone....does anyone else ever get this?

Erika B)

Posted

I would have to say yes i think meds contribute. that with the combination of pots in of itself. I know for me clonidine certainly does affect my mood on some days. I get very snappy after taking it... But also if i get really fatigued and symptomatic and im somewhere where i can NOT lay down.. i also get crabby. the heat.. different things affect it.. but yes i just wanted to agree with you!

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