DadJake Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 Dr. thinks an SSRI will help me. We chose the Zoloft b/c my father had bad anxiety/depression early in life, although he didn't have POTS or any form of Autonomic dysfunction. But he has done well on this drug for 30 years or so now.So, I took 25mg this morning. I swear, within 10 min. of taking the pill, I had horrible heartburn. I took some Maalox and Gaviscon and ate something immediately. I took my kids to their soccer games and I was ok there, but when I came home, boy was I wiped out.So, all day, my stomach has been rumbling and I'm having gas. I ate nothing that would give me this. I'm reading up on these types of drugs and it says 80% of Serotonin Recptors are located in the Stomach.My mouth is as dry as can be and my food is all of a sudden tasting funny.Lastly, I was having the chills real bad, so bad that I had to turn on my heat.I was telling all of this to my father and he says impossible that such a small dose could do this, but I swear by these new symptoms and I'm only on day 1. I'm thinking this might be a good thing b/c it's activating the receptors in the gut. It sure doesn't feel great though.Any thoughts ?Thx,Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianne.fraser Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 JustinI've tried an SSRI (Lexapro) a couple of times - both times, even at the smallest possible dose, I had to take it with half a zantac or I'd get severe stomach soreness. I only tolerated it for a short time before I became sleepless, hyper-alert and a bit manic, but I also had relief from respiratory symptoms, improved cognitive functioning and temporary relief from fatigue. I haven't yet found a medication I can take on a daily basis, but I'm glad I tried it and I would have stayed on it if the side effects hadn't been so severe.Good luck and best wishesDianne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliegee Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 Dr. thinks an SSRI will help me. We chose the Zoloft b/c my father had bad anxiety/depression early in life, although he didn't have POTS or any form of Autonomic dysfunction. But he has done well on this drug for 30 years or so now.So, I took 25mg this morning. I swear, within 10 min. of taking the pill, I had horrible heartburn. I took some Maalox and Gaviscon and ate something immediately. I took my kids to their soccer games and I was ok there, but when I came home, boy was I wiped out.So, all day, my stomach has been rumbling and I'm having gas. I ate nothing that would give me this. I'm reading up on these types of drugs and it says 80% of Serotonin Recptors are located in the Stomach.My mouth is as dry as can be and my food is all of a sudden tasting funny.Lastly, I was having the chills real bad, so bad that I had to turn on my heat.I was telling all of this to my father and he says impossible that such a small dose could do this, but I swear by these new symptoms and I'm only on day 1. I'm thinking this might be a good thing b/c it's activating the receptors in the gut. It sure doesn't feel great though.Any thoughts ?Thx,JustinHi Justin-My son also had horrible anxiety with his dysautonomia. He was prescribed an SSRI and he had SEVERE side effects w/i 10-15 mins of taking the lowest possible dose. He got a severe headache, vomited, had acute light sensitivity, got really lightheaded, and shakey. He had no choice but to lie in a dark room. Do I think your side effects are real? YES. My son switched frpm Paxil to Lexapro which in retrospect probably wasn't necessary. The key was to take less- 1/4 to 1/2 of the lowest possible dose for a few days. Then as he tolerated that, he moved up a 1/4 pill for another few days, etc. until he reached a therapeutic dose.Because you have dysautonomia, you will have a tendency to react much more strongly than folks who don't. My son's docs surmised that he was so low in serotonin, that his body "freaked" with the sudden addition. Adding it slowly was much more effective. He was also told to work through the side effects & they would go away. They did after a few weeks and he's gotten tremendous benefit from it. An SSRI can be really helpful, but docs rarely warn dysautonomia patients of the possible severe side effects. Ask your doc if you can titrate up to a beneficial dose. Good Luck!Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DadJake Posted October 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 Amazingly, I am having a lift in my mood after just this first dose. The literature states 4-6 weeks before you feel the effects of it. I didn't cry once today and thats a record for me in I'd say 6 mos. or so. All I can say is wow ! I wish I could say many symptoms have gone away as well, but I'll take this for now. Even my anxiety wasn't as crippling today.Funny, as I tried taking 5-HTP in the recent past and it did nothing at all. I hope I'm not jinxing myself.Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houswoea Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 when I took tramadol for the first time (it's a pain medicine, but it's an SSRI still) I also felt the lift in mood but had weird side effects. The next time I took it, there was no happyhappy time and all terrible side effects. Seriously, I thought/ wished I was dying. serotonin can build up quickly in the brain I've read, so watch out!and yes, that's happyhappy time not a typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 Justin~I have to agree with 'Mack's Mom'. Most of us here have a very difficult time with medications, and we must start at tiny doses and work our way up. I started taking Paxil about 8 years ago for anxiety, and I started at 10 mgs. Currently I'm taking 15 mgs, because every time I try to go to 20 (the 'therapeutic dose') I get too many side effects. So I take a couple of meds in combination for my anxiety, and together, they all work. I'm on Klonopin, Paxil, and Trazodone (helps me sleep) and it works for me. You may actually be feeling a positive effect from taking one or two doses of your Zoloft, but part of that may be the 'placebo effect' where you anticipate feeling better, therefore, you do. It's all good. I'm sure you'll feel even better as time goes on. You'll have to let us know how you feel when you get to a month. Hope it's much better!Keep feeling better!Cheers,Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tearose Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 Just wanted to wish you strength Justin, as you attempt to figure out your treatment plan.Whatever you do, will take time, commitment and a trust of your own inner intuition to help you know what is best.When I have terrible upset stomach, I now find Pepcid AC to be the best and fastest relief. Maybe you can try this.I hope you feel some relief soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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