Ssri Question.....tried Doing A Search

[Jennij]

I'm wondering what people's experiences have been taking SSRI's. I've tried doing a search on the forum for this question but there's so much material spread out. Does anyone have thoughts on these meds?

[corina]

I'm on an SSRI for POTS, it helps control my standing hr. I've tried to get off of it a few times to see what happens, but can't as my POTS symptoms flare like crazy. I'm fine staying on it now.

[looneymom]

My son takes Zoloft. Through research I learned that it improves the blood flow to the front of the brain. If I can find the article I will post it for you. So many people have trouble with these medications. When I do my research online I always type in as PDF studies on Zoloft ( or whatever subject you are trying to hunt down). Sometimes I get really frustrated when my computer won't give me the research that I want to read either.

My son does well with this medication but he had to start on a very low dosage. It took a few weeks to get to the right dosage for him. This is not a medication that works overnight but it did wonders for brain fog and concentration. Before he started this medication, he was not able to stay on task for very long, he became frustrated because he could not remember how to solve the math problem, and his moods were up and down. Zoloft was a win win situation for Tyler,

[Darlene]

I take Lexapro to help raise my BP, no side effects except weight gain.

[Jennij]

Thanks so much for the input so far. @looneymom, that's a good suggestion for how to search for research!

[Jennij]

Has anyone tried any of the others?

[POTLUCK]

This is an interesting thread. SSRI's are mentioned in the literature for POTS, but I wondered due they actually change people's heart rate or just affect symptoms. It is interesting that they do have an actual affect on HR, and appreciate the information mentioned above.

[lewis]

I tried effexor and cymbalta (although its not an ssri). Cymbalta made my nerves hurt the worse pain I have ever felt and effexor increased palpatations and skipped beats while also making my feel hypoglycemic all day. It did get rid of my orthostatic hypotension though.

[gjensen]

I want to try an SSRI, and it has been offered to me. My hang up is serotonin is supposed to be a trigger for coronary vasospasms. I have a problem with coronary vasospasms. I do not have this confirmed but this is what I have found.

[Clb75]

I was just offered lexapro and am still deciding if I want to take it. I was told it helps balance the whole autonomic system, but most people seem to say it only helps with one thing like heart rate or blood pressure. I'm already taking other meds for those and don't want to take another one that is unnecessary. My main problem is dizziness, despite the fluids and cocktail of meds, I still can't be upright for more than 30-45 minutes. Has anyone had any luck with ssri's improving the whole picture, not just one or two symptoms?

[adigitalashley57]

I was just offered lexapro and am still deciding if I want to take it. I was told it helps balance the whole autonomic system, but most people seem to say it only helps with one thing like heart rate or blood pressure. I'm already taking other meds for those and don't want to take another one that is unnecessary. My main problem is dizziness, despite the fluids and cocktail of meds, I still can't be upright for more than 30-45 minutes. Has anyone had any luck with ssri's improving the whole picture, not just one or two symptoms?

i had immense luck with it helping the whole picture. patience is extremely key though as almost always it gets worse before it gets better. I'm no doctor but that has been the case for me every time and many people here on the forum. and also your nerves might be racked for a week or two as It tends to ramp up adrenaline the first couple weeks then it settles down, again from my own perspective. Plan accordingly if you have something coming up.

I think most people don't give it enough time to see results. On a normal person taking SSRI's, they say results don't start occurring until at least 8 weeks. So one would think with us it would be even longer…

i hope this is helpful. Again this is just my personal experience!!

[Clb75]

Thanks for your reply, it's always helpful to hear about others' experiences.

[rgny]

I took Celexa when I first developed symptoms in 2007...I hadn't been diagnosed with POTS yet and I was given it by my former PCP for "anxiety and depression." *rolls eyes* But as a happy accident, it worked very well and brought me out of a flare in about a month's time. I weaned my initial dose of 20 mg down to 5 mg and maintained on that until I had surgery last year, then I took myself off. And lo and behold, I am in the midst of another flare and considering going back to 5 mg.

I had a few side effects of palpitations, weight gain and some emotional flatness but I was very, very functional; able to volunteer, work out at the gym regularly, keep up with a full day's schedule. It's one of those maddening things where you won't know how you'll react unless you try it, and if it turns out it doesn't work for you, then withdrawal can be a bear.

[Twiggers]

I have tried essentially every SSRI on the market and I've been on Cymbalta before (SNRI) as well.

Unfortunately with these meds the side effects are mostly too much to handle, however if you can tolerate one they do work nicely in the background for dysautonomia.

My History:

Lexapro - violent diarrhea and vomiting

Zoloft - constant urge to urinate that never went away

Prozac - suicidal thoughts and circulation that felt like over vasoconstriction

Paxil - stayed on this for almost a year and noticed a subtle improvement *Decided to come of it last month and now I am doing much worse..

Cymbalta - did absolutely nothing for me, almost like a sugar pill.

My plan is to try go back on one again because my life was better on paxil than it is now or was before. My GI issues completely cleared up, I had less anxiety and I felt closer to women in relationships and felt less detached. Since I came off paxil my life has deteriorated on several levels. This is likely a combo of withdrawal effects,however, I felt my pre SSRI body was much more unpredictable and disabled than during my SSRI period.

The greatest advice I can give dysautonomia patients interested in SSRI's is to aim low. What I mean by this is to aim for a low dose (higher doses lead to worse side effects and for no real gain for us) but also keep your expectations low because often the benefit of these meds are quite subtle and you don't realise the benefits until you come off them (and let me tell you that is no picnic).

[momandmore]

I one took one pill of Paxil prescribed years ago for my heart rate. I got a rash so I never took it again. However, I'll shared the interesting and unexpected results I've witnessed in others close to me who have started taking SSRIs.

First, I've shared here about my daughter who responded very well to zoloft. She was never dx'd with dysautonomia but looking back, I'm sure that was a big part of her feeling sick for such a long time during her teen years. I once did a poor man tilt table test with her and her heart rate went from 60 to 120 and I could very often visibly see her feet turning red while standing. I haven't repeated any of my little experiments but I have noticed that her blood doesn't seem to pool as much. I also don't think she gets as much mottling, but it's winter and she's covered up so it's hard to tell. She has had different evals and some mild things did come up with respect to the functioning of the front of the brain, so I am very interested to read that zoloft increases blood flow to the front of the brain.

Also, my grandmother was started on zoloft while in rehab. She has dementia and had some minor mood issues that became worse with the stress of her hospital stay. I think she's been clearer mentally since taking zoloft. My other family has noticed it, too. Not dystautonomia but it's still neurological, so I thought I'd throw that out. Blood flow? Who knows?

Another relative started a very low dose of lexapro during a time she was under extreme stress with a situation that she had no control over. She never had dysautonomic symptoms that I know of, but she could feel palpitations and episodes of her heart racing. She also developed high blood pressure that wasn't very responsive to medication. She did not feel any mood improvement, she said, but she seemed more relaxed on the outside. Her blood pressure went down and she stopped mentioning her heart symptoms. What she herself realized after taking the medication for a few weeks was, interestingly, that her house and car became much neater without her having noticed putting any effort into tidying up more. To me, that seems like improved brain function, too.

Seeing this has really convinced me that SSRIs do effect neurological functioning. For some people it's obvious they must be correcting an underlying chemical problem that goes beyond mood. When recently someone I know starting talking negatively and judgmentally about those meds, I found myself getting angry. I kept my mouth shut but I really wanted to tell the person that several of her good friends have been taking those meds for years for very good reasons. They are all wonderful people and better functioning in the ways that really matter because of the medication. There might be some abuse going on out there, but I am thankful to God for SSRIs and the help that they have brought to individuals and families.

OK. I'll get off my soapbox now. Haha.

[abbyw]

Hi,

I am successfully using an SSRI for POTS. I am currently on 15mg Prozac (fluoxetine)/day - which is a very low dose.

I tried Lexapro and gained 20 lbs in 6 months. Tried Effexor - horrible for me. Now on this and very happy. I live a completely normal life - work, family, a one hour fast walk each evening. I am grateful for getting my life back.

As a side benefit, I had been struggling with IBS at the same time, and while on SSRIs, my IBS all but disappeared other than a dairy intolerance.

When I tried weaning once or twice, the jitteriness, fainting, exercise intolerance, and diarrhea all came back. (I still dream that one day I will be fine without meds, but for right now, I am grateful that I tried this and it works for me.)

I MUST WARN YOU - the first few weeks were pretty horrible. I had to take Xanax to keep myself from shaking, I was dizzy, nauseous, fatigued and in a fog. But I was able to push through it (there are some people for whom it is so bad that they can't). I did not start to see improvement until about 4 weeks, and then steadily imporved. By 6 weeks, I was almost a normal person again.

Not sure how or why it works, but I am glad it did.

Good luck to you-

Abby