New member. Questions about treatment and SSRI's

[Talon123]

Hey guys. I've been lurking for a while, decided to make a name to discuss some things with you guys. I first want to say thank you for anyone taking the time to look and or respond to this post.

I'll try to make a long story short. I'm a personal trainer and dietitian. I've always been full of energy and "normal". Almost a decade ago I had a sudden episode that landed me in the ER that included shaking, dizziness, and feeling extremely weak. I was diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction.

I first spent almost two years recovering in a bed. I learned to manage my symptoms and learned to manage my life. I continued my career with limitations and got by. Fast forward five years: living a life of no excess, exercise, no alcohol, great sleep and dietary habits I have relapsed into barely being able to get out of bed. I'm extremely cold, tired, brain fogged, save the moments when my heart races like crazy and I sweat profusely. My resting pulse is 52, my standing pulse is around 110. The odd thing is when the heart gets racing, laying down or changing posture does not help at all. Rolling over in bed will cause a jump in pulse. Doing a set of squats will drench me in sweat from just a few reps

 

Sorry for the novel, but thanks for reading. To get to the point. I've relapsed into this misery for about five months now and I'm beyond desperate. I'm scared, my girl is scared. My only option that I haven't tried is using an SSRI. Can anyone tell me if an SSRI has helped them with intolerance to stress and exercise? Has anyone actually been left with more energy after trying an SSRI? I can't live with two hours of energy every day anymore. I have a pretty good understanding of POTS and dysautonomia but can't seem to solve this.

 

Thank you every one

[MomtoGiuliana]

Welcome to the forum.

I was prescribed an SSRI when I was diagnosed in 2003 (and pretty much bedridden at the time).  Maybe I was on the path to recovery anyway--however after 2 months on the SSRI I got remarkably better.  I stayed on the SSRI for about 2 years.  My suspicion is that it did help me recover.  According to studies I have seen, a low dose SSRI helps improve symptoms in about 50% of POTS patients.

[haugr]

I'm on a low dose Ssri.  I think it's helping.  A reduction of anxiety is always a major positive for us potsies.

[angelloz]

Hello, I can really relate to your rolling over in bed thing. I had/ have low blood volume so my heart would slam forcefully.  Salt and fluids help me the most with heart rate and some other issues. I did try an SSRI but couldn't convince my GP to give me a low enough dose so it made me feel pretty bad and I stopped. I believe a low dose would have had a better outcome. I go through periods of relapse but to this point they haven't lasted as long as the first round. I am never the way I was but better then at the beginning when I couldn't walk down the driveway and back. Everyone is different and I suffered from reduced sweating. Hope the SSRI works great for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[looneymom]

My son takes Zoloft and is able to exercise. However, SSRI can be more trouble than worth because of side effects. You might want to have a neurotransmitter testing done to see what's out of balance before trying a SSRI. This testing can be ordered online and it comes with a report of what supplements can correct the problem. Some neurologist and functional medical doctors will also order these test. My son had this testing first before going on the Zoloft. Zoloft just helps his body recycle the serotonin. My son actually needed supplements that would help his body make serotonin such as L-Tryophen, TMG, SaMe, B vitamins, methyl folate, B-12. All of these supplements help with energy levels too. You might want your doctor to check for deficiencies.