Am I still suffering from Serotonin Syndrome or Brain and Nerve Damage??

Hi! I just want to know if you ever found out what was wrong? I have the same problem. They gave me Cilift to drink and I developed serotonin syndrome. It has never ever gone away and it has been years now. I am also not aloud to drink any medication that raises serotonin like opiates and some anti nausia meds. I get very sick sometimes and still struggle with it to this day.

I have had two brushes with SS. Once when I was on day three of tramadol, the first two days I also took a triptin drug for migraines, and once when I was on day three of an antidepressant. Pro comes to mind. The symptoms came on in seconds, one minute feeling fine, the next, feeling deathly ill. Both times I rode it out without seeking medical attention. Still, I have brought the subject up to doctors over the years. They didn't even know what it is. Perhaps their medical training causes them to go back to default mode........I got the feeling that they were thinking panic attack. I don't know if there are long term effects from SS. But I do think that it is a rare condition, and has not been sufficielently studied. I watched my husband die of cancer in December. He was medicated with pain killers. I can't help but wonder how people with SS deal with severe pain. I hope that you have recovered!

I've had serotonin syndrome and feel like I still have it. It's been about a month since I was diagnosed with it and 3 weeks since I've been of the Zoloft I was on. I still feel like I'm going crazy. I hallucinate feel like I'm dying or that I want to die and just can't seem to get over it. I have some weeks where I'm good then others where I'm just the worst crying every night because I hate feeling like this. I'm wondering how long it takes to get over serotonin syndrome I have been on the Zoloft for about 8 years. I'm just hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I won't feel crazy. I do know I don't want to go on any more medications for this and was given a tranquilizer to get through this but I haven't taken it yet I don't want to end up addicted. I'm back at work and even there i have days where I just need to get away and become very emotional. I just want my brain to go back to normal where I was happy and carefree

Hello all, I have a bit of a LONG story but your input would be AMAZINGLY helpful on my situation.  To begin with, I take small doses of both Buspar and Prozac for anxiety and OCD.  The doses are very small and not even within the therapeutic range if I remember correctly.  They don't really help but I have been taking them for a while anyway.  A little over a week ago, I began taking Verapimil three times a day for migraines (I recently developed rather sever tension headaches and dizziness issues and my mom also suffers from vestibular migraines).  Long story short, we went on a little trip for two days in which my headaches didn't really get much better.  Occasionally, however, I felt this annoying "tickly" or "tingly" feeling in my head that was hard to describe.  It's worth noting at this time I was still pretty stressed due to dealing with my migraines for some time so my anxiety levels were higher than normal.  When we got home the next day (it was a Saturday) I continued to struggle with the tingly feeling in my head.  I ate lunch, took my Verapimil and tried to take a nap.  Halfway through I experienced what can only be described as my mind out of control and I instantly began having a panic attack.  Even though I have anxiety I have NEVER had panic attacks.  I am always able to keep my feelings under control.  Unfortunately, I could not keep it under control and went to the ER.  They did a CT scan and told me everything was fine.  I went home that night and continued to take my Verapimil through the next morning.  Next morning, you guessed it, same thing, and uncontrollable feeling of panic and dread.  My aunt who works at a doctors office told me that there WERE interactions between Buspar and Verapimil.  We verified this with a pharmacist.  So I stopped taking Verapimil and Buspar then and haven't taken them since, however, I still took my Prozac.  I continued to deal with feelings of panic and dread, however, and went to the ER a second time that night.  Although they were not concerned, I did have elevated blood pressure and my heart was beating faster than normal and I was shivering.  They gave me half an mg of Ativan that didn't even help and sent me home.  I did not take my Prozac that night. 

Next day was the first day of a new job and although I was a nervous wreck and in a semi-state of panic all day, I somehow made it through (I did have to go the nurse's office for a bit though).  My symptoms were definitely better than that weekend.  The pharmacist told my mother that the Buspar would be out of my system in about five days but my doctor said to continue to take my Prozac.  Since then, I have made it through my first week but I continue to be on edge.  My mind is very irritable and if I think and concentrate too much it gets overloaded and panicky feeling.  However, this is occasionally punctuated by feelings of nervous giddiness and happiness like I took a giant caffeine pill or something (probably hypomania).  Yesterday I did have a minor panic attack and got it under control yet my heart continued to race for hours afterward.  I continue to deal with feelings that everything is just not right and doom is imminent.

Throughout this my aunt did mention Serotonin Syndrome and I was confident and am still confident this is what I have.  However, it has not really subsided as quickly as I had hoped.  My parents think that it's all me now and that I have created a habit of being panicked more often (which I do most of the time anyway due to my OCD).  I did some research and the original theory of a Verapimil-Buspar interaction would have led to an overdose of Buspar with effects light excess tiredness, drowsiness, and dizziness.  This is NOT what I felt.  Rather, my symptoms are a much better match with Serotonin Syndrome.  As I understand, SS is caused by interactions with SSRI's such as Prozac that are in excess and not Buspar (which is NOT an SSRI).

My theory is that because I have continued to take my Prozac this week, this is why I have continued to feel this way or my recovery from has been lengthened.  Because it is such a small dose and I have to neglected to take my Prozac before (I've gone several days without side effects or anything) I decided to skip out on the Prozac last night.  This morning I do admittedly feel more calm.

I guess I just need a second opinion on this whole thing.  IS THIS SEROTONIN SYDROME OR JUST TOO MUCH BUSPAR?  and WILL I EVER GET BETTER OR WILL I REMAIN LIKE THIS INDEFINITELY?  I mean I had a panic attack yesterday and this week has been the hardest of my life

Your input is so helpful right now.  Thank you so much.

Hi Hayley, I know this was a long time ago but did you get better?

Your story sounds just like mine, I am going through it currently and am so scared x

Hello did you ever figure out what happen? I’m experiencing the same symptoms! What did you end up doing? 

I became unresponsive .I had so much uncontrollable movements of the arms an legs the the hospital said. Heart rate reached 138 .they had to put me in a medically induced coma. So I was told I had in that coma about a week. An was the first serious case .in the us. They said they had to video what was going on so the doctor could share it with john Hopkins university Nd the mayo clinic. A doctor from John Hopkins came down they said an that a fairly new medicine was used an didnt have a good chance of coming out of it. They werent sure if I was going to make it. Thedoctor WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OVERSEEING MY MEDS AS WELL AS I HAD THREE DOCTORS NOT ON THE SAME PAGE WAS ON SO MANY MEDS AN THE DOCTORS KNEW WHAT MEDS NOT TO MIX WITH .BUT BY THE TIME MY PRIMARY TOOK ME OFF ONE THE DAMAGE WAS ALREADY DONE AN WAS ON THEM TOO LONG I COUDNT SUE HIM. CAUSE AT THE TIME THE ATTORNEY SAID HE HASNT SEEN LONG TERM AFFECTS.AN FEEL THE RULES AN REGATIONS OF HAVING A DISABILITY CASE ARE TOO STRICT. BUT THAT WAS MY LIFE WE ARE TALKING HERE. SO NOW I BEEN DECLARED BY ALL MY DOCTORS I HAVE SEEN. BEFORE THE COMA AN AFTERWARDS AS BEING PERMANENTLY DISABLED NOW WALK WITH A CANE AN HAVE A WALKER AS WELL. AFTER THE COMA WHEN THEY SAID I WOKE UP FROM A MEDICINE THEY HAD TO USE AN BROUGHT ME OUT. I WAS AROUND 350 POUNDS AN NOW IM AROUND 190