Symptoms related to Sertralin
Posted , 7 users are following.
I've been on antidepressants (1st Zolof, then Sertralin) for 13 years now and have tried several times to come off them. I've had no withdrawal symptoms - but have always returned to taking Sertralin after my anxiety and depression have started to creep back. But no withdrawal symptoms, brain zaps, chills, nothing.
However, I have had other symptoms that I believe are related to this drug but rarely, if ever, are mentioned in discussion groups like this. I hope this group can shed some light on them.
Appr. 4 years ago, being on 150 mg of S for the ninth consequtive year, I started to suffer from reflux . The medication for reflux did not help. However, at the same time I was trying to get off S again, feeling I did not need it any longer. After slowly reducing the dosage to 0 - much slower than the -50 mg/week often mentioned here - my mental problems re-emerged but the reflux had vanished!
I have been back on 50 mg of S ever since , feeling mentally ok, but I am experiencing new kinds of effects which may or may not be S related. What do you think of this:
- my mouth is extremely dry, drinking water does not help
- I itch, especially the scalp, sometimes overall. Tests show it is not a yeast infection.
- now for the weirdest bit: my tongue is rigid and presses against my upper teeth, less so in the mornings but quite "cramped" by evenings. I also bite my tongue very easily, especially when I eat, as if the tongue had become clumsy.
A doctor suggested thyroid deficiency, tests were negative. Sjögren's syndrome has been suggested, I have not yet been tested but my feeling is that the test will be negative - I'm basically very healthy.
I suspect that 13 years of S has pretty much "poisoned" my body which reacts in these ways. I am scared of quitting S as my experience tells me that I need it.
My anxiety and depression were not of the worst, paralyzing kind but unpleasant enough to make life bleak and meaningless. Therapy has helped but not enough.
I am pretty sure, based on my experience with reflux, that quitting S will make the other symptoms go away. - What does this community think of this?
A psychiatrist, Servan-Schreiber, wrote some 10 years ago a book where he explained various other ways than medication of dealing with the lighter versions of depression. One was regular, hard excersize. I do not excersize, I know I should but I cannot apply myself to it. - Again: what are your experiences and opinions? Should I for once and for all slowly decrease my intake of S while starting on a regular excercise routine, and sticking to it? What if my body gets fitter - worse things could happen- but my mental issues return as well as the side effects of the medication? Switching to another medicine may not help, I've been told that the side effects are the same, regardless the brand.
2 likes, 17 replies
angela2014 Maybeliza1
Posted
larry38511 Maybeliza1
Posted
Hi Maybeliza1
Not sure what the date was of last reply or where you are today with taking meds.
I was on Paxil for 15 years and came down with dry mouth, active tongue (biting cheek, tongue), uncontrolled movement of my left hand, and several other symptoms. I was diagnosed with Tardive Dyskinesia, (TD). This is a movement disorder caused by longterm use of anti-depressants, especially the SSRI and SNRI class of drugs.The med world first discovered TD when prescibing anti- psychotic drugs to bi-polar, etc., patients. If you look up any SSRI or SNRI drugs, one of the side effects is TD, ( usually a low probability). You have to get off of your present drug as quickly as possible The longer you wait the more the possibilty that the symptoms won't go away. It is wise not to take any drug from the class of drug you were taking. The TD could come back twice as bad. I am a vitctim of TD and am having a hard time finding an anti-depressant that will work for me that isn't an SSRI or SNRI drug with the possibility of this side effect.
Hope this helps some.