Can A Person Get Serotonin Syndrome Without Being On Any Kind Of Antidepressant?

[messtafarian]

I've been researching this for a while.

Going way back -- back to the beginning of the year -- I had symptoms -- really really bad ones -- where I was just dripping sweat, shaking like a leaf, vision was blurred and double, and anything my stomach was doing made me shake. I also had a weird fizzing feeling in my nerve endings like the very small unmyelinated fibers were melting or something. It was *very* scary and I ended up going to the ER a couple times. The only thing they could find was low potassium ( which could have been a diagnostic clue but since I had been sweating my weight in water maybe not) and a shift to a sort of viral picture in my blood fractions.

Also, for a while I had a red rash across my cheeks that was decidedly malar -- since resolved, but it went on for at least a month or two.

Every time I've tried to find something that matches these symptoms I end up somewhere in the vicinity of serotonin syndrome. It was that actually that got me onto cyproheptadine which calmed my stomach and the endless hyperhidrosis in a couple of days.

But there is nothing online that I can find that describes serotonin syndrome outside of an overdose of ssri's. Anybody? Is it possible without the overdose?

 

[tara]

I think there are other drugs than can affect serotonin other than tghe explicit SSRIs and MAOIs.
And I think there are ways the body can get out of whack and produce too much. Blossom had some posts on high serotonin readings in her health history.

 

[Blossom]

post 100205 I think there are other drugs than can affect serotonin other than tghe explicit SSRIs and MAOIs.
And I think there are ways the body can get out of whack and produce too much. Blossom had some posts on high serotonin readings in her health history.

When I had a high urine 5HIAA (a breakdown product of serotonin) lab result I had not taken anything pharmaceutical like antidepressants for several years. I had been on a supplement though that my doctor at the time sold me containing 5-HTP. I felt pretty bad back then with a lot of diarrhea and wasting but I don't know if I had serotonin syndrome. I was doing paleo with lots of nuts and seeds which probably irritated my gut as well. My understanding from reading Peat is that just mechanical stretching of the intestines can increase serotonin.

 

[messtafarian]

That's the only thing I came up with too -- that my gut was just severely messed up and dysbiotic -- maybe something like a pseudo-ileus.

Diarrhea would be quite an understatement, lol.

 

[Blossom]

post 100208 That's the only thing I came up with too -- that my gut was just severely messed up and dysbiotic -- maybe something like a pseudo-ileus.

Diarrhea would be quite an understatement, lol.

Well I certainly know I felt worse during that period of my life than I ever had before. The lab report mentioned further tests to rule out a carcinoid tumor of the ileum but I didn't know that until 10 months after the fact because I had a horrible doctor that missed that small detail! Anyway I'm alive and learned my lesson about being careful when you dabble in 'medicine'. So frustrating.

 

[messtafarian]

When I had my 5H1AA serotonin was normal but cortisol was high. I was pretty aware that that was what they were looking for because I really thought i had carcinoid. I was nearly *sure* that was what was wrong, but tests said no. Flushing, sweating, endless, endless diarrhea. Then it kind of cleared up. Stopped the massive hyperhidrosis and the rest of it kind of came into line -- all when I started cypro. My stomach is sort of working now but I'm not anywhere near well. I'm sure it's partially just malnutrition from having diarrhea for a full year.

 

[Blossom]

post 100212 When I had my 5H1AA serotonin was normal but cortisol was high. I was pretty aware that that was what they were looking for because I really thought i had carcinoid. I was nearly *sure* that was what was wrong, but tests said no. Flushing, sweating, endless, endless diarrhea. Then it kind of cleared up. Stopped the massive hyperhidrosis and the rest of it kind of came into line -- all when I started cypro. My stomach is sort of working now but I'm not anywhere near well. I'm sure it's partially just malnutrition from having diarrhea for a full year.

I'm glad you're doing better. I just love cyproheptadine!!!
ETA: my cortisol is high too I'm afraid :?

 

[Peata]

post 100212 When I had my 5H1AA serotonin was normal but cortisol was high. I was pretty aware that that was what they were looking for because I really thought i had carcinoid. I was nearly *sure* that was what was wrong, but tests said no. Flushing, sweating, endless, endless diarrhea. Then it kind of cleared up. Stopped the massive hyperhidrosis and the rest of it kind of came into line -- all when I started cypro. My stomach is sort of working now but I'm not anywhere near well. I'm sure it's partially just malnutrition from having diarrhea for a full year.

How much cyproheptadine do you take each day?

 

[messtafarian]

Hi Peata:

I started with the Apetamin and took one capful every eight hours until it seemed like I could stop taking it. Then I switched to the other brand you can get on Amazon which is called Tres Orix - two capfuls at night. It made me really sleepy at first -- and I mean for a full month but I was so sick I thought it was probably a good thing it was helping me sleep. Now I have no reaction like that. I have gained weight but I don't think it was from the cypro, I think it was from eating half a pound of butter a day. Short answer -- I think about 5mg, at night, probably for life or until I'm completely well.

ETA: I would have ordered something like Periactin from some pharmacy site but both of these brands have a couple other things mixed in --b vitamins and l-lysine. L-Lysine lowers serotonin too so I don't mind it's in there.

 

[Frankdee20]

I've been researching this for a while.

Going way back -- back to the beginning of the year -- I had symptoms -- really really bad ones -- where I was just dripping sweat, shaking like a leaf, vision was blurred and double, and anything my stomach was doing made me shake. I also had a weird fizzing feeling in my nerve endings like the very small unmyelinated fibers were melting or something. It was *very* scary and I ended up going to the ER a couple times. The only thing they could find was low potassium ( which could have been a diagnostic clue but since I had been sweating my weight in water maybe not) and a shift to a sort of viral picture in my blood fractions.

Also, for a while I had a red rash across my cheeks that was decidedly malar -- since resolved, but it went on for at least a month or two.

Every time I've tried to find something that matches these symptoms I end up somewhere in the vicinity of serotonin syndrome. It was that actually that got me onto cyproheptadine which calmed my stomach and the endless hyperhidrosis in a couple of days.

But there is nothing online that I can find that describes serotonin syndrome outside of an overdose of ssri's. Anybody? Is it possible without the overdose?

Yeah, SJW with Sam E or 5htp