I need some advice

[IDreamInColor]

I have been taking antidepressants since 2005. I have agoraphobia/panic/anxiety disorder. Before my MC diagnosis I had thought that maybe it was the antidepressants that is causing the D, and later I learned that these types of meds can actually cause MC...anyway I weaned off the cymbalta, but it didn't make a difference in the D.

Now I'm not sure what to do. I have been crying on and off the past few days, and pretty much all day today, the agoraphobia and everything is so hard to deal with. I have a prescription here for paxil and I'm not sure if I should start up again because it might make the D worse. I've had the prescription for a couple weeks now, but I wasn't sure if I should take it or not. I'm trying so hard to deal with the mental issues without the meds, but it's getting harder and harder. I've had this agoraphobia/anxiety since I was a little girl. It runs rampant on my dads side of the family. I can remember on more than one occasion of running out of the school building and running the whole way home crying at age 9, and didn't know why. It wasn't until my early 30's that I was diagnosed with agoraphobia/panic/anxiety disorder.

Today I just can't pull myself together, and I don't know if I'm crying because of feeling so ill all the time, or if it's because the anxiety is worse without my ssri. I just can't stop crying.

My question is....if it were in fact the ssri that started up the MC, then would the D have gotten better once I stopped the ssri? And, having just been diagnosed with MC would taking an ssri complicate it, or make it worse? Or should I just go ahead and take the paxil and hope for the best?

[natythingycolbery]

From personal experience, my MC was caused by sertraline my D calmed down pretty much 24 hours after I came off the sertraline, so IMO it may not have been your medication. However, have you gone back to a dr and asked what Anti-Depressents you could take, because I know (although can't remember off the top of my head) that there is a few types of anti-depressents that don't aggrivate MC once you have it.


Tex will know more though, so I'd wait for a reply off him.

Sorry I can't be much help

[tex]

IDream,

I'm sorry that you've had to deal with this issue for most of your life, and now treating it has become even more complicated. To the best of my knowledge, virtually all the SSRIs can cause MC. Whether they do or not , of course, varies by the individual. The odds of developing MC from an SSRI are typically less than 20%, though some brands may be worse than others, again, depending on the individuals circumstances and genetic makeup.

To answer your question about remission of MC symptoms after stopping the use of an SSRI. Yes, in many cases, stopping the use of a drug that caused MC, will bring remission from the D. However, that is not true in all cases. For some individuals with drug-induced MC, unfortunately, when the MC is triggered, genes that predispose to gluten-sensitivity, and often casein-sensitivity, are also triggered. There can be other sensitivities, as well. And, there's always a possibility that your MC was not originally triggered by a drug, but that certain drugs might trigger the disease, now that it has developed. There are virtually endless possible ways that MC can be triggered.


The reality is, considering your history, and your current state, you obviously need some help, in order to cope with your situation. It's simply not practical to try to live in a constant state of anxiety, depression, fear, etc, and the MC can only make that situation worse. Therefore, the trick will be to work with your doctor, and experiment with brands and dosages of antidepressant medications, until you can find one that you can live with.

I hope that you are avoiding gluten, at least, because gluten can definitely cross the blood/brain barrier, to cause all sorts of neurological problems.

Tex

[IDreamInColor]

A couple weeks ago I told my doctor that I learned that ssri's can cause this MC and I asked her if I should stay off of them, and she said no, she said that their are so many things that can cause MC and she said it's impossible to know what might have caused it and to go ahead and take the paxil. She also doesn't believe that gluten has anything to do with it Which is why I am so glad to have found this board and all the knowledge that comes with it. I haven't had any gluten since the middle of September.

Tex, can you go into more detail about the neurological aspects of the gluten/brain/barrier crossing? I've been having a few neurological symptoms during the past 5 years. I've been having unvoluntary jerking movements in my legs. Whole body trembling occasionally. I'm also having a weird feeling in my head, not like a dizzy, it's hard to describe. I'm also having a constant really loud ringing in my ears.

[tex]

Good for you for avoiding gluten, despite your doctor's lack of knowledge about this topic.

Just as we are all different in our MC symptoms, and our responses to treatment, and various drugs, neurological symptoms caused by gluten can also vary widely, among various individuals. For many, it causes peripheral neuropathy, which can result in diskinesias, or in a loss or degrading of normal reflexes, loss of sensitivity, and/or sensory perception, and it can also cause the perception of pain, heat, cold, or contact, when no source of pain, hear, cold, or contact is actually present. Diskinesia can refer to either difficulty in movement, in response to a command from the brain, or to involuntary movements, (such as you describe), which are not intentionally initiated, and over which the patient has no control. Here are some sources of information that you may find worthwhile. The first one contains information about tinnitis, (ringing in the ears), but farther down in the article, it describes a patient who discovered gluten to be a cause of her tinnitis:

http://www.tinnitusformula.com/infocent ... uroma.aspx

http://www.tinnitusformula.com/qtimes/2 ... barry.aspx

Consider this post from a celiac discussion board:

My symptoms are primarily neuro. I was diagnosed through positive blood tests and biopsy. Migraines, tinnitus, nystagmus, nausea, photophobia, tactile sensitivity, confusion, ataxia, fatigue and PAIN. All have subsided with the gluten free diet, but have not been completely eliminated. I'm 6 months gluten-free. When I even smell gluten, several symptoms come back temporarily. I learned much about tinnitus when I was in graduate school for my profession, and never learned that celiac could cause it. I also know from personal experience that celiac caused my tinnitus. 100% sure of it.

So, while I would continue to let the doctor explore the possibility of another cause for tinnitus, keep in mind that even the experts are still learning the extent of the ways gluten can damage the body.

Also, NSAIDS are known to cause tinnitus. If she is taking any, that may be the culprit. I always get tinnitus when I take NSAIDS gluten or not.

http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic ... th-celiac/

Tex

[IDreamInColor]

Thanks Tex :)