Serotonin Syndrome | Causes (Medications), Pathophysiology, Signs & Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment 

My son displayed symptoms consistent with serotonin toxicity for many months prior to his death at age 43 at the end of June 2021. As a young man he started using illegal drugs, which so altered his brain chemistry that he became severely depressed and suffered bouts of extreme anxiety/panic. He was prescribed medication for these conditions by his family doctor and began a monitored methadone program. He mismanaged his prescribed medications and continued to augment these with drugs he purchased on the street. It was not until our son moved in with us that we realized just how sick he was and we tried with little success to get help for him. Noone seemed to understand what was wrong with him and because he was an adult there were limits to what we could do on his behalf. During one of his episodes, which I now realize was psychosis, he became very agitated, physically and verbally abusive and we had to call the police to have him removed from our home. We were relieved when he was finally diagnosed with serotonin toxicity and admitted to the local mental health facility for treatment. He was treated for one week, his medications were changed and he was discharged. Exactly one week later he died of a fentanyl overdose. To say we were heartbroken is a gross understatement.

I had a moderate to severe episode of serotonin syndrome at age 25 due to taking Prozac at the same time as another medication. It was progressively debilitating and nightmarish, until I was literally paralyzed in my bed and unable to even get up to take my medicines. It took almost five years to get rid of all my symptoms and 20 years later I still have occasional nightmares that it is still going on. And incredibly, several physicians since then have tried to put me on antidepressants and shrugged off my protests about my history with serotonin syndrome. It’s disgusting.

I recently was diagnosed with Serotonin Syndrome; I am pregnant and was experiencing 'Hyperemesis Gravidarum', thus, I was put on multiple anti nausea medications (of which boost serotonin). I was on LEXAPRO long-term (antidepressant), alongside VRAYLAR (atypical antipsychotic - long-term) and experienced severe symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome. More information needs to be publicly, and medically, available because this is not a well known condition - half, if not 80% of, the doctors and pharmacists that I've been in contact with weren't even aware of this condition! I had multiple doctors prescribing me serotonin boosting medications without even taking a look at what other serotonin boosting medications I was on; it's appalling to see such a lack of cohesive, educated care towards patients!

I was diagnosed with serotonin syndrome in 2005. My mum had passed away and I wasn't doing very well , my doctor put me on antidepressants. I didn't feel right on them I was sweating and anxious. I went back to see him a few days later and he told me not to worry that it would take time for my body to accept it. For three weeks it was terrible, nighttime would give me anxiety and during the day I would be nauseous and vomiting. I had palpitations and was extremely anxious. In the end my husband took me to the emergency room, they said it was so serotonin syndrome and I needed to stop taking the medication. Not one word for my GP when I went back to see him , he knew I had been in hospital with it.

The worst time in my life was 2018. Stress had taken a powerful grip on my body. After a deep study I had diagnosed myself with Adrenal Fatigue. Before the research I was in bed for two months. I was nauseous and couldn’t eat. I lost 15 lbs in two weeks. Couldn’t sleep…it was like a motor running in my body and it wouldn’t shut off. I was sensitive to light and sound. I couldn’t watch any TV or listen to anything but the most calming music, like funeral home music. I had an unquenchable thirst. And was crying uncontrollably. I couldn’t stop crying. I was having panic attacks and was afraid to leave the walls of my home for fear of having one while in public. It was so bad I had to call a friend to take me to the doctor. * Note-I had been on antidepressants for 15 years and changed my diet and lifestyle habits and weened myself off of them and had been off of them about 5 years. After seeming the doctor we decided I probably needed to go back on them. 1st Rx Prozac-the one I was on for 10 years with no problems. One pill and my body went into a zombie like state. All I could do is sit in a scrunched up position while the symptoms lasted. 2 pill- Lexepro- 2 hours later I started cramping in my stomach. Went to the bathroom and my entire bowel flushed out. Sweating, heart fluttering like I was having a heart attack, my hands felt like I was being electrocuted and I was shaking uncontrollably. Made it through that but was in bed for two days just to recover from the shock. 3rd pill- Effexor. I had been on this before with no symptoms. This time BP was going through the roof and tingling and couldn’t do anything but sit still. It felt like I was in someone else’s body. I was paralyzed. 4th pill- Wellbutrin. Also had been on this one before with no side effects. After taking this one my body felt like it was on fire. My whole torso was burning all the way through to my groin. Each time I would ride the symptoms out at home. I never went to the ER. Each time I would have a reaction I would call my doctor and tell him I had a bad reaction on “that pill” and could he give me another. Hence 4 different Rx. After doing my research and posing the question to the search engine “Why can’t I take antidepressants?” I found SEROTONIN SYNDROME. I copied the the info and when I went back to see him. I told his nurse the research I had found. She told him. When he came in the room he slammed a piece of paper down on the counter and said “This is Serotonin Syndrome and YOU DON’T HAVE IT! Every time I give you something you come up with some kind of idea on why you can’t take it!” He was very harsh with me! I told him “no I don’t have it now because I rode out all the symptoms at home.” Needless to say I’ll never go back to that doctor again. The trouble with doctors is they won’t listen to their PATIENTS/CUSTOMERS! They get complacent with THEIR practice and don’t really know or study anything anymore. They listen to the Pharmaceutical Industry before studying the natural functions of the body. Medical schools are misinforming their student. They are legalized drug pushers! I learned through my research that Vitamin D was what I was lacking. And with time and more research vitamins and minerals is what our bodies need to function properly. I have regained my life back and no longer suffer with these horrible symptoms and I’m not on any antidepressants.

I had this about 5 years ago. I was hallucinating with tremors. I was also extremely hot and running a fever. It was the absolute worse situation I ever had. I had trouble with my memory and became extremely paranoid. I have been on SSRI for many years. At this time I was recently in hospital for sepsis and was on high dose antibiotics. I also have chronic migraine so was on the SSRI and an antiepileptic for prevention of migraines and using migraine abortive medication. While I was hospitalized for sepsis my kidneys shut down for a period of time so I had a toxic level of the antiepileptic medication. I truly believe all these contributed to serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is absolutely the worse thing to have. I said really bad things to people and don't remember it now, but I do remember the hallucinations of centipedes and other awful bugs. I remember being restrained with leather restraints and getting shots in all four extremities for sedation. I never want to experience this again.

Man, it seems like a lot of us went through this due to medical negligence! That's so disgusting and disappointing, my psychiatrist had me take meds I couldn't take together 3 separate times, the last time I was feeling so bad I had to beg him to check if I was taking something wrong again because I lost the ability to write and draw from the spasms in my arms and felt like I was always on edge to the point of a anxiety attack. I also felt loopy and out of it. He refused to admit a mistake and told me to keep taking them. I stopped taking them cause I couldn't take it anymore, in about 3 days I was better and never returned to that doctor ever again. Edit: I also couldn't eat because my stomach felt like it was constantly on fire! I forgot about this detail because I spent a lot of the past months with gastrointestinal problems, but I'd only throw up when I had these rough patches.

Put me into a 4 week coma. I ended up having double kidney failure, collapsed lungs on full life support. I woke up disabled all my muscles had wasted away. 3 years later I’m 37 and now have epilepsy, lost my job as a roofer during lockdown lost my drivers license. I had 20% chance of survival at best I would wake up with severe brain damage. I’m now back at work but life is tough. It’s no joke. I was on citalapram and took TRAMADOL after feeling sick. Biggest mistake of my life, no one said don’t take tramadol, I was just told to take the medication. Mine started with a grand mal seizure I was sat in my chair at home luckily.

This has happened to me a few times starting new SSRIs and other meds. Doctors and psychiatrists should take this more seriously as it’s a bit of a “you’ll be fine”.

I've experienced this several times in my life (SSRIs and cough medicine are a very bad combo), but I never knew what the actual mechanisms behind it were, so this was a really interesting video.

I've literally never heard of this syndrome until youtube recommended the video to me. Interesting to find medical info that's explained so understandably.

Been here and done this. It sucks. Psychiatrist messed up my meds. Went to the ER twice and all they did was give me another chill pill. I was pretty much on my own getting it fixed.

I was diagnosed with Serotonin Syndrome in 1993 after 2 inpatient mental health unit hospitalizations. The meds almost killed me.

I suffered from serotonin syndrome after two weeks of taking Prozac, and then the doctor added another medication to me, which I took, and I had a panic attack, severe fear, and confusion, and I felt like I was going to die. I went to the emergency room in the hospital and met with another psychiatrist who had no experience. I told him, unfortunately, he told me that you have anxiety that is not from the medication, and he gave me another medication. So I believed his words and went into a coma due to serotonin poisoning. The medication was withdrawn from my body, but I suffered severe depression and anxiety after that because of this incident. I continued to suffer for years, and I am now fine, much better than before, and I am still recovering without antidepressant medication. When I went to a psychiatrist, he went because I have a phobia of... Providing lectures at the university only..I am very regretful and wrong for going to a psychiatrist. I lost 3 years of my life because of that.

I was having a lot of anxiety and my GP gave me Serzone 100 mg. She said take it twice a day. I took 1 that evening and another the next morning. 20 min later , Driving to work, I started feeling agitated and super anxious. By the time I got to work it was even worse and sounds and lights seemed extra intense and overly stimulating. Then diarrhea. I told my boss who was a dentist. He took my BP and it was super high. I had to drive home and this feeling did not go away. I laid in bed at night and shook all over. I called my doctor and she said I was having a panic attack. FOR DAYS???? She prescribed Xanax which did nothing. After a week of this I really thought I was going to have to kill myself bc I couldn’t function, take care of my baby, work… Someone gave me the name of a psychiatrist and this man saved my life. He said wrong drug. It took 3 months to feel myself again. It was the scariest darkest time of my life. I did not have all these symptoms but I had a little of all the categories so I’m guessing this is what it was.

i felt like i was gonna die when i got this. my throat started closing and i asked my mom if that was a normal symptom of the meds and she was like it’s probably fine. then later on my muscles were twitching and i started throwing up. i remember thinking if i took another antidepressant the next day, i would die

This is so helpful!. I was put on Antidepressants over 23 years ago and within 6 hours knew something was really wrong. My eyes were uncontrollable and shortly after my body started Spasming. I was left like that for nearly 3 days (the GP thought I was doing it and told me to keep taking them!). I finally got sent to hospital and a specialist recognised the reaction. I also had this reaction from Anti sickness meds once too. No one every explained the cause to me, so I was terrified of it happening again. Years later I tried Mirtazapine and was absolutely fine on that. I’m off all meds now :). Great video!

I have this at the moment. Just found out that the two antihistamines I used caused this so I've just stopped one of them. I take two different antipsycotics given to me from my Psychiatrist. Great video, thank you.

My grandma had this a little over 2 years ago. She is actually allergic to 99% of pain meds and had just went through breaking her back twice and 2 back surgeries within 3 months. She was transferred from the hospital that did her surgeries to inpatient rehab at the hospital I was working at, at the time. She had altered mental status, twitching, slurred speech, when she got to hospital #2. I had found out that hospital #1 had been giving her a pain med she was allergic to. I told hospital #2 that they needed to stop all pain meds, because she is allergic. Within a few hours of stopping the meds, she improved immensely. A few days later, my grandpa calls me and just says get here. I get to hospital #2 and she is worse than before, I go tell the nurses that they needed to get the doc there ASAP. He gets there a few hours later, is being super sarcastic, condescending, talking to us like we are idiots, etc. My boyfriend was 🤏🏻 to punching the doc and walked out of the room before he could. A couple days later she gets discharged and within 6 hours of being home, was back to her normal self. I later found out that the doc from hospital #2 was saying that we were the ones over-medicating her (not sure how we could do that when none of us had any pain meds) and causing the serotonin toxicity. To say I was pissed when I found out is an understatement. I am now on high alert about anything when it comes to her and any medications.

I've gone through this and it is literally hell on earth.

This sounds SO similar to Opioid Abstinence Disorder (Opioid Withdrawals)!!! These conditions should be studied in FAR greater detail during Med School... It's unbelievable how ignorant most Med Students (and nearly as many practicing Physicians) they are! It's so much more intolerable than ppl think... But first we would need Physicians who actually care about their jobs and their patients...

I had serotonin syndrome, was suffering from it for a month now, even worse than this my neurologist missdiagnosed it as epilepsy.

I've had this in the past. I recognized the symptoms from my college classes.

I'm experiencing this now. Sweating, gastrointestinal issues, irritability. I am speaking with my doctor tomorrow. The symptoms are really bothersome.

I used to get gastritis several times a year. My GI has me on low dose Lexapro now and I haven't had a flare up in a long time. Amazing how it helps your gut, too.

I been taking SSRIs since 2016 and I was told to never tale St. John's wart with my meds. Now I know why

Signs, and symptoms along with a clear definition should be at the start making the causes and physiological information more impactful.

A profound problem of medication 💊 is over medication without realising chemicals will interact ,make chemical changes ,cancel out important chemistry needed . How many GPs know what you have researched, medication 💊 is given even with patients history of taking on more.... Thankyou hope your well heard.

THIS AIN'T NO JOKE! I've had it, and it is scary

I am always on the lookout for symptoms. I talk Zoloft and Valproic acid daily, Suptriptan for migraines, Tramadol for occasional back spasms, and I just finished a course of Cipro for a UTI. That's 5 problematic meds!

A friend was in the hospital for 3 weeks with SS going in because she was stuck on one phrase and could say nothing else. It was clear to me she thought she was making sense but it’s was nearly 48 hours before one more work was added to her vocabulary. She then was moved from psyche area in the hospital to neurology floor where it took her more than a couple more wells to recover. Honestly things still are not perfect though watching this has given me more insight on what may have happened considering the medication cocktail she received for her various issues prior to her SS. thank you!!!

I remember a decade ago, I was put on Tramadol after minor surgery. , it was hyped because it was non addictive. I never had any addiction issues so I could've cared less what they gave me. but now I wish they just gave me hydrocodone instead. tramadol did nothing for the pain. after taking it for the month I was done and within 12 hours I was in the worst state of mind and body I had ever been. no sleep for almost 3 days, spending nights laying there drenched in sweat, then freezing to death. every 15 seconds back and forth. the worst mental anguish and insane despair. I tried the next day to tell my doctor and he said "you might be getting addicted, just stop taking them" which was an insane thing to say about "non addictive" meds. I asked him if he could taper me off and he said "thats drug seeking behavior" and I was on my own. After 4 days the worse was over and another 7 to feel normal again. After heavy research I found tramadol was actually originally a strong antidepressant that could be used off label for pain. its insane what doctors will give you and have no idea what it is or what it can do.

I had an episode of SS after a pharmacist gave me a medication that was not prescribed for me. Her pharm tech mixed up the name of the medication but the pharmacist is to double check the med before giving it to the patient. She missed it. I took the medication immediately after having it filled. I fell ill within an hour of taking the pill. I was shopping at the mall with my daughter. I broke out in an ungodly sweat. I was wearing a sweatshirt. I had to hit TARGET and buy a shirt left over from the summer. It was a very light material. My daughter and I had to leave the mall I was so sick. I got hold of my Doctor right away. She had me come in and checked me out. I was suffering from SS. She looked at the bottle and found the error. She immediately got hold of the pharmacist and told her about her error. The pharmacist tried to argue with my Doctor saying that I couldn't have had that type of a reaction so quickly after taking the wrong medication. My Doctor sent me to the local hospital for IV treatment. I got very lucky. My Doctor was so pissed at the pharmacist's attitude she turned her into the State of Michigan licensing board. The pharmacist contacted me and paid my hospital bill; however, she tried to fight me for the cost of the $12 shirt from Target.. This pissed me off. So with that I decided to take her to court for damages. The day before our court case she contacted me and settled. Her brother is an attorney and advised her that she should settle with me. I received what I asked for. Honestly, I don't think I would have gone to court if she didn't try to fight me for the cost of the shirt.

When I was hospitalized for depression in 2017, my Effexor was increased from 150 mg to 300 mg. I immediately developed muscle spasms in my lower abdomen and pelvis. It only occurred at bedtime. The spasms were quite intense but not painful. My Effexor dose was eventually lowered to 237.5 mg. I still go through periods where the spasms are present at bedtime. Since I also have pre-existing restless leg syndrome, it makes falling asleep very difficult at times.

I have had this happen. With this video it makes me wonder is my rather extreme frequent nausea is from my SSRI. I will definitely be talking with my doctor

It is extremely painful, the pain is indescribable

i had serotonin syndrome. it was the worst. i tried taking my life cause it made my anxiety so bad. i went to an outpatient psych ward and they changed my medicine and now i'm back to normal

I think it's important that everybody understand that there is no link whatsoever between depression and serotonin. If you were taking SSRIs for depression, you shouldn't be.

This video was randomly recommended to me today. I've been taking Venlafaxin these past few days and have been feeling HORRIBLE. I stopped taking the medication today and made an appointment with my doctor.

Very helpful, thank you! I’m going to talk to my son’s Dr ASAP!

I had Seratonin syndrome induced by a doctor that forgot that I had told him I was on a specific medication. I was coded in the hospital & I have my husband to thank because he had called me on my cell phone just as I was crashing & with him being a doctor, he saved my life after some commotion with the emergency nurse. The doctor was just about to give me another contraindicated medication to stop the reaction too! My heart would have stopped. I'm very lucky. Because of the silly covid regulations , not allowing spouses, parents or adult children in the hospital, we have seen many hospital deaths because the patients had no one that could be there with them as an advocate for their health.

I went to the ER with bad pain in my back, dizzy, vomiting. They told me it was SS but turned out to be an infected kidney stone and sepsis. Doctors dont know everything. Thank God for x-rays!

Very important information. I am getting value here. Thanks for sharing

Last time I drank ayahuasca (DMT with MAOi), I experienced SS (extreme yawning, shivering for an hour or two, tachycardia, fever). I don't take any meds at all. Most of the others at the ceremony talked about the shivering which was intense and uncontrollable. I tend to yawn so much that I find it difficult to gasp for air, which is concerning at the time.

For educational completion: overdosing on MDMA or similar substances, or being on the mentioned antidepressants and then taking MDMA causes serotonin syndrome aswell

I have this! Took a long time and alot of mental gymnastics to figure it out and to get a diagnosis. Several years ago,some doctors hadnt believed me! and had never heard of it! This was an excellent explanation. Thankyou & Cheers!

One thing that is probably missing here is the interaction between SSRI's and cannabis, or potentially how cannabis interacts with these other Serotonergic drugs or supplements as well, I believe cannabis can also contribute to serotonin syndrome.

Being on long term venlafaxine for fibromyalgia, this explains some past issues. Thank you. I can’t believe my doctors and pharmacist haven’t discussed it with me.

PSA: If you happen to take SSRIs and stimulants and get a cold, don't take Dayquill. Or skip the stimulants, and then take Dayquill. It's a rare reaction, but it was beyond awful, and I only had to endure four days of it.

I had this about 15 years ago due to my doctor prescribing me double the recommended maximum dosage of an antidepressant as well as two other medications that shouldn’t be taken at the same time as SSRIs. I was so unwell, I couldn’t regulate my body temperature and my heart rate was very high (I can’t remember how high). I was so lucky another doctor picked it up or I could have died. The only lasting effect I’d that I am very sensitive to being hot. I’ll walk around in tshirts while everyone else in rugged up and if I get too hot I will feel sick and my blood pressure drops.

I had Seratonin Syndrome solely on the SSRI medication. I did not have any add-on medication.

WOW! I suffered for years! And still TO THIS DAY the doctors who prescribe do not recognize the signs! So I did my own testing on myself because all the doctors would do is throw more and more pills at me to alleviate the symptoms. My tests confirmed that I wasn’t in excruciating pain once I weaned myself off the meds. I am lucky to still be alive, and all those meds made my teeth brittle, my bones are older than me, and I’m sure they took DECADES off my life. It caused anorexia due to the pain of trying to process food through my body. I was severely malnourished. I had one doctor insisting I should have a hysterectomy because it “must” be female problems. EVERY doctor except my current one would absolutely fight me about the meds not being responsible for my intestinal pain.

About 5 years ago I went through this once and only once. I am on chronic pain medicine and I am taking an antidepressant. I have been on these for 10 years. I was given a new med Farxiga, one tablet 1 X a day. Five days later I was bat crap crazy with 💯 % kidney failure. After a lot of testing and praying and equal amounts of fear and stress. I was off Farxiga and almost all of the involuntary movements have stopped, almost all. Scary stuff.

I’m on Duloxetine 2x 60 mg a day Venlafaxine 1x 75 mg and Tramodol 2x 50g up to four times a day. They were all prescribed by a doctor.

You should have also mentioned ecstacy the illicit drug. My boyfriend got me to try it while I was taking prozac. I realized the danger after I recovered.

My GP had me on SSRI and tramadol, I thought I was going mad for five years, doctors laughed at me and said I was being silly. A chemist I had never been to looked at me and my scripts and refused to fill the order took my pulse. Over 200, more than twice normal. My GP wasn't worried she said my angina and heart rate would normalise. It never did, i now at age 40 have progressive heart failure, Ra, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and am disabled. Once heart failure sets in its fatal.

Is there any research regarding the risk of serotonin syndrome in people using psychedelic drugs (many of which act on the serotonin 5HT2A receptors).

I had this. It put me in the ICU. When I went into the E.R they thought I was just off a bender. They did some test and found out the VA gave me the wrong dose of meds that conflicted with each other.

I got this yesterday fought it through should’ve gone to er honestly

September 18, 2022 is my second birthday. My symptoms lasted for 20 hours, I passed out countless times, I was shaking UNCONTROLLABLE, I had diarrhea, my heart wanted to jump out, but at the same time I couldn't stand on my feet. When I was conscious I prayed to God to forgive my sins if this is the time for me to leave. After everything, they told me in the emergency room that it was a panic attack, countless infusions, because I was in two hospitals. I knew it wasn't because I was passing out all day. I was on anti-depressants and migraine medication, both of which have high doses of serotonin. I thank God for a second chance, and I am afraid of the incompetence of our doctors. 18.09. is the date of my patron saint and I know who saved my life then. Since then, I've been fighting and struggling with panic attacks, but that day was not one of them.

You completely omitted big causes of the serotonine syndrome: MDMA and Amphetamines!

Twice(about 15 yrs apart) I was prescribed an antidepressant for depression and the second time for appetite control. With 2 days I felt more than weird. The first time I went to the hospital after 4 days of not sleeping and was dignosed with serotonin syndrome. I felt like I was going to die. The second time it happened, I recognize the symptoms early before it got bad.

Over prescribing Effexor kept me on the sofa for 6 months until I figured it out. Serotonin has never been a problem

I’m maxed out on a number of these meds and have never experienced any of these symptoms. Guess my serotonin levels are naturally quite low.

I haven't yet seen a comment about serotonin syndrome and recreational drug use. If you're taking an SSRI any of the other mentioned medications, MDMA, LSD, shrooms, Hawaiian baby woodrose, DMT, and ayahuasca would also put you at a greater risk. Lithium can also induce seizures when paired with psychedelics. Trip safe loves!

Can serotonin syndrome cause “mild cognitive impairment “? I have on these meds since I was 26, I’m now 57 and have been suffering from mild cognitive impairment and troubles speaking, word finding and short term memory loss. It’s really scary.

I was on Luvox for over 20 years. It nearly 95% stopped my ability to have an orgasm. Off it now for 8 months. The missing "sensation" has returned and it's like going through puberty again.

Forgot to mention all the involuntary body twitching. My head kept jerking and I could not stop it. Very scary experience!

I had this but wasn't beleived by doctors. Was put on 150mg sssri from zero and I could feel heart expand , verry scary and doctor said well if your suicidal why are you concerned about the symptoms. I felt awful and couldn't believe some one in the medical profession said that to me.

I was on an antidepressant and took sumatriptan. Ended up in the ER.

I used to sweat terrible and was always hot, and I'm normally always cold all my life, also I felt groggy all the time and terrible RLS so I eventually came off them. I found in end they were not helping me I was just getting side effects.

What is also worth noting is that someone can experience less extreme symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome on and off, getting worse, until they have a severe and potentially life threatening episode. I had this happen to me, due to taking medications in combination for treatment of bipolar disorder and PTSD, with generalized anxiety. I would go to my doctor over and over and tell them that something was wrong, but because the symptoms were not severe and would go away, they were not able to figure out what was causing the issue. This included a severe episode where I went to the ER, because I just couldn't figure out why it was so much worse this time and wouldn't stop, but they decided I was just having a panic attack, gave me a shot of Haldol, and sent me home a few hours later. It wasn't until I was sent to the ER a second time, when my mother couldn't get me to string two sentences together; and I had all the same symptoms but worse. At the hospital they determined that I was also having heart symptoms and put me in the ICU. I don't remember anything until a day and a half later, when I was told that I was having serotonin syndrome, was taken off all my psych meds but the Ativan, and was told not to take them for several weeks, until my psychiatrist figured out a safe treatment plan. Since then I have been really struggling with keeping my mental health symptoms under control, especially when I lost my mother, step-father, and emotional support animal/ beloved fur baby in 2021. Now if I take even a tiny dose of a medication that can cause it, it will start again. I'm honestly pretty distraught and don't know how to keep my psych symptoms under control, when the only medication that I seem to be able to take for my bipolar symptoms is a rather low dose of Oxcarbazepine. I'm on a pain medication for several chronic pain conditions, and it seems to be contributing, but due to having a liver condition that precludes use of NSAIDs and some drug allergies, it seems to be the only thing they can think of to give me. It is frightening to think I'm 47, and there are so few medications I can take safely already; but I guess, I should be optimistic that they could figure out new medications at any point.

After reading these posts it comes to no surprise that the US will be facing significant shortages of health care providers - nurses & doctors - for a decade. Good Luck with that

Everyday 60mg SSRI (13years) and 150mg SNRI (1year)..still feel fine !

So extremely helpful. Thank you

serotonin syndrome is awful, i have had it a few times, and nearly died a few times because of it. it’s so scary feeling your body giving up

Weed+ lithium+ caffeine + antihistamines. I had palpitations.I still barely sleep. The worst that I couldn't walk for four days.... I reported nearly every symptom, just a mild version. Doctors in the er gave me more lithium. I called a mental health doctor who told me to keep taking the lithium. I took benadryl suddenly couldn't walk. Once I quit everything I improved day by day. No thanks to any doctors. A nurse even TOLD ME TO PRAY because she felt bad for me. EVERYONE FAILED ME. How can I trust doctors now? I'm mad because this just happened to me and I'm still letting my legs rest. Today was the first day I can walk in 4 days! I couldn't have gotten through this alone.

This almost killed me. My pain management doctor was giving me samples of Savella, and I didn't even think to tell my pharmacist. I was also on Prozac. (Yes, I'm putting my personal medical info out there so that anyone else who may be taking the same medicines together can watch for symptoms.) It took about a month before my symptoms were bad enough that others around me were noticing and my brain was so scrambled I was clueless. I would start walking down the hall on the right side like we normally do and end up on the left. I was lifting my legs and stepping way out like a flamingo, and then when my foot hit the floor I would shuffle for just a split second as if I couldn't really feel the floor under me. My memory was completely gone, I was snapping and sniping at everyone around me for no reason, definitely had the stomach upset, I had the spastic legs - I don't even remember everything that was happening but it was bad. I ignored some of the symptoms because they played along with some of my medical issues anyway - the hot / cold sweats? Menopause. Gastric upset? Pancreatitis must be acting up. They were symptoms that I had dealt with for years, other than the inability to walk straight - my brain was just too screwed up to realize they didn't usually all happen at the same time. My pain levels were off the charts, which is why they kept increasing the Savella - which isn't even a pain medicine but that's a whole other argument - to the point my pain doctor was allowing me to double my already fairly high dose of narcotic pain medicine. It was a mess... I went in for routine blood work one morning and my nurse took one look at me and asked if I was drunk- knowing full well I don't drink. (Not a teetotaler, maybe two cocktails a year?) I laughed and told her no - at which point she told me if I didn't agree to go straight to the emergency room, she was calling paramedics. What the hell? Okay, I'll go! I wasn't driving that day because we had had a terrible snowstorm the night before and a friend offered to take me in there four-wheel drive. Good thing... The last thing I needed to be doing right then was driving. Anyway, fast forward to the ER - after about 5 hours of testing nobody could figure out what was wrong with me but by that time I was having full-blown panic attacks. They were afraid to give me any more meds until they figured out what was going on with me, so as you can imagine that MRI was tons of fun 😂. I usually do okay with them but between the serotonin issues causing the panic attacks, and the fear knowing that everyone there was totally confused - not a good morning. Four doctors agreed that there was something seriously wrong with me but they couldn't figure out what it was. This was a large hospital, I'm sure they had seen SS before. Anyway... I had given them my full med list, including the Savella, and it still didn't click with anyone. I knew about SS from previous research - I have absolutely no idea why I ever looked it up but I'm glad I did because I finally spoke up and asked the doctors if that could possibly be the problem. The three of them that were in the room with me at the time looked at me like I had two heads - and immediately agreed that by golly, Dr. Google may have just stumbled upon something! Couple of more tests, I have no idea what they were - and I was immediately admitted to the ICU where I spent 12 days. Another 15 days in a regular room and I was sent home in a wheelchair unable to walk and barely able to talk. They had pumped me full of whatever med they give you to reverse the damage - but I guess I was so far gone, they told me if I had waited another 48 hours I probably would have died. I don't remember all of the internal stuff that was going on but my file is almost 8 inches thick - that's not a typo - And it truly did take me almost 6 months to fully recover. I used a walker for three of those months and a cane for a couple more. Tons of physical and occupational therapy - home health nurse had to come every day for almost a month because that was easier than trying to load me and a wheelchair into the car and take me to various appointments. *** Did I mention that when this happened, I was living with and taking care of my insulin dependent brittle diabetic 90-year-old dad, and my poor 84-year-old mother who lived across town (They divorced 30 years ago) had to suddenly become the main caretaker for both of us? When I finally got out of the hospital and stopped by the pharmacy to pick up my plethora of new medication - of course my pharmacist took one look at me and asked what the hell? (I was in my pajamas, in a wheelchair, drooling and barely able to talk.) My mom and I managed to explain what had happened and the pharmacist literally started crying. She was apologizing like it was her that caused all of this - She felt terrible for not recognizing that those two meds should not be taken together, or at least should be closely monitored. I had to remind her that she had no idea I was taking Savella - I hadn't told her. She was clicking away on the computer, looking at my history, and finally agreed that the Savella was not there and there was no way she could have known. (It broke my heart to see her cry but it felt so good to know that I've truly found a pharmacist that cares about her people - she's not just there for a paycheck. I never realized how important a pharmacist is as part of our medical team but I won't forget it now!) Sorry this was so long, if you're still with me, thanks for reading, lol. Just wanted to share my story and let people know that this can be extremely dangerous and yes, deadly. Please tell all of your medical team, ESPECIALLY YOUR PHARMACIST, any and all medicines you're putting in your body. Sometimes we have half a dozen different doctors - but hopefully only one pharmacist and they are the last defense against medication problems. I'm lucky that I needed blood work that morning with a nurse that personally knew my history and knew that something was seriously wrong with me. The problem with SS is that you're the last one to realize it because your brain has suddenly turned into scrambled eggs. People around me later said that they honestly thought I had started doing drugs but were too embarrassed to say anything. Thanks guys... 🤔🤣. They now know to please speak up if I start acting like a pinball again. My doctors think that the reason it took almost a month for me to really get so bad is because we had been slowly increasing the Savella over that month. Pain doc started me at a very low dose and when it wasn't doing anything, raised it. I think that happened three times that month, with the last dose change being what finally pushed things over the edge. It was only about 3 days from the last dosage change until the ER visit but friends said they noticed a couple of days earlier that I was "acting weirder than I had been". Please- Do your research! I trusted all of my doctors implicitly, still don't blame either of the doctors that had given me the two different medications - they're human, they can't possibly know every single thing about every single pill they prescribe. It certainly wasn't the pharmacist's fault, she didn't even know about the Savella. It was truly a freak accident that luckily I got through. Again, I have no idea why I was ever looking up serotonin syndrome but it had been a couple of years before I had it myself - I probably clicked on a link that led me to a link that sent me to another link that poof, what's serotonin syndrome? We all do it - end up at a website and have no idea how we got there lol. I have full confidence that the ER would have eventually figured things out, they had already decided to admit me - but who knows how many more tests they would have had to do or how much sicker I would have had to get before the light bulb went off for someone. This was about 15 years ago so SS wasn't as prevalent as it is now and two of my doctors knew of it but had never seen it before. Scary stuff guys... *** Please forgive typos or run on sentences... I'm running out the door but wanted to get this comment in so I don't forget.

“They” tried to put me on migraine eradicating Rx but the side effect was migraines. Honest to God. I passed.

Can marijuana contribute to serotonin if on an ssri?

I was on an SSRI called Celexa for a while but it was discontinued and I was placed on Lexapro which is a metabolite of Celexa. I started having symptoms of what I thought was either MS or a seizure disorder. After numerous neurological tests, it was determined I had serotonin syndrome and was placed on a lower dose. The symptoms eventually resolved. Turns out the Lexapro was much more bioavailable than the comparable dose of Celexa. I am currently on Zoloft with no adverse effects.

I am hopeful that today this moment has changed my life.

My doctor had added another antidepressants to the two I was already taking and I kept calling the pharmacist and telling them I don’t feel right something is wrong. Long story short I went back to the doctor and I was told I was having serotonin overload! That is deadly! I do not blame my doctor at the time, we didn’t know I was going to have this effect, I had to stop taking everything for a few days and then I felt great. Like I said long story short

When I was on Prozac, I hardly ever felt cold in winter, had muscle twitches all over my body throughout the day, had trouble deciphering thoughts from dreams and reality, hallucinating scenarios and then wondering if they happened or not, and vice versa, rapid weight gain, low to no sex drive, rocking, teeth decayed quickly, inability to feel complex emotions, or even care about much, facial swelling in the mornings mostly upon waking, flat affect, forgetfulness, or trouble concentrating.

Yeah I wound up in the ER once after mixing an SSRI and migraine meds. I don't know if it actually gave me serotonin syndrome or if I was just having a panic attack lol.

After years on Paxil, I noticed that I'd loss the ability to shiver. I'd be cold, but all that would happen would be single jerk. It reminded me of trying to start a lawn mower which wouldn't catch. When I asked my doctor about this, he said it was probably the Paxil (he wasn't the doctor who originally prescribed it BTW). This seemed weird to me, but I agreed to taper off Paxil. Eventually my ability to shiver made a slight recovery, as in I'd shiver for a few seconds before it shut down. It's not Serotonin Syndrome obviously, but it is an effect on thermoregulation.

I got debilitating migraine like headaches on ssri's. Are there any age group that is more prone to this?

I once added Selegelin to my nootropic stack, totally forgetting that it's an MAO-I. I was taking Venlafaxine 150mg and Modafinil at the time, amongst a few other Serotoneric agents. That was the most unpleasant and frightening experience ever, and I've had some bad trips and prolonged psychotic episodes (drug induced)

As I got off Lexapro I took more and more grapefruit st John's wort and triptophan as I titrated and no withdrawl symptoms. 👍🏼😁

sounds alot like what people go through during opiate withdrawal. i always figured it was because of the lack of serotonin because it got used up when getting high all the time and now the body is trying to rebalance and produce on its own again. been totally wromg before though.

My mom had this happen to her when her doctor raised her depression meds to high luckily they figured out what was happening. She also takes ADHD and bipolar medicine and they mixed not well and caused it. I was very young so I don’t remember everything but she is ok now

I've had this several times, worst was when I had it for two weeks and nobody did a thing. Every time was when I was unable to refill my Cymbalta bc it was expensive (before they offered generic). It wasn't from a medication mixture but from a lack of it. The ER dr ran tests, never asked what I was taking, and discharged me with no diagnosis. It should have occurred to me sooner that it was from suddenly stopping the Cymbalta, but it's really hard to think straight when you're sick af and hallucinating.

You know being chronically ill and being on all SSRI, migraine treatments AND cipro twice (never take that kids it'll make you so suicidal it's not worth fight off whatever infection you got going on). I realize that I have never dealt with serotonin syndrome, but I sure do gotta a lot of other things that act like it lol

SSRI’s are dangerous, I don’t remember much while on it but was suicidal and homicidal.

I saw one case of this in my career working in the ER. A patient was sent to us from a local mental hospital, and luckily, they mentioned they worried the patient might develop Serotonin Syndrome due to a med error ( he was given another patient's med on top of his usual meds). He was fine when he got to us, but without their notification, I doubt that I would have known what was going on as this man became more confused then lost consciousness. Physician's had known for decades to avoid Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, basically, only psychiatrists prescribe those and rarely, but some of the newer antidepressants are likely making this more common nowadays.

So I have been taking SSRIs for 2 years. I increased the dose a year ago and since then have had symptoms such as, restless legs, diarrhoea, loud bowel movements and walking up in the early morning with the bed literally soaked in sweat, so much so I have to change the pillow and quilt immediately. This results in being dehydrated the next day. A fan is no longer helping. My appetite and bodily routines are all haywire. Sudden nausea attacks are now daily and have even resulted in vomiting. I think I need to see the doctor after seeing this video.

Don’t forget SNRI’s, it’s been fun leveling out my doses as to not be in Serotonin Syndrome. (Prozac & Effexor). This was especially harder since I’m also on 2 other meds that effect my serotonin levels. I had the syndrome minimally for about a year and thought I was dying from something. That was fun while already having panic/anxiety problems. Do Benzo’s not increase Serotonin or is that just w GABA?

I'm on 200mg of Zoloft and I feel off, headaches, irritability, eyes moving left to right maybe I should get some help thanks for the vid.

I had to Google most of the words to find out what you were talking about

pretty sure I had mild ss yesterday. had a 12 hour panic attack, dilated pupils (looked like I had taken MDMA), legs were like jelly, heart rate 140 und sweating like crazy. Ive been taking prozac for years without any issues but my doc now prescribed me Vyvanse on top. dont know what to do because my focus on vyvanse is amazing