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Sertraline and hypomania?

Doomed2pain

Doomed2pain

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Aug 15, 2011
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I had a bad time yesterday, I now know what the cause was but I am also wondering if sertraline may have played a part? I'm still at 50mg and have been suffering from low bp although we aren't sure yet if that's from the sertraline so my dr has run tests before we up my dose.

I had a severe adrenal response to pain and was hallucinating etc, but the hours before that happened I was positively manic, and thought I was going off the deep end again. Would my dr be best taking me off this or maybe prescribing something like a mood stabiliser with it?

Anyone got any experience with sert and mood stabilisers? Could do with some first hand reports?

Thankies.
 
Antidepressants most definitely can cause mania, and in bipolar people you never rx antidepressants alone, only with a mood stabilizer. They can also cause mania in those not diagnosed with being bipolar/ever shown symptoms of it previous to the drug induced mania.
 
I have crps and PTSD, panic disorder, severe adjustment disorder with depression and anxiety and agoraphobia.

Mixed bag, and each condition exasperates each other.
 
High 5' another one :)

Any experience with mood stabilisers? You gave me excellent advice a few days ago.
 
As use as a mood stabilizer? No. I am on both carbamazipine and lamotrigine for seizure control though. My carbamazipine levels have been too low so my dose recently increased and I've been suffering a lot of episodes of double vision but that always happens to me with that drug during an increase. That's about all I have to report.....the carbamazpine is controlling my seizures well, if that counts? LOL
 
I'd say bag the sertraline. It can definitely induce hypomania or mania, or symptoms assosciated with such conditions. I don't know why you are Rx'd the sertraline, but you don't want to be screwed up by it.
 
I should mention that I'm not the person to test whether a drug gives you side effects though.....because they very rarely do. Very rarely, in fact. I went from nothing to 150mg of sertraline in 5 days and the nurses kept looking at me weird, asking me if I felt okay. I kept replying "yes...should I be feeling sick...?" (I was in inpatient at the time)
 
I have been on a shit ton of different ones, been going on 28 months so you know, haven't found the right mix yet is all. They either didn't help or sent me psychotic.

It is very confusing. But the anti seizure stuff is interesting as I have been on different ones for my pain. I shall enquire. Thank you :)
 
Alex000 said:
I'd say bag the sertraline. It can definitely induce hypomania or mania, or symptoms assosciated with such conditions. I don't know why you are Rx'd the sertraline, but you don't want to be screwed up by it.
Click to expand...

It says why further in the thread Hun.
 
^Hey no need to apologise. I'm hoping to have a phone consultation with mr dr tomorrow as I need an increase in pain meds for this pain relapse, but I am going to mention it. Sigh, drug 10th psych drug down the drain then... It is never ending. It is a pity as if the low bp is not being caused by the sertraline, it has been the best tolerated I think. Would it still not be worth trying it with a mood stabiliser?
 
I am not fond of orthodox psych meds, but if the sertraline is really helping, yes you could add a mood stabilizer. I'd actually suggest Neurontin or Lyrica, it will help with mood and pain. Hurray!
 
Been on them both, couldn't tolerate either one. Made me really very poorly, I kept falling which exasperated my pain condition, couldn't function cognitively, had serious tremors. Was on neurontin for 9 months at 3200mg by the end, and lyrica was even worse at low dosage so I had to stop after 2 weeks I was that bad. The sertraline doesn't make me worse other than yesterday, but I really do think it was down to the pain more than anything. My throat is raw from vomiting from the pain it is really that bad.
 
Sertraline can cause mania just like any other serotonic anti-depressant and generaly people who have bipolar disorder are not prescribed a ssri, snri, tricyclic, etc without a mood stabilizer or anti-manic drug. The only 2 true mood stabilizers are lithium and lamotrigine that is ones that control both the manic and depressive episodes. All the other ones like the valproates (epival, epilem, depakote, etc) and carbamazepine are just anti-manic drugs. Apparently seroquel is approved to treat depression now so that is one that is kinda a true mood stabilizer.

I would talk to your doctor about trying a mood stabilizer as it could benefit you alot. For me personally lamotrigine has been a life saver.
 
Thank you. It isn't just depression though, there's a shit ton of them, think I list it in maybe the 2nd or 3rd post down? Anyway, I shall mention it tomorrow and see what is said, problem is, it's a gp so I'm not sure whether she knows much about psych drugs. She is very very helpful though and I am hoping for a phone consultation tomorrow.
 
On currently, or been on? The list is rather extensive I am afraid. It will take me literally about 30 minutes to explain to the full extent why i had to change drugs and what treatments I have had etc etc etc

Very complex situation, just my bloody luck lol.
 
Doomed2pain said:
On currently, or been on? The list is rather extensive I am afraid. It will take me literally about 30 minutes to explain to the full extent why i had to change drugs and what treatments I have had etc etc etc

Very complex situation, just my bloody luck lol.
Click to expand...

I have been on a shit ton of meds too many of which i have had to stop taking either because of various adverse reactions, the meds not working or in some cases i simply could not afford them so i could only use them for emergencies. Zyprexa (olanzapine would be a good example of a med that works great for me but i can't afford. I was wary of trying psych meds after a few bad experiences namely the fact that effexor made my life a living hell and carbamazepine made me sick as a dog and gave me ripping headaches even after i stopped it. But i found a medication combo that has tolerable side effects and works well for me most of the time.
 
^ yes same with me re so many meds. I hope I find the right combination soon, it's gone on long enough and I have the rest of my life to deal with this shit.

My brain feels fried at the moment. Thanks for the advice though. I cannot wait until my solicitor manages to get the insurance company to send me private, I will receive so much better treatment then hopefully, and my life won't be as hellish. I have no quality of life.

I'm glad you found the right mixture. Do you have chronic pain too?
 
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