[ArtAndSoul]

Hi! I'm new here. Im really worried and need some advice/reassurance!
I'm taking Zoloft 100mg. My dr recently started me on buspirone 7.5 twice a day. Yesterday she increased my dose to 15mg twice a day and she explained to me the rare possibility of seratonin syndrome. I took my new dose this morning and felt fine all day, but tonight my muscles are twitching (something I've experienced occasionally, before starting buspirone). I'm worried it's seratonin syndrome and that the symptoms will get worse overnight but they won't wake me up in time to get help. I'm afraid to take my dose tonight. Should I be worried or am I overreacting?

[June55]

Call the doctor office or pharmacist and tell them your reaction feeling from this and they can advise.

[LucyG]

Have you been depressed for a while now? If so, I doubt your problem is serotonin syndrome as it's very rare. Most people who are depressed are so low in serotonin that they'd have to take their entire month's supply of meds to trigger serotonin syndrome

Your muscle twitches sound like they could be a symptom of magnesium deficiency. Your med could have triggered it as psych meds block the body's ability to utilize magnesium so if you're already deficient [and most people are because of eating white flour and sugar, drinking carbonated beverages and the like], the meds made it worse. Add a highly absorbable magnesium to your supplements and see if it helps. You want to go with magnesium chloride, citrate, malate or other chelated form, and liquid or powder you mix in a drink is more absorbable. DON'T buy the cheap magnesium oxide that is sold as 'magnesium' as all it's going to do is giving you raging diarrhea as it's barely absorbed. You need to be sure and take calcium and vitamins D3 and K with the magnesium as the 4 work together.

[Submax]

Originally Posted by ArtAndSoul

Hi! I'm new here. Im really worried and need some advice/reassurance!
I'm taking Zoloft 100mg. My dr recently started me on buspirone 7.5 twice a day. Yesterday she increased my dose to 15mg twice a day and she explained to me the rare possibility of seratonin syndrome. I took my new dose this morning and felt fine all day, but tonight my muscles are twitching (something I've experienced occasionally, before starting buspirone). I'm worried it's seratonin syndrome and that the symptoms will get worse overnight but they won't wake me up in time to get help. I'm afraid to take my dose tonight. Should I be worried or am I overreacting?

I think your overreacting. Those two drugs are commonly taken together. Serotonin syndrome is pretty rare. I take lexapro and trazodone every night both ad's and never had issues. The Dr. is just letting you know it's a possibility.

[AncientMelody]

Originally Posted by LucyG

Have you been depressed for a while now? If so, I doubt your problem is serotonin syndrome as it's very rare. Most people who are depressed are so low in serotonin that they'd have to take their entire month's supply of meds to trigger serotonin syndrome

Your muscle twitches sound like they could be a symptom of magnesium deficiency. Your med could have triggered it as psych meds block the body's ability to utilize magnesium so if you're already deficient [and most people are because of eating white flour and sugar, drinking carbonated beverages and the like], the meds made it worse. Add a highly absorbable magnesium to your supplements and see if it helps. You want to go with magnesium chloride, citrate, malate or other chelated form, and liquid or powder you mix in a drink is more absorbable. DON'T buy the cheap magnesium oxide that is sold as 'magnesium' as all it's going to do is giving you raging diarrhea as it's barely absorbed. You need to be sure and take calcium and vitamins D3 and K with the magnesium as the 4 work together.

I agree that serotonin syndrome is very rare, but the more recent data is clear that depression is not a "serotonin deficiency" syndrome. that theory is outdated. I think it's important that the OP discusses the symptoms with their doctor before buying several supplements. Vitamin deficiency could be an issue, and a simple blood test would help the doctor guide in which supplements are needed...

I also wouldn't advise people to take vitamin K without knowing whether or not they have a blood disorder, as vitamin K can affect blood thinners and could therefore be dangerous advice to dispense..

[*Laurie*]

Originally Posted by AncientMelody

I agree that serotonin syndrome is very rare, but the more recent data is clear that depression is not a "serotonin deficiency" syndrome. that theory is outdated. I think it's important that the OP discusses the symptoms with their doctor before buying several supplements. Vitamin deficiency could be an issue, and a simple blood test would help the doctor guide in which supplements are needed...

I also wouldn't advise people to take vitamin K without knowing whether or not they have a blood disorder, as vitamin K can affect blood thinners and could therefore be dangerous advice to dispense..

I agree. LucyG continues to 'prescribe' supplements to PC members without knowing their full medical history. What she does is wrong, and potentially dangerous.

[tradika]

We really can't give medical advice. There are to many things that cause muscle twitching. You should see a Doc and show them the twitching.

[handheart]

I dont want to be bad but first you should ask this on your doctor and not here ,here we can help you with advices but the most experienced to help you its your doctor ,dont be afraid to ask as it will help you

[kecanoe]

I take/have taken a whole bunch of antidepressants at the same time. My pdoc told me he'd only had one case of SS in his 30 years of practice. So it really is rare.

If you have had the symptoms before taking the buspar, I would think they are due to something else. But it won't hurt anything for you to check in with your doctor or pharmacist.