[thunderstar]

Hi, I may have to be put on a Medication to deal with Depression. I am just worried a bit about this Side-Effect, and hoping its rare.

A while back I had a Girlfriend that had experienced alot of Depression problems. She was placed on a Drug finally, (I am sorry I don't remember exactly what it was, if it was 'Zoloft', or not)...But, it had to do with blocking certain messages from the Brain, or slowing down the responses...

Well, She said that it was wonderful, in that She had been having Therapy for a long time, and that was only helping mildly, until She was given the Drug. After a while on the Drug, She started to feel great. She was functioning, normally, and feeling much more like herself for a long while, approx., 3 months of feeling better.

She was going out more and Socializing more Etc... And didn't recall any other Symptoms leading up to this one. So that part all sounded great. Except that one day she was in the Local Mall with another Girlfriend Window Shopping. They were out for a while, and she needed to go pee. (The point where you think about locating a bathroom, because its starting to get bad, and your distracted).

While in a store, and standing, she had such a sudden intense urge to go. It was unbelievable, she said. She felt utter panic. Needing to go so bad, that nothing came out of her mouth, when she tried to get her friends attention. She just left for the bathroom.

She only stood just long enough to keep from peeing, walking out leaving her Friend behind. She said it was all so odd, b/c it was almost like she didn't have "enough power" to hold it, like you only had half the normal strength. The Muscles were weak or barely there, and weakening. Causing intermitent pulses between almost completely letting go, and just the bare minimum on the other spectrum. On an Escalator since she had to stop walking because of people in front, a slow but steady stream of pee started coming out, about half way down. She started running for the bathroom at the bottom. She was so happy there was no line-up, and only an Older Women at the mirror. Two feet from the door she just started peeing full stream, seemingly having no control to stop it.

When she told me the story she started crying, saying it was the worst thing that ever happened to her in her life. That she could hear her heart she was so scared. At least this incident, wasn't noticed by anyone, that she knew of., except her friend. Her friend managed to find her, and help her dry the pants under the dryer.

At the time, she just thought it was a chance incident, and maybe more to do with the Bladder, or that she had waited in the cold for the bus along time or something. Nothing to do with the Medication. But then she had another incident at home, later where she started wetting her pants before she got to the toilet. Or just starting to pee without warning. It was linked to the Medication, and I believe she went off of that one for a while.

Is this common?

[CamW]

Thunderstar - As I mentioned above, this is a rarer adverse effect of serotonergic antidepressants, and affects women much more often than men because of the difference in ureter length. It is thought that the increase in serotonin nerve activity decreases the muscular tone of the ureter.

This side effect is exacerbated when one drinks dehydrating liquids (eg those with caffeine &/or alcohol).

- Cam

<font color=orange>"Sometimes you may be shown the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right"
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