Posted by yxibow on October 29, 2008, at 0:05:00
In reply to Low white blood cell counts due to meds?, posted by lucie lu on October 27, 2008, at 11:06:39
> In two recent successive blood tests (over the past 3 months and in connection with my fibromyalgia symptoms) my white blood cell count (WBC) has come back abnormally low. This has not happened before and I've been referred to a hematologist. While there are many other, non-med possibilities for a low WBC, I read that psych meds, particularly mood stabilizers and A/Ds can be a cause. Since I'm on bupropion and lamotrigine, meds cannot be overlooked as a possible cause. I've been on both drugs for years so you wouldn't suspect them, but there are a couple of reports of low WBC counts that appeared to be caused by wellbutrin. In these cases, low WBC count appeared suddenly after years of taking the wellbutrin, blood count back to normal when the drug was discontinued, and back to abnormal when the drug was restarted. That looks pretty convincing to me. The manufacturers of almost all the A/Ds and mood stabilizers I looked at cite this as a rare side effect.
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> Anyone else experienced a low WBC that has been may have been attributable to psych meds?
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> Thanks, Lucie
Is there any reason why your doctor is monitoring the WBC that often? Because usually that is only with Clozaril, and maybe with... mm... Remeron I think has a possibile rarity. I assume its the fibromyalgia I guess. Because its sort of like taking your temperature or weight very often.Not that I'm saying there's a lack of judgment with your doctor because, well, fibromyalgia is still not completely understood.
Standards for blood tests aren't always as uniform as they may see -- ethnicity, lots of things can change them. I mean if it came back really off then there is a reason. But also a high WBC can just mean a random virus sitting around -- yes, there are other reasons besides that too, I know.
Causality isn't always causation but the rule I guess in general is what is the last thing that was done.
And it seems the last thing that was done was to restart a medication, and if you've been on it for enough time for a plasma level and then you have a repeat WBC, it could very well be that agent.
But as I look at that statement again, you've been on both of them for a long time. The medications may possibly be a red herring, or there may be a grain of truth. It could simply be upsetting your fibromyalgia temporarily for unknown reasons since it doesn't make a lot of sense for agents that you have been on for years to suddenly have low WBC.
That's usually an emergent thing if there's a rare reaction when someone first starts a particular drug and they notice mysterious frequencies of flu-like things.
I guess I can only say its sort of a coin toss -- I know not the most useful of comments, but maybe you have to monitor things one more time and see what happens, rationally, I mean I can see now why you would have more blood tests.-- best wishes
Jay
poster:yxibow
thread:859473
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081027/msgs/859678.html