Posted by SilentScream on December 20, 2015, at 19:36:11
Hello.
I've used several psychiatric medications, since childhood. The only one that seemed to work for me with no painful side effects was lithium carbonate 900mg. I tolerated it will and felt normal for the first time since puberty.
I have BPII, btw, with a lot of anxiety. lithium doesn't quite manage all the anxiety, intrusive thoughts and severe trouble concentrating, thoguh, so I gave Seroquel a go.
However, it truly wrecked my body. Hypothyroidism, a bad gastritis (caused by lack of motility and worsening of GERD, it seems) and dysautonomia.
This thread will focus on the dysautonomia, as it seem to be a comorbity among a lot of people with psychiatric issues. However, I do not believe my condition caused it - but more likely medication, and more specifically, antipsychotics. To be more specific, Geodon and Seroquel seemed to be the biggest culprits in bringing these symptoms up. Geodon I took for 1 year, when I was 21, and had mild dysautonomia during the whole course of it, but a severe one in the first month, until I got dosages correct. It never really worked for mood, just anxiety, and it made my glucose too high, so I ditched it too.
Then this year, I took Seroquel for about 3 months (100mg daily was my highest dose). I am 29 now, and had another encounter with severe dysautonomia symptoms back in 2012, when I had serotonin syndrome from mixing two antidepressants (back then I was clueless and just followed what doctor's said, and some arewnt very good..). The symptoms lasted for about 3 weeks (3 weeks of hell), and I read a lot about it and realized most serotonergic APs in high doses, antipsychotics and maybe lithium caused the dive in blood pressure and dysautonomia symptoms. The biggest offender was Seroquel, no doubt.
Seroquel gave me terrible orthostatic intolerance and fainting. Eventually I found out it gave me hypothyroidism. I read Seroquel does that by it's own sometimes, but no doubt lithium contributed to it, as I fel tsome minor hypothyroidism symptoms since I started a 900mg dose. Maybe lithium and Seroquel were too much for my thyroid to handle and I might have a permanent thyroid issue, now. However, I'm not totally upset with this, as it turns out, T4 hormones stabilize my moods awesomely - and also improve my dysautonomia symptoms greatly.
I'm not sure if the dysautonomia is caused by mere low blood pressure, as most of these medications interfere greatly with noradrenergic stuff in the body (amongst other things), or some other mechanism.. But I would advise caution with medication such as NRIs, APs and lithium - as it seems people with a propensity for orthostatic issues and dysautonomia all get more messed up with them.
I'm improving with time, both hypothyroidism and dysautonomia - it's been rough - I'm med free been 2 months, except for alprazolam and T4 hormones, but slowly I'm feeling my body going back to what it was. Funny thing, is, my bipolar and anxieyt symptoms were seemingly gone for all this time and I developed a strong intolerance to lithium even in minor doses. It's causing serotonergic toxicity (I knwo the symptoms. Feels like I'm on 800mg Zoloft or MDMA when i take even less than 300mg of lithium.).
Perhaps the dysautonomia can also be caused by lack of dopamine in the brain, as most people with Parkinson's disease also have dysautonomia - and a lot of the symptoms I've been having point also to neuroleptic malignant syndrome (albeit lighter and yet very long in duration), with spasms, incontrolable twitches and movements and excess serotonin.
Sorry if I'm confusing, as it is confusing to me also to pinpoint the actual cause and diagnosis of the constelattion of symptoms I've been having since starting the Seroquel.To summarize: antipsychotics can cause or worsen dysautonomia. Seroquel and Geodon, two AAPs that are very similar and on their own leage of AAPs alone with themselves, seemed to be the worst regarding dysautonomia for me; lithium and seroquel both are hard on the thyroid for various reasons and this should be monitored carefully; dysautonomia symptoms can be caused by low blood pressure and norepinephrine dysregulation, as well as lack of dopamine. Not only I've read studies claiming that people with Parkinson's usually have it and there seems to high comorbity between dopamine and motor control disorders and dysautonomia, I also had it when I had serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is excess serotonin, and as most of you know, dopamine and serotoin usually balance themselves. When one is higher, the other is lower.
I'm improving with time, T4 hormones, increase in salt and a vast effort to maintain myself well rested and hydrated. More salt and water is helping like nothing else. Simple carbohydrate control with Gatorade and maltodextrin, as well as reducing simple carbs severely from my diet is also helping. Over all, treating hypothyroidism, giving medications a break and managing dysautonomia and orthostatic intolerance/low blood pressure is helping me, and I'm glad it seems transient and really medication caused. I think in about two months I should be good as new (and bipolar as hell!), and will definetely take a break from any medication that messes with the thyroid or blood pressure/dysautonomia/noradrenergic and dopaminergic reduction.
poster:SilentScream
thread:1084823
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20151119/msgs/1084823.html