Well, in another installment of “I wish they’d told me that a long time ago”, it turns out that SSRI’s can contribute to hyponatremia, a potentially dangerous condition in which your body doesn’t have enough sodium to regulate the water in your cells.

It is believed that SSRI’s might contribute to at least mild hyponatremia in [...]]]>

Well, in another installment of “I wish they’d told me that a long time ago”, it turns out that SSRI’s can contribute to hyponatremia, a potentially dangerous condition in which your body doesn’t have enough sodium to regulate the water in your cells.

It is believed that SSRI’s might contribute to at least mild hyponatremia in up to 30% of patients taking these medications.   Symptoms of hyponatremia are nausea and vomiting, headache, confusion, lethargy, fatigue, appetite loss, restlessness and irritability, muscle weakness, spasms or cramps, seizures, and decreased consciousness or coma.  SSRI-related hyponatremia is more common in women and the elderly than in the general population.

Now I’m not unconscious or throwing up, but I have been having some unusual issues with my muscles lately.  I’ve been incredibly tight, and no amount of stretching seems to help.  In fact, I pulled my hamstring last weekend while gently easing into a yoga pose that is usually pretty easy for me.  Coincidentally, just last week, my doctor doubled the dosage on the SSRIs that I take.

To make a long story short, other than serious organic illness, my “lifestyle” embodies many potential causes of hyponatremia:

• I take SSRI’s, which in addition to being potentially diuretic, also make me thirsty, so I drink a lot of water.
• I’m on ADHD meds, which also cause dehydration.
• I’ve been taking a lot of asthma and decongestant medication to deal with a bad allergy season
• My diet low in sodium, because I’m a vegetarian who eats no processed foods.
• Since I’m thirsty, I consume a lot of water while exercising.
• I drink alcohol.

As for that last one, you’re supposed to be careful with booze when you’re on the meds I’m on.  I know that.  I’ve known it for years.  I’ve been naughty.  But it’s been a rough summer, and I’ve been self-medicating.  I clearly need to stop doing that.

Since hyponatremia (if that is what I have) can indicate a serious organic illness, I’m going to the doctor on Monday to make sure it all checks out.  In the meantime, I’ve spent the last couple hours drinking miso soup and coconut juice to try and restore my electrolytes.  I already feel better.  And if you’re on SSRI’s, be aware that hyponatremia is a possibility, and discuss any symptoms with your doctor.

She’s a post-doc in neuroscience, and she has posted in the past about various psychoactive medications and how they work.    She writes about the two major classes of ADHD drugs, [...]]]> I’ve been reading blogging by Scicurious (formerly of Neurotopia at Science Blogs, now at a blog called either “Neurotic Psychology” or “Scicurious”, I’m not sure which.

She’s a post-doc in neuroscience, and she has posted in the past about various psychoactive medications and how they work.    She writes about the two major classes of ADHD drugs, Amphetamine, and Methylphenidate, as well as SSRI’s.  If you’re on any of these meds you should check out her posts.

If you missed that post, let me fill you in (ha!): thanks to my ADD meds, I had seven #%$^ing cavities at [...]]]> I just spent an hour and a half getting four cavities filled. All of them were between my teeth. These are in addition to the three that I had filled in December.

If you missed that post, let me fill you in (ha!): thanks to my ADD meds, I had seven #%$^ing cavities at my last check-up.

If you’ve taken brain drugs, at all, ever, you will know that dry mouth is a common side effect. In many cases this is a simple annoyance — you feel thirsty a lot and have to drink more water so you have to pee more. However, saliva is also an important part of your body’s defenses against tooth decay. If your saliva production is impacted enough, it can’t get rid of nasty bacteria in your mouth, and cavities can result.

In my case, the ADD meds might be the tipping point, since I’m also on meds for depression and allergies. Antihistamines, and especially decongestants, work in part by drying out the mucus membranes. It would be great if this could be limited to where it’s needed, like nasal and sinus passages. Instead, it gets all of ‘em — including the mouth.

So kids, if you’re on ADD meds (or allergy meds or anti-depressants or whatever), please keep close tabs on your teeth. Floss and brush after every meal, if you can. If you can’t, just floss. If you can’t do that, consider a gum of breath mint with xylitol, a chemical that stimulates saliva production. In order to work, the product needs to have a lot of xylitol, so be sure to go with a high-octane product like Epic.

If I save just one person from the holy-$#^%-I-have-how-many-cavities experience, it will be … well, not worth it, but definitely less traumatic.

“Attention” [...]]]> I’ve blogged before about the seasonal aspects of my ADD.  Unsurprisingly, things have been even worse since the return to Standard Time (ptui!) and the loss of another hour of light in the afternoon.  I’ve been more tried, more hungry, more spacey … and paradoxically, less able to get to sleep at a reasonable hour.

“Attention” is a neurological state that’s heavily dependent on dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical.  Dopamine, in turn, is heavily dependent on a number of factors, including sunlight.  Most people are aware of seasonal and weather impacts on their mood and habits, but for some people, these effects can be extreme.  I obviously fall into the second camp.

My doc and I decided to up my Vyvanse from 50 to 60 mgs.  My hope is that this will improve my concentration, attention, and ability to take initiative.  He also advised me to spend time in my art studio from 4 pm until 7 pm ever day.  If you’ve read my previous post, you’ll know that my art studio is equipped with a full-spectrum daylight bulbs.  My doc says it takes 5 or 6 “average” 150-watt bulbs to produce a therapeutic amount of light.  I already had four, and I knew my two overhead lights would put me into therapeutic territory; this was a major impetus for getting off my ass and hanging the lights.

Finally, he advised me to start taking melatonin before bed.

Today is the first day I’ve managed to be in my studio right at 4 pm.  I’ve got to admit it feels pretty good. I am noticing, however, just how hard it is for me to stay in one place for more than an hour.  My inclination is to jump up and go do something, and come back, and jump up and do something else, and come back … it’s so annoying when you have to fight ADD tendencies in order to treat ADD.

In general I’ve been sleeping better, but it does seem harder to get up in the morning.  Whether this is the melatonin or the increasing dimness of my bedroom I’m not sure.  Tomorrow will be my seventh day on the new regime.  Maybe things will settle in and get better.