Serotonin syndrome
Serotonin syndrome, also known as serotonin poisoning, serotonin sickness, and many other names, is a medical condition that can happen if there is too much serotonin in your brain or other parts of your nervous system.[1] Serotonin syndrome can be mild (doesn't make you very sick), but in rare situations, it can kill you.[2] Serotonin syndrome can happen if you use some drugs that can increase the amount of serotonin in your nervous system. Some examples of drugs that can make you have serotonin syndrome are antidepressants, opioids, CNS stimulants, 5-HT1 agonists (a drug that changes the receptors of serotonin), psychedelics, herbs, and many others.
Signs and symptoms
[change | change source]When gets too much serotonin in their body, they can start to feel sick very quickly. This sickness can show up in many different ways, like having a fast heartbeat, shivering, sweating, big pupils, and jerking or twitching muscles.[2] Sometimes, these problems come from taking too much medicine, not just from having too much serotonin.
When someone only gets a little ill, they might get loud stomach noises, high blood pressure, and start to feel very hot. People might also have trouble sleeping and feel very alert or anxious. Their muscles might twitch more in their legs than in their arms.[2]
If someone gets very sick, their heart can beat very fast, and blood pressure can get very high. They might get an extremely high temperature, which is very dangerous. Other serious problems can include muscle breakdown, seizures, kidney failure, and bleeding issues, usually because of the high temperature.[2][3]
The symptoms often come in three groups:[2][4]
- Thinking Problems: Headache, feeling very agitated, confused, seeing things that aren't there, or even going into a coma.
- Body Problems: Shivering, sweating, feeling very hot, fast heartbeat, feeling sick, and diarrhea.
- Muscle Problems: Muscle twitching and shaking.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Serotonin Syndrome".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Boyer, Edward W.; Shannon, Michael (2005-03-17). "The Serotonin Syndrome". New England Journal of Medicine. 352 (11): 1112–1120. doi:10.1056/NEJMra041867. ISSN 0028-4793.
- ↑ Isbister, Geoffrey K.; Buckley, Nicholas A.; Whyte, Ian M. (2007-09-17). "Serotonin toxicity: a practical approach to diagnosis and treatment". Medical Journal of Australia. 187 (6). ISSN 0025-729X.
- ↑ Dunkley, E.J.C.; Isbister, G.K.; Sibbritt, D.; Dawson, A.H.; Whyte, I.M. (2003-08-18). "The Hunter Serotonin Toxicity Criteria: simple and accurate diagnostic decision rules for serotonin toxicity". QJM. 96 (9): 635–642. doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcg109. ISSN 1460-2725.
