Serotonin syndrome , also referred to as serotonin toxicity or serotonin toxidrome comes as a manifestation of overdosing medication that is increases serotonin levels in the body. This is mainly as a result of mixing two of these drugs, use of therapeutic drugs or self-poisoning.
Although serotonin by itself is very useful and essential in our bodies i.e. makes us feel good and full of life, the serotonin syndrome is very dangerous and can be detrimental.
Substance abuse, such as ecstasy and LSD ("acid"), have also been associated with serotonin syndrome.
It is usually diagnosed by the presence of a few of the symptoms most often just above 3 symptoms are enough for diagnosis. For one you can develop this syndrome if you take migraine medicine together with antidepressants called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSNRIs) and selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs).
As mentioned earlier the serotoin syndrome symptoms can appear within a matter of minutes and below is a list of some of them;
mental status changes (confusion, hypomania),vomiting, incoordination, restlessness, agitation, overactive reflexes, shivering, increased body temperature, hallucinations, tremor, fast heart beat, rapid changes in blood pressure, diaphoresis, diarrhea, nause and fever.
Patients may get slowly worse and can become severely ill if not quickly treated. Untreated serotonin syndrome can be deadly. However, with treatment, symptoms can usually go away in less than 24 hours.
No specific approach is available for reversing the effects of serotonin syndrome. Studies are on going to understand and fully document the syndrome and how to cure it. The most obvious reversal method is to stop taking medication that increases serotonin levels. Note however, that it is important to talk to your doctor before making any decisions about your prescribed medication.
We talk about seretonin in the website as the major player in natural treatment for food cravings. This feel good hormone is also a major determinant for curing depression naturally. Dr. Michael Murray, N.D., a leading naturopath and author of 5-HTP: The Natural Way to Overcome Depression, Obesity, and Insomnia, , says that
"Poor diet, lack of exercise, use of harmful substances, such as caffeine or alcohol and overall emotional stress can rob your brain of the ability to make enough serotonin to meet your body's demands - this produces a range of significant complications including depression, obesity, migraine headache and chronic fatigue".
Other useful resources:
Understanding Serotonin
How to curb food cravings using natural ways
Free to join Food cravings mailing list
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