I am stunned to read this. I had this exact reaction to Zoloft 5 weeks. I had intense pain in my arms and then it traveled everywhere in my body when I upped my dose to 50mg. I came off of it, went back onto Prozac which I had taken for years with no intolerance. We added .5mg of Abilify as an add on to make the Prozac more effective. The pain became debilitating and I ended up in the hospital because the doctor that I was having a reaction to the Abilify. Now, I am on Paxil because I it is best for my anxiety even though is caused other side effects. I am still in pain in my back and still have the burning sensation in my shoulders and shins. This is just too weird.

Thanks for the reply, 615frances.
Do you have neuropathy? How long ago did this happen? I have not looked at the listed side-effects for Zoloft but I bet neuropathy is on the list. How long were you on Zoloft and Abilify? I just don't understand how doctors can prescribe these meds and then ignore nasty side-effects! Tell me more if you have the time. Piney

Hi Piney -

I have been on SSRIs for about 15 years for anxiety. I have mainly stuck with Prozac 15mg, but when I experience a really tough time, Prozac would not control my obsessive thinking. I would obsess about sleep and then get insomnia and get thrown into a cycle. Back in December, I came off of Prozac and tried taking only natural supplements to treat a migraine condition. When I came off of the Prozac, I really crashed and the doctor put me on Paxil which worked wonders for my anxiety but had a terrible side effect of constipation. This led to a terrible time of experimenting with meds that I can only think led to this. I was put on Lexapro and hated it - was on it for 4 weeks and then was put on Zoloft on May 15th. I upped my dose to 50mg and 2 days later, my arms between my wrist and elbow were on fire. I thought it was from over doing a yoga class or from hanging curtains. I labeled it "myalgia" pain and my doctor said it would go away. It did not. So I stopped it on June 1st and switched quickly back to Prozac. The pain was waning some, but not completely gone. I began Abilify on June 5th and continued to get "myalgia" burning pain in my body. I called my doctor and told him I wanted to be taken off Abilify because I needed to figure out what was causing the pain. 3 days after stopping the Abilify, I was in so much pain that I went to the ER. Since then, I have had pain and burning. My calves are cramping too. I just don't knwo what to think. My doctor passed me off to my primary doctor who wants me to see a fibromyalgia specialist. I have no energy and am in pain and can't believe that medicine could have all of a sudden done this to me.

I am 40 years old. I have a 5 and 3 year old. I am otherwise very active and healthy, but I haven't been able to exercise the last 2 weeks. I am lost about what to do. The idea that I might have done permanent nerve damage is incredibly frightening. I am on the Paxil because I am so anxious about the possibility that something is very wrong, but then I wonder if it could be continuing the pain cycle.

Are you currently taking any medications for depression?

Fran

Hi Fran,
Your story sounds alarmingly familiar. Talk to your doctor right away. Ask him/her about peripheral neuropathy and if he does nothing go see a neurologist. The burning and the cramps are both signs of neuropathy. That is what I experienced: burning pains and then muscle aches, cramps and numbness. I was 46 and in very good physical health when I went for a quick, chemical fix for insomnia and was given Prozac and Ambien. The onset of neuropathy was swift and brutal and coincided with the use of Prozac and then Celexa. I have not been the same man since. Don't let doctors ignore your complaints. I don't know about the fibro. That is nasty too. I tried numerous antidepressants. Most of them I couldn't tolerate and the few that I did tolerate didn't help. I am on mirtazapine(antidepressant), gabapentin(for pain) and clonazepam. All three meds can cause neurological problems. I suspected that medications were harming me. Doctors ignored me. Neurological tests confirmed my fears: nerve damage. Burning sensations, muscle cramps--don't let doctors blow these off. Get back to your doctor about these. Do it soon. I've got to go soak my burning, aching and numb feet. Best of luck.
Piney

What can the doctor do about it now? Has the damage been done? Tell me more about what you are able to do. Can you work out? Do you sleep well? I feel like I am not sleeping well since this started - not getting that deep sleep. What did your neuro say aabout this healing as I know that nerve damage can often heal.

Thanks for the into.

Frances

Dear Piney =

I am now burning everywhere. I have talked to my neurologist who does not believe that an SSRI could cause this. I don't know where to turn. When you came off your SSRI, did you feel any relief? I think everyone thinks I am crazy and I am being told it's anxiety.

Fran

Fran,
Tell your doctor to look at drugs.com and he will see that neuropathy/neurlagia is a listed side effect for both Prozac and Celexa. The other ssri meds can probably cause it too. It might happen in 1/100 to 1/1000 patients and that might explain doctors reluctance to believe it---they simply have not seen it. I'm sorry if I alarmed you but your story sounds so much like mine that it really upset me. I am stunned too! What can doctors do now? For starters they need to listen to you and try to help and not dismiss you as a crazy person. I had the same troubles--doctors dismissed my burning pains as fantasy. This went on for months. Not one doctor said hey this guy could be having an adverse reaction to Prozac/Celexa. The doctor's oath of do no harm should be more than empty words. They need to take an in depth look at your meds to see if they could be causing the burning. Talk to your pharmacist about what you are experiencing and see what he says. The pharmacist will take the time to look up side-effects. Has the damage been done? I don't know and doctors probably don't know. I just hope you can get better medication guidance than what I had. Peripheral nerves can heal but you don't want to continue on a medication that may be harming you. What am I able to do? I am in rough shape. The pain and disability associated with the neuropathy is keeping me in depression, making sleep very difficult and makes life hard to enjoy. Again, I'm not trying to alarm you. I'm trying to be very candid about my experience. Let me know what you find out. Let me know if you have any questions.
Best of luck,
Piney

Fran,
Looking back at my ordeal I can say this: I wish I had trusted my gut and I wish I had recieved good medication supervision. Doctors, friends and family members encouraged me to stay on medication that I thought was harming me. I tried to tough it out hoping the burning would go away and that I would begin to feel better. Like you, I did not know what to do. I had no knowledge of ssri meds and had never heard of peripheral neuropathy. I also thought that maybe anxiety and/or depression was causing the burning. Doctors did not give me any help. The pain and disability have not improved since stopping Prozac/Celexa. It has been two years. Sleep is a nightly struggle and is. Walking and standing hurt my feet. I try to stay fit but have found that if I do too much the price will be pain, pain and pain. My back burns so much that I often sob in pain. The things that used to give me joy and purpose I no longer can do. I struggle everyday with pain, exhaustion, fear and despair. No amount of money can give me back what I lost. Your neurologist is wrong: ssri's can cause neuropathy. I looked at drugs.com and neuropathy/neuralgia/neuritis are listed side-effects of Paxil. These may be uncommon reactions but they can happen. Trust your gut. I know how much anxiety the burning can cause. It is a nasty cycle of pain, anxiety and sleep struggles. I also know how hard it is to find a doctor that will listen. Mine didn't. I'm not trying to scare you by posting inflammatory garbage. If you think there is a link between a medication and the burning stick to your guns, Fran. I might have been the unfortunate 1/1000 guy that developed neuropathy by taking Prozac/Celexa. Please don't share my fate. Find a doctor that listens and cares. Maybe if I would have had a good doctor and trusted my gut I would be on a long bike ride this evening.
Trying to be helpful and not hurtful,
Piney

I took prozac for 12 years and now have severe pain and numbness, tingling, insomnia, dry mouth. I'm off it now, but believe I have lasting side effects. No doctor has listened so far. Just get off this stuff and try anything else. St John's Wort is working for me; not as well as prozac but I am able to function without depression getting in the way, but the unexplained physical symptoms I have are very difficult to deal with. Had to close a successful business. Couldn't do it any more with all the pain I am experiencing. If anyone knows of a lawsuit out there, please let me know. A stop needs to be put to this.

Good luck getting doctors to listen. I know how difficult that is. I also understand how disabling neuropathy can be. I have told my story to two lawyers and have not had any luck getting one to help me. Neuropathy is a listed side effect for many of the ssri meds. However, it isn't a common one. Thank you for responding.
Best of luck,
Piney