Hope all of you DIPNECH readers are doing well.
Even with all my lemonade, sometimes things do get the better of me. Last fall I found myself going through an especially rough period. When I burst into tears in my pulmonologist's office I knew it was time to do something about it. So I started seeing a therapist. She prescribed an anti-depressant in the class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, with a brief titration up to a modest dose.
Almost immediately I started feeling increased shortness of breath. At first I thought it might just be the weather getting colder. She thought it might be a bit of anxiety that sometimes occurs in the early weeks. But a few months later, while my mood and outlook have improved, I'm still frustratingly short of breath with the least amount of exertion.
Then I remembered that my carcinoid specialist had once measured the serotonin level in my blood. I couldn't remember why, but I do recall it was within normal range. So I called him to ask. Long story short: serotonin is definitely related to carcinoid syndrome, and with the thought that DIPNECH is a precursor to full-blown carcinoids he suggested that I might be just tipping the balance enough to be causing this problem. He recommended that I stop the SSRI. I'm going to taper back off and continue the therapy without it.
I'm just wondering, has anyone else tried SSRI therapy, and what have been the results?
