Guest guest Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 There is a condition called Lhermitte's syndrome which can be manifested as a side effect of many SSRI's and anti-depressants as well as Flagyl. It could be the cause of your symptoms. Ora On Sun, 6 May 2007 14:41:10 -0700 (PDT), jessica giles wrote: >I first started getting extreme tingling in my hands >and feet after using Flagyl (metronidazole) back in >February, which I've read can be a side effect. Since >then I still get it occasionally - especially when I'm >really stressed out. Sometimes it's in my wrists and >down the back of my leg too. I've had an MRI and >ruled out spinal injury and brain stuff (MS, etc). It >seems to be getting better now that I'm taking an >antidepressant and learning relaxation techniques. So >maybe it is all stress? for me anyways. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Hmm scary! Wouldn't this show up on an MRI? My symptoms have slowly gotten less intense over the months since Flagyl. I hope it's not Lhermitte's, what other tests would catch this? --- taurusrc@... wrote: > There is a condition called Lhermitte's syndrome > which can be manifested as a > side effect of many SSRI's and anti-depressants as > well as Flagyl. > > It could be the cause of your symptoms. > > Ora > > > On Sun, 6 May 2007 14:41:10 -0700 (PDT), jessica > giles > wrote: > > >I first started getting extreme tingling in my > hands > >and feet after using Flagyl (metronidazole) back in > >February, which I've read can be a side effect. > Since > >then I still get it occasionally - especially when > I'm > >really stressed out. Sometimes it's in my wrists > and > >down the back of my leg too. I've had an MRI and > >ruled out spinal injury and brain stuff (MS, etc). > It > >seems to be getting better now that I'm taking an > >antidepressant and learning relaxation techniques. > So > >maybe it is all stress? for me anyways. > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Lhermitte's is not a disease. It is a symptom characterized by sudden transient electric-like shocks extending down the spine triggered by flexing the head forward. It is a common side effect of discontinuing some anti-depressants and other drugs including Flagyl. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI_discontinuation_syndrome#_note-5 Brain shivers, also known as " the electric brain thing " , " battery head " , " brain shocks " , " brain zaps " , " blips " , or " brain spasms " , (proposed name: myalotinasis from Greek for brain + jolt), are a notorious withdrawal symptom of certain antidepressants and have been seen with discontinuation of most SSRI antidepressants but specifically with paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine and duloxetine. Paresthesia and " electric shock sensations " are clinical terms used to describe this symptom, though paresthesia by definition is clinically incorrect. The brain shiver effect appears to be almost unique to those antidepressant chemicals that have an extremely short half-life in the body; that is, they are quick to disappear completely. This attribute of abruptness leaves the brain a relatively short time to adapt to a major neurochemical change when you stop taking the medication, and the symptoms may be caused by the brain's attempt at readjustment. There is yet no evidence that the shivers present any danger to the patient experiencing them. The electric shock sensations reported with neck flexion seem identical to Lhermitte's sign, which appears with dysfunction of the posterior spinal cord. This suggests change at a neuronal level.[6] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=16049 Definition of Lhermitte sign Lhermitte sign: Sudden transient electric-like shocks extending down the spine triggered by flexing the head forward. Due to a disorder such as compression of the cervical spine (the portion of the spinal cord within the neck). One patient who experienced Lhermitte sign wrote that: " Looking down to sign a hotel register, I felt a spasm like an electric current move along my back from the base of my skull to my toes. Every time I repeated the movement, the spasm recurred. " The causes of Lhermitte sign include multiple sclerosis (MS), radiation damage to the spinal cord), cervical spondylosis (degeneration of the disc spaces between the vertebrae), herniation of a cervical disc, a cervical spinal cord tumor, and subacute combined degeneration (caused by vitamin B12 deficiency). Shocks radiating up the spine are sometimes referred to a reverse Lhermitte sign. The sign is named for a French neurologist, Lhermitte (1877-1959) who originally described it in a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS). It is a classic sign of MS. On Mon, 7 May 2007 10:25:28 -0700 (PDT), jessica giles wrote: >Hmm scary! Wouldn't this show up on an MRI? My >symptoms have slowly gotten less intense over the >months since Flagyl. I hope it's not Lhermitte's, >what other tests would catch this? >> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Great post Ora..... those antidepressants (esp. the SSRI's) can have unimaginable dire side effects and the benefits would have to be tremendous for 'me' to ever try one. (it's just me tho.) Very interesting about the Lhermittes .. never heard of it before happening on discontinuation of those (or flagyl) and I see other things can cause it too. But they seem to indicate it's not serious? (Where it says "There is yet no evidence that the shivers present any danger to the patient experiencing them.") I would hope so. Thanks so much ! it's all interesting eh? Hugs Dee~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Maybe they don't present any danger but they certainly mess up one's mind if they don't know that. And when people get those symptoms without knowing why they go to the doctor and seek help for their new symptoms and sometimes the doctors don't know about the side effects of withdrawal. Many physicians do not get informed consent at the time of initial prescription that covers the difficulties of later withdrawal from the drug, so this syndrome can be an unexpected barrier to patients, especially those who tried the drug in response to a specific crisis, who expected an easy withdrawal once their emotional situation stabilized. Ora >Great post Ora..... those antidepressants (esp. the SSRI's) can have unimaginable dire side effects and the benefits would have to be tremendous for 'me' to ever try one. (it's just me tho.) Very interesting about the Lhermittes .. never heard of it before happening on discontinuation of those (or flagyl) and I see other things can cause it too. But they seem to indicate it's not serious? (Where it says " There is yet no evidence that the shivers present any danger to the patient experiencing them. " ) I would hope so. > >Thanks so much ! it's all interesting eh? >Hugs >Dee~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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