LISA et al/SSRIs and Vulvodynia--connection?

[Guest guest]

Hi --

Actually, (other group member) and I have been wondering and discussing

this for

many months now. In both of our cases, the vulvodynia (we both have constant

burning)

was immediately preceded by the discontinuation of SSRI medication. For her it

was Paxil,

for me it was Prozac. We have since corresponded with another woman who had the

same

experience with Paxil. So now with you that makes four of us. It could of course

be just

coincidence, who knows, but it does seem suspicious that such a distinct pattern

would

occur.

In my case, I have a long history with yeast infections, including one raging

one that lasted

for FIVE months! All of my health issues drove me into a deep depression, and I

hesitatingly began taking antidepressants, eventually settling on Prozac. In the

2+ years

that I was taking this medication, I NEVER got a yeast infection...despite the

fact that I had

been way too liberal with sugar and other yeast-friendly foods. Within a few

weeks of

coming off of it entirely, BAM! raging yeast infection!

Back in my misery with vulvar pain...I started the great quest again to figure

it all out. Via

Dr. Marjorie Crandall, a major researcher in the yeast field, I was connected to

an article

that appeared in the " Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy " entitled

" Antifungal

properties of selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors " ! (Link to full-text

below)

http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/48/6/775?

maxtoshow= & HITS=10 & hits=10 & RESULTFORMAT=1 & author1=Lass-

Florl%2C+C & andorexacttitle=and & andorexacttitleabs=and & andorexactfulltext=and & sea\

rc

hid=1 & FIRSTINDEX=0 & sortspec=relevance & resourcetype=HWCIT

(long link, sorry!)

So this made a lot of sense to me. However, now that the yeast is gone (I'm

pretty sure) I

still have this burning. and I are wondering if there might be more of a

connection

(i.e. if the drug somehow alters the nerves for example) between SSRIs and

vulvodynia. So

we wanted to take this opportunity to ask if anyone else has had this

experience. If we do

find others, we are thinking about submitting something to the NVA or VPF for

further

investigation.

Of course, it could all be just speculation, lots of women in general take these

drugs so it

makes sense that lots of women with vulvodynia would have taken these drugs. But

the

question to me lies in the timing of it.

Hope some of this helps, and we'd love to hear from any of you on or off-list

regarding

this topic.

[Guest guest]

– it is possible that the use of the SSRI’s was simply masking the

pain for you 4. I took SSRI’s for 11 years and went off them in

Jan. 1995. Have had chronic low back pain since age 19 (am 58 now)

but worked and vacationed and lived with the pain (until full blown attacks

would floor me for about 6 weeks each time). By June of 1995 I was

disabled, unable to do much of anything and was retired disabled from my

company by the end of the next year. I believe, as do the

docs, that the SSRI’s were controlling the pain, allowing me to live

somewhat normally, until I stopped and then WHAM – I was in trouble.

I was taking them for depression – didn’t have a clue that these

kinds of drugs aided in chronic pain.

I can’t go

back to them as I developed serotonin syndrome.

So you much also

consider the possibility that the SSRI’s were masking serious pain

issues.

Just some

thoughts –

Dusty

LISA et al/SSRIs

and Vulvodynia--connection?

Hi --

Actually, (other group member) and I have been wondering and discussing

this for

many months now. In both of our cases, the vulvodynia (we both have constant

burning)

was immediately preceded by the discontinuation of SSRI medication. For her it

was Paxil,

for me it was Prozac. We have since corresponded with another woman who had the

same

SNIP

SNIP SNIP SNIP

[Guest guest]

– it is possible that the use of the SSRI’s was simply masking the

pain for you 4. I took SSRI’s for 11 years and went off them in

Jan. 1995. Have had chronic low back pain since age 19 (am 58 now)

but worked and vacationed and lived with the pain (until full blown attacks

would floor me for about 6 weeks each time). By June of 1995 I was

disabled, unable to do much of anything and was retired disabled from my

company by the end of the next year. I believe, as do the

docs, that the SSRI’s were controlling the pain, allowing me to live

somewhat normally, until I stopped and then WHAM – I was in trouble.

I was taking them for depression – didn’t have a clue that these

kinds of drugs aided in chronic pain.

I can’t go

back to them as I developed serotonin syndrome.

So you much also

consider the possibility that the SSRI’s were masking serious pain

issues.

Just some

thoughts –

Dusty

LISA et al/SSRIs

and Vulvodynia--connection?

Hi --

Actually, (other group member) and I have been wondering and discussing

this for

many months now. In both of our cases, the vulvodynia (we both have constant

burning)

was immediately preceded by the discontinuation of SSRI medication. For her it

was Paxil,

for me it was Prozac. We have since corresponded with another woman who had the

same

SNIP

SNIP SNIP SNIP