DgrNL: Hi, I’m dgr, life is unlucky at the moment

[DgrNL]

Hi everyone,

 

I’m a 40 year old male at the moment coping with nasty issues after the use of one tramadol tablet half January this year.

 

let me first start where my problems with psymeds started.

In the year 2016 i got prescribed Amitriptyline for neuropathic pain in a 10mg dose in the upcoming years to 2019 the dose was upped to 30mg per day. 
In 2019 i noticed the amitriptyline did not do anything for me anymore except that it made me sleep well.

In 2019 i tapered amitriptyline based on a schedule one week 30mg next week 20mg and last week 10mg and 2 weeks after 10mg with skip days as suggested by my GP.

 

This worked but i noticed erectile disfunction after stopping. Later i found out that this could be pssd.

 

since the disfunction was mild and i’m in a stable relation with my partner it wasnt a real problem. 
 

the disfunction got better in the upcoming years and even had a newborn son in the meantime.

 

until last january 24 where everything changed for me, i used one tablet of tramadol and i woke up with numb genitals the next day, in the upcoming 2 weeks i got emotionally numb, severe ED, decreased sense of touch on my skin, anhedonia, insomina, waking up and cannot sleep anymore, smell and taste got bad and my vision is not clear.

 

I went for help at my GP who says im depressed, i prescribed me quatepine for sleep and after 3 days taking this i got suicidal ideations, so i stopped it. But the suicidal ideations did not go away.

 

GP still says depression, and prescribes me Amitriptyline in a low dose for sleep, after a few days i feel my genitals getting number again so in 2 weeks i stopped the amitriptyline again from 40mg to 30mg to 20mg to 10mg and the stopped in one week.

 

my GP now sent me to a psychiatrist who at the moment put me on olanzapine 5mg. my sleep is now better and suicidial ideations are in the background. ( in day time i use 3 * 10mg oxazepam to keep calm)

 

now for upcoming week i have a new appointement again with the psych to talk about new antidepressant to go on.

 

im not sure what to do because i think it is pssd or some sort of withdrawal im coping with.

 

gp and psych says depression.

 

at the moment i cant do my job or look after my family because of all this.

 

does anybody have some advice in my situation? Could a new Antidepressant give some relieve of the symptoms im experiencing and not make them worse?

 

Edited March 5 by bunchesofoats
Edited title to include username

[bunchesofoats]

Hello and welcome to SA @DgrNL. Thank you for posting details on your experiences as well as creating a signature. Please add the other medications you've taken to your signature, particularly the recent ones to help others better understand potential interactions.

 

Tramadol does have some impact on serotonin reuptake, so it is not surprising it exacerbated preexisting symptoms.

 

I would not suggest a new antidepressant as most come with the side effects of genital numbing and suicidal ideation.

 

Here is an easy link to many of the most useful non-medication options for symptom mitigation:

 

Here is a resource list of tapering information including assessing drug interactions:

 

[DgrNL]

Thanks for the info, will look into it.

 

would starting another ad, for example mirtazapine or another non ssri be a option in this case?

 

Ps. Added the info to my signature.

[bunchesofoats]

Thank you for updating your signature.

 

Non-SSRI antidepressants still come with side effects. I cannot conclusively advise you one way or the other, but I personally would not add mirtazapine.

 

You can read about mirtazapine's side effects here, including the increased risk of suicidal ideation:

https://www.drugs.com/sfx/mirtazapine-side-effects.html

 

Mirtazepine will also come with its own withdrawal effects if/when you would decide to reduce the dosage.

 

What are you taking now and at what time of day, and what are your symptoms before and after?

[DgrNL]

At the moment i’m on olanzapine 5mg since 2 weeks take it at 9pm for sleep but still wake up at 4am.

 

the olanzapine surpresses the suicidal ideation.

 

During the day intake 3 10mg oxazepam tablets to cope with my symptoms since begin february

 

my symptoms are.

 

genital numbness on some spots, ED, reduced libido. emotional blunting, blank mind, anhedonia, sort off out of focus vision (maybe brainfog?) reduced tactile sensation on skin, reduced smell and taste.

GP and psych. tell me that im depressed, dont know how that feels cause i have never been in my life before. 

 

[bunchesofoats]

Do you notice a change in any symptoms throughout the day, from day to day, or after specific activities?

[DgrNL]

Evenings seem a little better mood wise. 
activity”s that i normally like do not give me te positive feedback they used to.

 

 

[DgrNL]

I was also asking myself, the olanzapine i use in 5mg a day for 2 weeks now. Is it possible to quit that CT? Or do i still have to taper it.