Please help, I am obsessed with MS

[Jenny Wren]

I can't take it anymore, these weird feelings are driving me nuts.  Everyday of my blessed life, as soon as my eyes open, theug crawling sensations start, then the buzzing sensations under my skin.  Started taking Prozac again, 20 mg did absolutely nothing, upped the dosage to 40 mg, I keep getting these cold feelings, like someone is injecting ice water in my veins, they are everywhere, but the worst is in the face.  If this is just anxiety, then why aren't these feelings going away?  I had a normal brain, c-spine, lumbar MRI, they feel that these symptoms are not enough to test for MS any further.  I have no weakness, numbness, bladder or bowel problems, vision is fine, heat doesn't affect me, Does anyone else have this?  I'm at the end of my rope!!!  HELP!!!!!!

[Lightwise]

Hi Jenny, I am so sorry you feel so bad ... I will pray for you. Did you see the post I started with the title ANXIETY ? LET'S MAKE A LIST OF SYMPTOMS AND TESTS TAKEN TO HELP EVERYONE. Check it out, it shows how many symptoms can be produced by anxiety. I'm not saying I know that's what your experiencing. I am also trying to rule out physical causes of symptoms. My next test will be for Lyme disease. Once that is ruled out, I am going to focus all of my efforts on alleviating my anxiety.
You don't have to be in the middle of super anxious feeling to feel the symptoms ... a lot of the anxiety is rooted in one's subconsciuos. Even the heading of your post gives away how stressed you are. I can totally relate. Hang in there because you deserve better !

[chcnme]

I just came across your note and thought I'd offer some suggestions.  Sorry you're having such a tough time.  I'm wondering  - have you been diagnosed with MS  (Multiple Sclerosis), or do you just think you have it?   If so, then these sensations can indeed occur with MS and can be helped.  If, however, you have not been diagnosed with MS and did not notice these sensations prior to beginning Prozac (which is an SSRI) then these sensations could very well be related to the Prozac.   If you have MS and these sensations got worse, then your doctor may want to adjust your medications.  

If you do not know if you have MS or not, and if you were on a different antidepressant prior to Prozac, then these sensations could be coming from a combination of withdrawal from the last antidepressant one beginning another.  This is not uncommon.  Some patients are found to be "intolerant" to the class of antidepressants called the SSRIs.  They react badly to them and complain of sensations all over their body; typically they complain of shock sensations in the head area with buzzes, shock sensations, and cold sensations running under their skin.  

My advice (regardless if you have MS or not)  is get to the doctor who is treating you for your symptoms and who prescribed the Prozac.  Do not stop taking the Prozac abruptly (do not stop any antidepressant abruptly or on your own.)  Do not become discouraged if these sensations do not go away when / if the doctor weans you off the Prozac.  Sometimes they last for a while (sometimes even a few months), but they will eventually go away once the drug is stopped, in most cases.  

Best of luck.

[Jenny Wren]

Hi there, no I have not been diagnosed with MS.  My brain and c-spine MRI were normal.  These sensations were here before I started the Prozac.  It just seems that the same sensations that I had prior to taking the Prozac became worse, and a few new ones occured.  My doc feels that after 8 years of symptoms that because this all started after I started having anxiety issues, that its anxiety since all my tests have been normal.  I also suffer from migraines so I have been told that you can have weird sensations like this without a migraines also.  Thanks for the help.  Do you think that maybe the Prozac needs to be slowly stopped and maybe take something else?

[chcnme]

Hi Jenny, I can tell you this much from a professional and personal experience.  I was a psych nurse (director of nursing from 1994 through 2000) until chronic illness took me out of my career.  I have not practiced nursing since 2001 due to those health reasons but had worked three major psychiatric facilities prior to having to take leave and go on disability.  I have seen a slew of patients both in in-patient and out-patients settings diagnosed with and being managed for depressive / anxiety disorders.  Loved my job.  At any rate, my health problems created terrible depression and anxiety in me.  I had some of the typical tingling sensations going on  (not uncommon with anxiety), but NOTHING that would match the degree of buzzing that began once they started me on Prozac. They started me out on 20 mg, and for a while I thought I felt better, but the anxiety (and the strange sensations) got worse, and the depression got worse, too.  So, they bumped me up to 40 mg, and I thought I was going to go nuts with the funny feelings.  I was convinced I had MS at that time.  I knew that SSRIs could cause some strange sensations but I never knew to what degree until they put me on Prozac and I experienced it personally, and I honestly thought I had MS.   We (me and doc) finally pinned it down to the Prozac  (this kind of hypersensitivity to Prozac is not that unsual.)  It took almost 8 months for the buzzy sensations to stop in me, and they got worse before they got better.  They got worse when they stopped the Prozac,  then they got better when they put me back on it, and then worse, and it was just a H*** ride, actually.   But I knew  (as did my doc)  that it was the Prozac.  I had to be tapered very very VERY slowly for over a period of about two months.  Even when I finally got all the way off I still had occasional buzzes for a month or more.  I haven't had those sensations since 2003.  It was an awful feeling.  But I knew what it was from (but I only knew because I was familiar with it from my job.)  

So back to your question or my personal opinion (and based on what I had heard patients complain of and what I would eventually experience as a patient myself)  I would tell you - yes, see if your doctor will be willing to evaluate you for hypersensitivity to Prozac and NOT dismiss these buzzy sensations you are having and possibily begin a taper and start you on something else.  It could very well be the Prozac  (and probably is.)  You can tell him/ her you met a psych nurse online who has told you about SSRI intolerance and the syndrome that some patients do indeed have while on this medication.  

But anyhow...when I read your note  (I was just passing through today - had never been here)  your note just made me remember so distinctly my fear of having MS (and it was Prozac).  After I wrote my first note to you here earlier today,  I scrolled down to see if I could find anymore from you.  I think I saw in a previous note where the doc had tried in you to adjust the Prozac dose before, and that is fine, but if it's not working, and if they (docs) don't think you have MS or a neurological deficit / syndrome, then these buzzy sensations could be clearly nothing BUT the Prozac, and you deserve to know that Prozac can cause this.

And by the way, I feel fine now.  No more buzzies.  No more wondering if I just stepped on live wire :)  Best of luck to you.  If you are having more of an anxiety issue vs. a depressive one, Prozac is OK for anxiety, but it's usually better for treating depressed patient  (it's more of a stimulant and tends to aggravate anxiety disorders.)  I'm not trying to tell you on-line  (by any means) that your doc has prescribed the wrong med, but if Prozac isn't helping you, or if you are having these sensations that are getting worse, this is affecting your mental health (would affect anyone's well-being) and you deserve to be tried on something else  (and to be told that these sensations can happen with Prozac.)  Your doctor needs to tell you this,  and if the doctor hasn't, well - that would a shame.  

I hope you will begin to feel better soon.

[Jenny Wren]

Do you think it anxiety, being that the sensations got worse with the Prozac then?  Have you ever heard of these sensations when someone is experiencing anxiety/worry?  I appreciate the post that you wrote.  Its nice to know that there are certain people in the worl who tries to give their best when some one is in need, I thank you very much.  Now, do you think I could have MS, and what is a good med instead of the Prozac?  Thanks again, Jen

[chcnme]

Hi Jenny.  Thank you.  I think in your case - if you have been worked up by neuro with negative testing so far - these sensations you are having  (regardless of their origin and regardless if you have an anxiety disorder) could be intensified by the Prozac.  I truly can't say whether it's "just anxiety"  or if it could be MS.   But I can say that it is not uncommon for Prozac to create more anxiety and to cause these sensations that mimick MS.  

If you have no component of "clinical depression" or depressive symptoms, your doctor should not be reluctant at all to try you on something other than Prozac or add something to the current regimen (if they keep  you on Prozac)  to help you with the anxiety,  and also - I think the doctor needs to consider withdrawing you from the Prozac altogether.  You could very well be in the population of patients who are SSRI intolerant and who should not take SSRIs.

I don't know if you are satisifed with your current doctor or not, or whether or not you have a good relationship with him or not.  If you aren't satisifed, then I think you need to tell him you are not and that you would like to try something different.  I think you should mention "SSRI intolerance"  to them.  Let them know you think these symptoms could be stemming from the Prozac and that it is NOT just "anxiety".

It looks as if you have been worked up and the doctors are boiling this down to "anxiety".  If you are still having these sensations, you deserve a medication adjustment (in my opinion) and possibly they need to consider weaning you off the Prozac totally and trying something else. This can be tricky with SSRIs if you cannot tolerate them.  The withdrawal will cause the buzzy sensations, and if they simply start another SSRI, the buzzes will not go away.

As far as other medicines, there are numerous medicines that can be  (and usually are)  given in addition to antidepressants when the patient has an anxiety disorder.  You need to ask your doctor about these.  Ones that come to mind right off the top of my head are Remeron, Risperdal, Trazadone.  (and there are so many more, too).  There is, of course, the benzos to treat anxiety (Valium, Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin), and these are very good, but these are also highly addictive and you need to be closely monitored on these drugs and need to watch out for "abuse". You need to be ever so aware of their addictive properties and their potential for misuse and abuse.

Are you seeing a psychiatrist?  Is the doc who prescribed this Prozac a psychiatrist or psychologist?  If not, then I would strongly urge you to get under the care of one.  If so, then talk to this doc about a possible medication adjustment in you.  If the doctor won't consider it keeps dismissing your symptoms as all "anxiety", I would urge you to get a second opinion.  

Best of luck to you!

[Jenny Wren]

Hi there, I am going to speak to my doc today about trying something else.  About a month into the Prozac I started getting these cold feelings in my face, they would only last a few seconds, but they went away for about 4-5 days, now last night it came back.  I took a 1/2 of a .25 mg xanax before I went to bed, since I can't fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, then I get up with my son at 7 am, 8 a.m. I'm back in bed, and I could sleep probably 10  or more hours and still be tired.  I started taking the Prozac because of the weird feelings and the tiredness, its really bad now.  The serotonin intolerance, thats odd, my mom can't take any kind of AD, she has weird side effects from them.  If these strange feelings would go away, I wouldn't need anything, I'm just tired of worrying whats wrong with me.  I hate to cut you short, but I have to go to work, I don't feel like it, I'd rather be in bed, I will get to to you later this afternoon.  Thanks so much!!!

[Aruba417]

Hi Jenny,

I think I wrote you before about my dad having MS...was that you? Anyhow, if not let me know and I'll tell you what I told the other person. But anyways, I honestly didn't start feeling better until I actually met with a Psychiatrist. Your regular doctors don't know as much when it comes to symptoms and medications for anxiety as psychiatrists do. And find one that specializes in panic/anxiety/OCD. It really has helped me and my symptoms! Good luck!

[Jenny Wren]

No, I don't think it was me,but it may have been, I seriously don't remember.  Let me know what you needed to say.  Thanks

[chcnme]

Hi again Jenny.  If your mother is ultra sensitive to Antid's or cannot tolerate them and has weird feelings on them, the chances are very good that you will have the same response.  Genetics plays a huge role in our health, mental health, what works and what doesn't.  Usually what works in one family member sometimes will very often be THE drug that will work for another family member (such as mom / daughter; sister / daugher).  The same holds true for what doesn't work, too  (what one family member cannot tolerate, often another family member cannot, either.)  I hope your doc's appointment went well!  Hang in there.  I still think this could all be related to the Prozac. Those sensations you describe (while they could be something else) are also <strong>classic</strong" symptoms associated with SSRI intolerance.  Prozac, while it's a very good drug for some, is not a good one for everyone.  I hope they'll find something that works for you.

[Jenny Wren]

Hi, but I had these feelings BEFORE the Prozac, thats why they put me on them.  Do you think it just made my anxiety worse? My brother took Prozac before, but his was more for depression.  Thats why my doc tried the Prozac on me.  But Mom, can't take any of it!!!!

[chcnme]

Hi Jenny.  Anxiety disorders can cause strange sensations (hyperventilation can cause numbness, tingling, especially of the lips, face area, etc, and of the extremities, too.) Prozac (if you are ultrasensitive to this drug or to SSRIs) can make those feelings 10 times worse.  If it IS the drug, and you are still on them, then it becomes impossible for the clinician (or you) to distinguish between what is anxiety and what is medication-induced  (the two begin overlapping.)  I don't believe (professionally) that Prozac alone is a good choice for a generalized anxiety disorder or a more severe one if it has not worked within a few months (and in your case, it appears you've been tried on Prozac for several months if not a few years).  

I think it would be wise for you to ask your doctor if they will consider a medication adjustment.  If your mother could not tolerate these kinds of drugs (antidepressants) the changes are very likely you will not be able to, either, and that they will need to try you on perhaps others before they find the right one for your symptoms.

How far back in your life did these sensations begin?  And have you been thoroughly worked up by Neuro?  Is your primary diagnosis from the psychiatrist "generalized anxiety disorder" and your primary complaints "anxiety"?  Do you have any other psychiatric disorders other than the anxiety disorder  (such as depression, bipolar, OCD, PTSD, schizophrenia, or any family history of those?)   Have they ruled out Lupus?  

If all of your "blood tests" have come back "unremarkable" for any other cause of this tingling, and if neuro has discharged you from their care, and you have been left with a diagnosis of "generalized anxiety disorder", please don't throw out the possibility that your continued "sensations" could very well be anxiety AND Prozac-related.   Hang in there.

[Jenny Wren]

Hi there again, just got back from shift number 2.  Anxiety and depression runs in my family.  Its funny that you ask when the sensations started.  Its been 6 years for the weird facial feelings, then I began worrying about them, next thing I was having anxiety attacks, left me with 3 months of awful nausea, I googled nausea, and MS came up as a cause.  Well at that point I started worrying about MS because my gram was diagnosed with it when she was 60.  From that point on, I started focusing on every little sensation in my body.  And here I am today, really messed up in the head.  These feelings are here everyday, they never go away, except if I take a hot bath or go to bed, but as soon as my eyes open in the morning they start, not fun at all.  I seen a neuro when this first began, she order a brain MRI, but I never had it done, finally after 5-6 years with these sensations, this April I decided to get the brain MRI done, the only thing found was a severe sinus infectin.  So, in Sept, this year, I started going to a pain clinic because of the migraines, they did a c-spine MRI, I told the technician to also look for lesions also being my gram had MS, the only thing that was found was a bulging disk.  Now the leg thing, these sensations are worse when sitting, so just 2 weeks ago I had a lumbar MRI, normal.  I have been tested for Lyme, normal, sed rate, normal, CBC, normal, metabolic panel, normal, I don't think they tested me for Lupus though.  I never seen a psychiatrist, just a neuro and pcp.  They believe its somatic anxiety.  Tonight I feel like I'm trembling inside, and I have been a little lightheaded also.  Maybe I need to see a neuro again and maybe have the lumbar puncture done,, since everything else came back normal.  My PCP feels that if it was MS it would have shown on the MRIs after 6 years.  I am very grateful for your input, it really makes me feel good inside.  Thank you, talk soon!!!!!

[ravyn]

I'd premise this by saying that I am not a doctor but your symptoms do not sound like MS especially in the absence of any medical data to support your personal diagnosis. The buzzing feeling you describe could be anything from poor circulation to minor injury to anxiety.

Anxiety can cause many, many, many physical symptoms. I have known people who have given themselves symptoms of diseases simply by thinking that they had those diseases. I've seen people manifest anything from VD symptoms to heart attack symptoms because they were absolutely convinced that they were sick.

I know a little bit about MS since my father has it. He, by the way, is in his mid-60's and is doing fine with NO symptoms or reoccurrences. He had one attack of MS and that was it. So, as you can see MS is not a death sentence. Plenty of people manage their symptoms and some even have no symptoms. In addition, there are clinical trials now where they have actually created a vaccine to reverse the effects of MS (http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/26/115077.htm). So as you can see, even if you do have it, which I highly doubt, it is not the end of the world. You should also know that MS is VERY rare. Less than 500,000 people in the US have MS out of the 1/2 billion in this country. That's less than 1% of the population.

My grandfather had a saying and I repeat it in my head whenever I feel anxiety (I also have high anxiety about various things including thinking that I am sick all the time). It was, "Don't worry about it until you cross that bridge. You'll have wasted all your time worrying about something that may never come to be." He was a wise man. He was also a very sick man. He had asthma, an enlarged heart and kidney problems. He never complained and never worried. He lived his life to the fullest and was one of the most generous and kindest people to walk the planet. I figure if someone with his health problems could feel this way then I should too!

[Lightwise]

Wow, great info and great help. People should post more positivety like this !
After all this is "medHELP.org" not "medHURT". I'm not saying that others are being purposely hurtful, but it is so refreshing to see this kind of reassurance from total strangers. God bless you and your grandfather. Your comments have helped me.

[chcnme]

Hi Jenny!  Sorry I was away for a while  (hope you don't think I had left - I've enjoyed our exchanges and hope the best for you.)  

Rayns' note  (I probably spelled that name wrong -sorry) holds so much truth.  And the story of her (or his) grandfather was beautiful.  There is actually a common syndrome called "med student syndrome".  It can be debilitating for many medical students, and it was first seen in this group (because they studied illnesses and thought they had every single ailment they were studying).  I experienced it while in nursing school. I was very familiar with how reading about illnesses could make you very sick.  It's very common for this to happen to anyone who reads about symptoms.  I thought I was one of those people when I was having symptoms and had MRIs and CTs and x-rays and CBCs and Lupus titers, and..... test after test after test showed nothing -- until one day it did.

In my case, it took 10 long years to diagnosis (and being told by doctors, by psychiatrists, and by neurologists during most of those years) "this is most likely depression or anxiety".  Well, it wasn't, but since I knew what anxiety could do and what reading could do, I thought for sure I had med student syndrome.  I finally stopped seeking medical care.  The virus continued to wreak havoc in me.  It was not diagnosed until three years ago.  It will shorten my life. Had it been diagnosed 10 years ago when I first felt strange and started seeing a doctor, I could possibly be cured by now.  By the time it was diagnosed, though, it had done a lot of damage.  Why?  Because I ignored the symptoms. Why?  Because I believed I had med student syndrome. Chemo at this stage is terribly rough and not very effective, but - all I can do is try again.  

If you are suffering and don't know what is going on, you may very well have med student syndrome, but you might not.  If you are OK on all medical testing, go live your life the best you can, Jenny.  Try to get off the computer and stop reading for a while.  No matter what, though, don't ever let anyone tell you that something you're feeling "bad" is all in your head.  If you think something is wrong, tell the doctors to do something.  

I wish you the very best.

[Jenny Wren]

Hello, I agree about ravyns post, it was a beautiful thought.  Its hard not to think about whats wrong when you have these weird feelings everyday, but I also know that if it does turn out to be MS, there is nothing that I can do about it anyway, except take the meds and go on with my life.  So whats the sense of worrying about it, right?  I am curious to know what your medical condition is though?  I was going to ask before, but must have gotten sidetracked.  I wish you all the best, and I would like to thank you for taking the time in comforting me.  It is really nice when people like you take the time to help others in need.  Please though, check back in from time to time if you see me posted, I would likie that very much.  I have to run for now, gotta go get some wrapping paper at the store.  I will talk to you later, thoughts and prayers, Jen

[chcnme]

Hi Jenny.  I've got Chronic Hepatitis C.   It's called the Silent Killer because symptoms don't usually show up until the liver is damaged - and it usually takes about 20 years for that to happen.  I had an case of hepatitis in 1974, and it wasn't known until about oh... I guess 12 years ago that people who were infected long ago could still be infected and have no symptoms and no signs (or have nonspecific complaints of fatigue, depression, insomnia, anxiety.)  My symptoms began in about that 20th year, I guess - maybe a little after.  I was very healthy all my life.  Very.  I began having horrible boughts of fatigue, and I had numbness and tingling too, of the extremities. Both symptoms are very common in Hep C.  When I was feeling my sickest (since no one could find anything wrong with me)  I tried to forget about it and convince myself that it WAS in my head and that I could "snap out of it" - whatever it was.  But I didn't snap out of it, and eventually I got sicker and sicker, and then my liver function tests came back abnormal.  By then, though, I had had this virus for about 27 years.  The last three of those years was when I gave up on trying to find out what was wrong with me.  Everyone (doctors, neurologist, psychiatrists) had all chalked my symptoms up to depression and anxiety  (and I can see why -- my liver funtion tests were normal, and nothing was showing up MRI or CT or labs otherwise.)  They were dealing with something that no one would could see unless they specifically tested me for Hepatitis C, which they finally did.  I was positive.  They did a liver biospy to see how much damage I had to my liver. My liver was not in good shape (inflamed and fibrotic - meaning it was diseased due to the chroinc hepatitis c, also called CHC.)  Treatment was recommended.  Treatment, though, for Hep C is most effective when it's done when the liver is minimally damaged.  So the delay in diagnosis in me put about 5 years of "disease" to my liver that - had I stuck with it and not  believed it was in my head, I might have had a  better chance of making it through the treatment.  Treatment for Hep C is not as effective in a more diseased liver. Treatment consists of weekly self injections of PegInteferon with oral Ribavirin for 48 to 72 weeks (the latter is now recommended because it's very hard to kill this virus or put it in remission.)  The first time I tried treatment, (over three years ago)  I lasted a measly three weeks.  The doctors had to stop it because my blood counts crashed, including  my platelets, and I was then at high risk for hemorrhage and infection.  I am now under the care of a leading hepatologist at Duke Liver Clinic. They are the best in the nation in treating Hep C (it's a very complicated virus,and the treatment for it is...the pits.)  I'll be trying the chemo again pretty soon.  

A lot of people have Hep C and don't know it.  I had no clue I was carrying this virus around from 32 years ago and that it was attacking my liver.  (I was a nurse and didn't know it.)  I'm 47, a mother of a 25 year old son, and I'm a grandmother :)   I take it one day at a time and count my blessings every day. Hep C is the leading cause of liver transplants. I've known many who were lucky enough to get a new liver; I've known too many who weren't.

But back to the "all in the head", do get on with your life. I think you're totally fine :)  I surely don't think you have Hep C, but you might know more about this virus now than you did before.  If you know anyone, including yourself, who might be at risk of carrying it - get tested.  Many doctors (most, unless they are liver doctors) do not know about Hep C.  None of mine did - (or they knew very little.)  It's a very specialized field.

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/299_hepc.html

Here is something from the FDA's site.  It starts out:

New Treatment Helps Some, But Cure Remains Elusive

by John Henkel

"Elaine Moreland knew she wasn't imagining the symptoms. Fatigue, migraines, nausea, memory loss, anxiety, and dizziness all were wreaking havoc in her life. Yet doctor after doctor could find nothing wrong with her. Some said she was depressed. Others blamed hypochondria.

Finally, in 1992, after suffering for several years, she went to another doctor in tears. "I told him that I was not leaving his office until he found something," she says. Through extensive testing, he did. Moreland, then 32, had hepatitis C.

The nation's most common blood-borne infection, hepatitis C is estimated to affect some 4 million Americans in its chronic form. Eventually, as many as 70 percent of them will develop liver disease, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(it's continued)
====================================
Bye for now.  You have a great day!

[Jenny Wren]

Hi there, I am so sorry to hear of your sickness. I hope that everything turns out good for you.  I have been thinking about going to be nurse, but I am already a basket case, so I don't want to add fuel to the fire.LOL  I have a associates degree in medical secretarial, but I never applied for a job in this area. I don't know what to think about my ongoing problem, all I know is the Prozac is not helping to give me energy, its actually making me extremely fatiqued.  I am going to call my doc on Thursday and talk with him about starting something else and maybe getting to a neurologist.  I have to go for now, gotta go pick up my son, I will talk to ya later on.  Take care

[chcnme]

Thanks Jenny - thanks for listening.  

I started out with medical secretary after I got my GED. I got my AAS in that, worked as a transcriptionist for a few years (good job, too - or used to be, used to pay good, used to be flexible hours, a big market for transcriptionists), and then shortly after my son was born, I went for my nursing degree.  If you want to become a nurse, Jenny, you can do it. School is a wonderful thing.  Education is great therapy all the way around :) And nursing is a wonderful career.  So, if you want to be a nurse - go for it!

You take care, and hang in there, and just remember that whatever is going on now that you think you cannot handle - you can. And remember (always remember) that Prozac can cause terrible buzzing and tingling and strange sensations, and it can go on for years if you are taking this drug (or another AntiD).  I hope you begin to focus on the Prozac as being the primary cause of this.  Some people wind up in big trouble because of the appeal of the AntiD market and the belief that AntiD's will help them.  AntiD's can make some people a lot sicker.  In the "real world" antidepressant therapy is effective in LESS than 30% of the patients who have been prescribed one for depression.  That's not factoring in the percentage of people who will have bad side effects.  I hope you find a doctor who is willing to wean you off the Prozac and not start another AntiD. I think you deserve a break from the AntiD's.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!  

[Jenny Wren]

Hello, just wanted to let you know that I made an appointment today to see a neurologist.  My appt is Dec 22nd.  My PCP told me to just start taking 20 mg for a week , then 20 mg, every other day.  We'll see what happens.  These feelings have been here long before I started the Prozac, I thought that this would help the feelings but I guess its only made them worse.  I'll let you know what she has to say.  Talk again soon!!

[Aruba417]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you...Anyhow, what I wanted to tell you, was that if there was no scarring or abnormal looking spots in your MRI scan, doctors will feel very comfortable in ruling out MS. My dad has it, and it is very obvious in his MRIs. When they first diagnosed me with Anxiety, I had an MRI come back with some spots that were so small and so few that the doctor actually told me that if it WASN'T for my dad having MS, he would have not wanted to do any more testing. But since my dad DOES have it, he wanted to see me back in a year to make sure nothing had changed. If in a year everything is still the same, he will chalk it up as that being normal. I guess light spots are pretty common in MRIs.
Anyways, my point is...having been around someone with the disease for so long, if it's MS, you would have been diagnosed by now. Good Luck!!!

[Jenny Wren]

Hi there, Do you have these same symptoms too?  I am going to a neurologist on Friday, so wish me luck. My gram had it, so I'm scared.  Thanks for your support!!!!

[chcnme]

Alright!  I think you're going to be fine, at some point this is going to end  (or at least I sure hope it does.)  I know the sensations are maddening, but if they can rule out one thing at a time (process of elmination sometimes) you might begin to feel better within 6 months to a year.  And if you do, think of the self confidence you will gain.  I think you can, at this time, rule out MS or ALS.  I would, however, get a Lupus titer.  (I can't remember if they did one on you or not.)  But that would be one more thing (and I'm sure it's negative)  that would be out of the way.  And maybe...just maybe if you can get off that Prozac these sensations will begin go subside some.  

Best of luck!  See you soon.

[Aruba417]

Yeah, I've had most of your same symptoms...I have the anxiety/panic under good control now. I've had it for about 4 years and this year has been the best I've felt so far. My dad is 46 and has had MS since he was my age (26). He has his days, but for the most part, he's been able to live a normal life. My uncle also has it. He was diagnosed about 3 years ago. He's 33. The weird thing is, this is not my dad's brother, it's my MOM'S brother. So that means it's on BOTH sides of the family. Weird. But yeah...I would definitely say if it hasn't shown up in the MRIs after SIX years, it's not MS.

Now mind you, I'm not a doctor. (Sorry, I'm sure you know that, but nowadays you have to put disclaimers on everything so you don't get sued - ha ha)

[Jenny Wren]

Went to the neurologist today, she did all kinds of balance tests, and the other good stuff.  I told her that I was concerned about MS because my gram was diagnosed with it at age 60.  When I started telling her about my gram medical history, she told me that she doesn't think that my gram ever had MS, maybe vasculitis or mini strokes, which she did have a few mini strokes that we knew of.  She also told me she wanted to test me for Lupus and other things like CMV, and EBV which can invade the nervous system, I told her that when this all started 6 years ago, that the EBV was the only thing that came back as positive, it was a reactivated infection, she said to me, "Why didn't you tell me that from the beginning?" I didn't think that it mattered, she said most definently it does, this could be my whole problem.  So Tuesday after christmas I'm off to get my bloodwork done, she is checking the status of the EBV too.  So, we'll see, she said that it doesn't sound like MS to her, but she wants to look over my MRI films also.  So, we'll see, she said shes going to make all these weird feelings go away, I told her, if you do, I'll kiss your feet!!LOL  She gave me a prescription for a high dose of B vitamins, its supposed to be stronger than the B-12 injections, wish me luck,  I'm going to need it.  I hope this is the answer, Jen

[chcnme]

I just read your note!!  This is wonderful news  (that she is reassuring you on the MS and is going to work you up further and offer her help).  She sounds like a wonderful doc.  I'm happy for you.  It's going to be a process of elimination with her, and you can't ask for better :)!  Way to go!  It paid off in the short-term and will pay off in the long-term too!

Merry CHristmas!!