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On Serlift For Depression. Stopped Taking Medicine And Getting Diabetic Symptoms. Any Advice?
Question: I am 53 yrs old,using serlift 50 for more than two years,as prescribed for depression.Few weeks before I stopped taking it without doctor advice.When feeling withdrawal symptom again started taking it for a week now,but feeling some diabetic symptom without any prior diabetic history I got random testing of blood sugar. Test reported it as high as 317.Does it has any relation with the drug abovementioned. Please advice.
Hello
Welcome to Health Care Magic
Serlift consists of sertaline. It belongs to SSRI group. It is a very good antidepressant drug. It causes increase in serotonerigc transmission in brain. When abruptly it may cause serotonin withdrawal syndrome. In this syndrome irritability, insomnia, restlessness, changes in blood pressure are seen.
Your blood sugar was 317 and it is very high, hyperglycaemia is not a common feature of serotonin withdrawal syndrome. It is also not due to side effect of drug. I would advise you to get your repeat sugar testing done, if it comes high visit a good hospital for evaluation.
To stop sertaline gradual tapering over 2 months is advised to avoid withdrawal syndrome. Start with decreasing about 10-20% of dose per week and stop completely at end of 2 months.
If you have more questions you can ask again in follow up.
Thanks
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi, MD
Welcome to Health Care Magic
Serlift consists of sertaline. It belongs to SSRI group. It is a very good antidepressant drug. It causes increase in serotonerigc transmission in brain. When abruptly it may cause serotonin withdrawal syndrome. In this syndrome irritability, insomnia, restlessness, changes in blood pressure are seen.
Your blood sugar was 317 and it is very high, hyperglycaemia is not a common feature of serotonin withdrawal syndrome. It is also not due to side effect of drug. I would advise you to get your repeat sugar testing done, if it comes high visit a good hospital for evaluation.
To stop sertaline gradual tapering over 2 months is advised to avoid withdrawal syndrome. Start with decreasing about 10-20% of dose per week and stop completely at end of 2 months.
If you have more questions you can ask again in follow up.
Thanks
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi, MD
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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