It’s common for people to be confused about why these medications are prescribed for conditions other than depression.
Each deals with multiple functions.
Serotonin’s functions include pain processing and regulation of the sleep cycle.
Jonathan Nourok / Getty Images
Your brain uses serotonin to create melatonin, which helps you get to sleep.
Norepinephrine is involved with the body’s stress response, alertness, and memory.
Abnormalities in serotonin and norepinephrine are believed to be related to some cases of FMS and ME/CFS.
Of the FDA-approved drugs for FMS, two out of three are SNRIs.
(No drugs are FDA-approved for ME/CFS.)
They are:
Other SNRIs are on the market and may be prescribed off-label for these illnesses.
They may be the ones who spot the warning signs.
If you find yourself having suicidal thoughts, get help right away.
Discontinuation
Going off of SSRIs/SNRIs carries its own risks.
Symptoms of discontinuation syndrome include:
Discontinuation symptoms can range from minor to debilitating.
Contact your healthcare provider if you have any concerns.
Side Effects and Interactions
These drugs come with a long list of potential side effects.
Some of the more dangerous ones include seizure, hallucination and out-of-control actions.
SSRIs/SNRIs can interact negatively with drugs other than those that increase serotonin.
These may include anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), blood thinners, and several others.
Side effects and interactions vary by drug.
To check on specific drugs, you could look them up at Drugs.com orRxList.com.
They’re also generally available in packaging information.
In case of emergency, you may also want to keep a list of your medications in your wallet.
This can take a lot of time.
Be sure to keep the lines of communication with your healthcare provider open during this process.
Hauser W, Bernardy K, Uceyler N, Sommer C.Treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome with antidepressants: a meta-analysis.
Living with Fibromyalgia, Drugs Approved to Manage Pain.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Jan 31, 2014.
Volpi-abadie J, Kaye AM, Kaye AD.Serotonin syndrome.
2013;13(4):533-40.
Nischal A, Tripathi A, Nischal A, Trivedi JK.Suicide and antidepressants: what current evidence indicates.
2012;10(1):33-44. doi:10.4103/0973-1229.87287
Gabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.
2017;189(21):E747.
doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991
Santos G, Moreira AM.Distressing Visual Hallucinations after Treatment with Trazodone.
2017;2017:6136914. doi:10.1155/2017/6136914
Low Y, Setia S, Lima G.Drug-drug interactions involving antidepressants: focus on desvenlafaxine.
2009 Jul-Aug;25(6):461-8.
2009 Sep;28(9):1035-44.
Derry S, et al.Milnacipran for Neuropathic Pain and Fibromyalgia in Adults.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
2012 Mar 14;3:CD008244.
2011 Sep 21;7:69.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Warner CH, et al.Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome.American Family Physician.
2006 Aug 1;74(3):449-56.
