| Diagnosing |
| Written by Fred McConnell | |
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Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, one of the messenger chemicals of the brain. Although only a small amount of serotonin is present in the brain, nearly every function of the brain is impacted by serotonin at some level. One of the functions of the brain that is most impacted by serotonin is mood. A good level of serotonin facilitates feelings of well-being and contentment. Too little serotonin can contribute to major depression and other serious psychological conditions. Because of serotonin's influence regarding mood, many of the more popular antidepressants today affect serotonin on some level. Serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors increase the available serotonin in the brain by inhibiting its reuptake by neural cells. The end result is more serotonin, which causes the patient to have an increased feeling of well-being and contentment. Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors inhibit the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine by neural cells. These drugs can cause serotonin syndrome if they interact with other drugs or are taken in a dose that's higher than the patient can tolerate. Illegal drugs and dietary supplements that impact serotonin also can cause serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome can cause a variety of symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, hallucinations and coma, among others. Left undiagnosed and untreated serotonin syndrome can cause death. If the condition is treated, most patients will make a full recovery with no lingering negative impacts. Unfortunately, the medical community largely remains under-informed regarding serotonin syndrome. A recent study found that nearly 85 percent of health care providers lacked a firm grounding in the basics concerning serotonin syndrome. Because time can be of the essence in cases of serotonin syndrome, beefing up health care providers' knowledge concerning the condition is of paramount importance. How serotonin syndrome is diagnosed Serotonin syndrome can manifest itself within just a few minutes or up to six hours after the patient takes the drugs or substances that cause the condition. The symptoms of serotonin syndrome can be similar to other conditions -- some of them life-threatening -- so making sure the right diagnosis is arrived at is extremely important for health care providers. When a health care provider suspects that a patient has serotonin syndrome, he or she has a number of options at hand to narrow down the possibilities and make a definite diagnosis. The health care provider will begin by asking the patient or a person with the patient whether the patient has taken any drugs or supplements that affect serotonin levels. These can be prescription medications, illegal drugs or dietary supplements like St. John's Wort. The health care provider will also ask about other medications, as serotonin-affecting antidepressants can interact with some migrane headache medication to cause serotonin syndrome. If these indicators point toward serotonin syndrome, the health care provider will then do other tests to rule out other possibilities. The health care provider will test the level of drugs within the patients' system, will check thyroid hormone levels and will check body functions that may be impacted by serotonin syndrome. There's a variety of other conditions that mimic serotonin syndrome that your health care provider will need to rule out before starting treatment for serotonin syndrome. These conditions include:
The incidence of serotonin syndrome is becoming more frequent as the use of serotonin-affecting antidepressants increases. Making sure that health care providers are aware of serotonin syndrome and how to diagnose it becomes increasingly important as the prevalence of this potentially fatal condition becomes more common. |
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