Passenger: Post SSRI pudendal neuralgia / pudendal nerve issues?

[passenger]

Has anyone else here experienced sudden unset pudendal neuralgia symptoms after being on an SSRI for a period of time? I was on sertraline for ~2 weeks (1 week 50mg, 1 week 100mg) when I began to experience moderate to severe pelvic burning and discomfort characteristic of pudendal neuralgia. Since the onset of the symptoms, I have tapered off the sertraline. Yet my PN-esque symptoms have not gone away (aside from an unexplainable 5 day period). It has been about a month since I began to experience these hellish symptoms, and although I've only been in pain for about 3 weeks, it's been one of the most uncomfortable things that I've ever experienced in my life, and I can't imagine living this way for the rest of my days.

 

I'm only 18, and I just want this **** to go away. I want my life back. Hence my question: has anyone else ever had PN or PN-esque symptoms only for it to spontaneously go away (as mysteriously as the symptoms came about?

[KarenB]

Hello Passenger - Welcome to SA,

 

You did well to taper off the sertraline so soon.  Some people are much more sensitive to psychiatric drugs, and react more strongly to them.  It's a sign that you'd be better off avoiding any in the future.  I'm not familiar with this symptom, but I did a quick search and there is some discussion of it in the following thread.  In general, we find that symptoms do heal over time.  Also, the less time you were on the drug, the faster the healing usually is. 

 

Please put your withdrawal history in your signature – all drugs/dates/dosages etc. so we can see your situation easily whenever you post, and help you more accurately.  Thanks.

I imagine you'll want to look at other ways of dealing with whatever you were given SSRIs for.  We have a lot of self-care threads which might help get you started with that, including Non-Drug Techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

 

Have a read of those and then you can come back to this thread to discuss things further.  This can be your journal to record your healing progress, and to ask questions. 

Welcome to SA,

Karen

 

[scallywag]

Passenger, I've added a tag "pgad" to your topic.  You may be able to find a list of other members with that symptom by clicking on that tag. 

 

From the PGAD topic:

19 hours ago, passenger said:

 

Hi, Hopefull. I have been suffering from arousal symptoms / feeling the need to pee all the time / burning symptoms for over a month now.  I suspect my condition may have been triggered by Zoloft, as my symptoms cropped up about two weeks after being on the med (50 mg for one week, 100 mg for one week).

...

Anyway, I quoted your post because I'd like to know how the 20 people on this site are doing, and what helped them with their SSRI-induced PGAD.

...

My hope is that this will eventually go away. I want to trust and believe in my body, but right now that's pretty hard to do. It would be nice to know what specifically helped you, and other people who's PGAD was caused by an SSRI, rather than an injury or local nerve damage. Additionally, I want to know whether most people with SSRI-induced PGAD go into symptom remission eventually. I know that you did, from reading your posts. Has that been the case with anyone else that you know?

 

Have you searched the site for using the keyword "pgad"? Another option, use a search engine (e.g. google, bing) with these search terms:

pgad site:survivingantidepressants.org

[cathyfrench]

Hi Passenger,

 

I also have PGAD. I started experiencing tsome symptoms very similar to yours  when I brought my Sertraline 50 (zoloft)  to a 25 dose. It was my first antidepressant ever and I have only taken it for a 3 weeks when it started. Prior to Sertraline, I had taken benzos for only 4 months and I  had experienced very nasty withdrawal symptoms (Tinnitus being the nastiest and I still have it) when I stopped xanax cold turkey. When I started experiencing PGAD, I panicked because I thought  I was going crazy and accepted to go to a psychiatric clinic, in a week they made me tapper Sertraline and put me on Anafranil and Riperidone, this didn't do anything for my PGAD but made my tinnitus worse. 

 

You were right to taper your medication slowly, it will allow your body to heal quicker. In my case I have been off Sertraline for 2 months and my PGAD symptoms are still here (but I stopped it too fast and this could explain that). My symptoms are very similar to yours : heavy hyperactive bladder, frequent  urination, constant arousal,  pins and neddles in the urethra, tingling in private ****** etc. It is like a cystitis with arousal at the same time. It is atrocious. I also had 2 cystitis and a vaginosis in the past 2 months. I was hopping that the PGAD would be cured with antibiotics but they didn't do anything for my PGAD. I went to a urologist and I had a cystoscopy done to see if it is interstitial Cystitis because people with IC can get the same symptoms as PGAD. The urologist told me it  wasn't IC and he was the first specialist who knew about PGAD. My gynecologist checked my hormones and I had  an Uterus ultrasound . I am going through the menopause so she wants me to take an hormone replacement therapy and tramadol. My urologist puts me on various bladder medications that made my tinnitus worse and didn't stop my PGA. He wants me to take Lyrica and another med for hyperactive bladder but I am scared of Lyrica. So here I am with tinnitus and PGAD and not knowing what to do next. I am glad I met some great people on this site because they gave me hope and support. I hope we will be better soon. 

 

Take good care 

 

Cathy

 

 

 

 

[cathyfrench]

Hi Passenger,

 

How are you feeling ? Is your PGAD geting better ?

Mine is still the same, it is now 2 months, I am off Sertraline.

 

I hope you are getting better.

 

Cathy

[passenger]

On 8/16/2017 at 11:44 AM, cathyfrench said:

Hi Passenger,

 

How are you feeling ? Is your PGAD geting better ?

Mine is still the same, it is now 2 months, I am off Sertraline.

 

I hope you are getting better.

 

Cathy

 Hi Cathy.

 

I'm so sorry about the PGAD. It's truly awful, but it won't always be at the highest level of pain.

There will be fluctuations, and you've already been doing more than I have (by getting your hormones tested, tested for cystitis, etc.)

 

Right now my PGAD is slightly better (though I do still have times where it flares up as bad as it used to). I can't tell if it's actually abating, or if I'm just getting used to it, but nevertheless, progress is progress, whether mentally, physically, or otherwise.

 

I've been feeling pretty down, as I took a step back yesterday (as far as progress goes), but I'm trying my best. 

 

Feel free to PM me if you ever want to talk.