Mimi11 Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 I've read a couple threads on this, but wasn't able to find too much info. Has anyone been officially diagnosed with this autoimmune disease during/following WD? I'm wondering if I should be tested. I certainly have some of the symptoms, but have always just chalked it up to WD. In month 21 of WD, I developed severely dry eyes and the rest of my skin is drier than 'normal' too. I continue to have numbness and pins and needles that comes and goes pretty much everywhere on my body, not just hands and feet. Any thoughts would be much appreciated! Thanks Celexa 10 mg ( approx 5 years), reduced to 5mg (approx 10 years). Prescribed for anxiety and panic. Started tapering July 2015-2.5 mg for a month, then 2.5 every other day. Kept tapering until October when I took my last crumb. Almost 4 years drug free and WD symptoms are evolving constantly. Some improved, some new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted August 19, 2017 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 19, 2017 Mimi, I searched the site and found 11 other references to Sjogren's syndrome: Search results for "sjogren" This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icequeen Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Yes, I've been diagnosed with it but without the antibodies so I don't believe in this diagnosis. My eyes are dimmed and very dry and so is my mouth but I do have plenty of tears in between and never had any of these problems before withdrawal so the diagnosis is wrong but served me well. It was my only chance of getting sickleave and then permanent disability which I was and am in need of. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Bumping. I may have Sjogren's and I just found something I thought was relevant to people here. https://www.sjogrens.org/understanding-sjogrens/symptoms Notice, one of the symptoms of Sjogren's is dysautonomia...which is also caused by psych drugs. I know some will have had Sjogren's before bad reactions to psych drugs and/or withdrawal, but my dry eyes developed a few years into withdrawal. Now I'm left wondering if the pills flat out caused Sjogren's and the first symptom was dysautonomia. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 It would be relevant to add too, if someone has Sjogren's already then presumably it'd be a pretty bad idea to treat them with antidepressants. 1 minute ago, UnfoldingSky said: Bumping. I may have Sjogren's and I just found something I thought was relevant to people here. https://www.sjogrens.org/understanding-sjogrens/symptoms Notice, one of the symptoms of Sjogren's is dysautonomia...which is also caused by antidepressants. I know some will have had Sjogren's before bad reactions to psych drugs and/or withdrawal, but my dry eyes developed a few years into withdrawal. Now I'm left wondering if the pills flat out caused Sjogren's and the first symptom was dysautonomia. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winner51 Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I was diagnosed with Sjögrens many years before being on AD. Prior to the flare I’m having now, my Sjögrens only affected my mouth. Now 15 years after my first flare I’m having my worst flare and it now affects my eyes and it also affects the tissue around my nails beds. I’m in my 19th month of WD and the flare reared it’s ugly head in Sept of 2020. My gums have been severely inflamed and my eyes are so dry I had to use steroid drops and daily lubricant and no contact lens wearing. I take pilocarpine for saliva production. I also take hydroxychloroquine for RA and by suppressing the immune system it should help with the Sjögrens as well. I attribute this severe Sjögrens flare to the WD. Prior to being on AD and when I had my first and most severe flare 15 years ago, I had some dryness in my mouth and the was the extent of it. I hope as time passes and things in my body calm down so will the Sjögrens flare. Started 15mg Mirtazapine 2/2015 Began Taper 8/2018 Stopped drug 8/2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winner51 Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 FYI... The most accurate way to diagnose Sjögrens is with a lip biopsy. Started 15mg Mirtazapine 2/2015 Began Taper 8/2018 Stopped drug 8/2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 Hi Winner, I have the dryness in my eyes too. It's pretty severe for me. Seems my situation is kind of reversed from yours..my problem started with my eyes now my mouth is dry as well. I have tried a lot of treatments, some help but I wish I had a permanent solution. I know that isn't realistic though. i also have really dry skin, too. I haven't had the lip biopsy, my doc said I should assume I have Sjogren's. He said being formally diagnosed won't change what we do in terms of treatment. To be honest, I'm afraid of the lip biopsy. I hope your flare passes and things calm down. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolarPlexus Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 Hi all. What kind of doctor did you go to for checking Sjogren's syndrome? Thanks for your feedback. Summer 2016 - summer 2018: put on Lexapro, going from 5 mg up to 20 mg over the span of the 2 years (had visited shrink for help with obsessive thinking, was not diagnosed with anything in particular, just prescribed Lexapro 15 mins into first session) Summer 2018: tapered down by 2.5 mg every few weeks Protracted withdrawal ever since. 0-14 months began with a massive panic attack that landed me in ER, followed by prolonged anxiety, mental fog and a skin rash on my back. Was regularly consuming alcohol as did not know I was in WD. From then onwards, hit with worse myriad symptoms. Currently at 22 months and have electromagnetic sensitivity, brain zaps, brain fog, memory problems (especially name recall), twitch in right eyebrow, daily waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. with fast heartbeats and "sticky" negative memories, suicidal thoughts, rage episodes, temperature dysregulation, physical numbness & weakness, libido loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted October 29, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 29, 2021 It was easy to find this information by doing an internet search with the term: sjogren's syndrome what kind of doctor diagnoses https://www.sjogrens.org/understanding-sjogrens/diagnosis https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/sjogrens-syndrome/sjogrens-syndrome-diagnosis https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sjogrens-syndrome/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353221 * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolarPlexus Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 On 10/29/2021 at 8:45 AM, ChessieCat said: It was easy to find this information by doing an internet search with the term: sjogren's syndrome what kind of doctor diagnoses https://www.sjogrens.org/understanding-sjogrens/diagnosis https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/sjogrens-syndrome/sjogrens-syndrome-diagnosis https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sjogrens-syndrome/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353221 Thank you so much. You're always helpful!!! Summer 2016 - summer 2018: put on Lexapro, going from 5 mg up to 20 mg over the span of the 2 years (had visited shrink for help with obsessive thinking, was not diagnosed with anything in particular, just prescribed Lexapro 15 mins into first session) Summer 2018: tapered down by 2.5 mg every few weeks Protracted withdrawal ever since. 0-14 months began with a massive panic attack that landed me in ER, followed by prolonged anxiety, mental fog and a skin rash on my back. Was regularly consuming alcohol as did not know I was in WD. From then onwards, hit with worse myriad symptoms. Currently at 22 months and have electromagnetic sensitivity, brain zaps, brain fog, memory problems (especially name recall), twitch in right eyebrow, daily waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. with fast heartbeats and "sticky" negative memories, suicidal thoughts, rage episodes, temperature dysregulation, physical numbness & weakness, libido loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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