What is Serotonin Syndrome and is it dangerous?

Serotonin is a chemical produced by the body, in the case of too much Serotonin will lead to excessive nerve cell activity and cause symptoms that can be fatal for the patient. Serotonin syndrome.
The cause of Serotonin syndrome is a pathology due to drugs, because:
Taking an overdose of the drug Combined with other drugs The drugs that often cause Serotonin syndrome are a class of drugs to treat depression (suppressors group). selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SNRI reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors); Triptan drug group to treat migraine; group of opioid pain relievers, cough medicine,...

Complications of severe Serotonin syndrome can cause metabolic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, convulsions, disseminated intravascular coagulation or death in patients. Complications can be caused by hyperthermia and excessive muscle activity. Therefore, recognizing the signs of this syndrome is very important to prevent complications. Serotonin syndrome signs include:
Mental status changes such as: Anxiety, agitation, restlessness, easy startling or delirium Epilepsy: Caused by tachycardia, increased blood pressure, increased body temperature , vomiting, diarrhea Myocardial infarction, hypertonia, hyperreactivity, molluscum contagiosum.

When having Serotonin syndrome, if the symptoms are mild, the patient only needs to stop the drugs suspected to be the cause of the disease and monitor the condition after 24 hours. But when the patient has early gastrointestinal poisoning before 6 hours, gastric lavage can be done to remove drugs that cause serotonin syndrome. Combined antipyretic treatment, sedatives, oxygen... when the patient has severe respiratory failure.

This is a potentially life-threatening but preventable disease. The main prevention is:
Avoid arbitrarily using or increasing the dose with drugs that affect Serotonin levels in the body. If you must combine it with a newly prescribed medication, talk to your doctor. If symptoms of Serotonin syndrome appear, immediately stop using the drug and consult a doctor for treatment. Using drugs exactly as prescribed and safely is an effective way to prevent serotonin syndrome, so each person needs to be aware of the use of drugs according to the doctor's instructions, do not arbitrarily buy drugs for treatment and result in poor results. fit them together. If you are worried about how to use medicine properly, you can go to the Pharmacy Department - Vinmec International General Hospital with a system of modern facilities, medical equipment, and the same team. With a team of experts, doctors and pharmacists with many years of experience in medical examination, consultation and treatment, patients can rest assured when listening to advice on drug use at the Hospital.