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DiscussionDisabling symptoms since distal bicep repair surgery. Any suggestions?
Bones, Joints & Muscles | Last Active: Oct 17, 2023 | Replies (72)Comment receiving replies
@stevetaylor721 Hello and welcome to Connect. My first thought on reading your story is about prescription medications. Have your doctors looked at everything you are taking to see if there are conflicting drugs or a possible allergy to a drug? I was presuming that you may be taking a pain medication since your surgery, so please correct me if that is not the case. I wonder if prescription pain meds can also slow down heart rate. Pharmacists are a great source of information about any drug reaction or interaction, and beyond their normal advice, they can look up more detailed information. Some pain meds are very addicting, and I wonder if your symptoms may be related to that. I don't feel well on pain meds that I was given after surgeries, so I managed without or took minimal amounts and weaned off of them.
Here is some information about Trazodone which is listed as an anti-depressant. https://www.drugs.com/trazodone.html
Here are the overdose symptoms that include vomiting, so this is something to consider. I found more and here are the side effects of Trazodone which does have dangerous interactions with alcohol. It's possible you could be sensitive to this drug.
This is a quote from the link above.
"Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor, such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
fast or pounding heartbeats, fluttering in your chest, shortness of breath, and sudden dizziness (like you might pass out);
slow heartbeats;
unusual thoughts or behavior;
easy bruising, unusual bleeding; or
low levels of sodium in the body - headache, confusion, slurred speech, severe weakness, vomiting, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady.
Seek medical attention right away if you have symptoms of serotonin syndrome, such as: agitation, hallucinations, fever, sweating, shivering, fast heart rate, muscle stiffness, twitching, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Common trazodone side effects may include:
drowsiness, dizziness, tiredness;
swelling;
weight loss;
blurred vision;
diarrhea, constipation; or
stuffy nose."
This list of side effects mentioned serotonin syndrome. Here is Mayo's information on that with details about the side effects and risks.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/serotonin-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20354758
Have you consulted a cardiologist? They may be able to figure out why your heart rate has been lowered or if there is another reason for that. I know all of this and thinking about it and not knowing what is wrong is worrisome. It can kind of create a vicious cycle of symptoms that lead to worry, and worry that leads to symptoms. I have been through a full cardiac workup myself because I had chest pains that were caused by stress. They found nothing wrong, so I could take that worry off my plate. My dad was a heart patient, and I always worried that I had inherited that, so I made changes in my life that were heart healthy. The cardiologist confirmed that what I was doing was working because most people have some slight amount of artery blockage at the age I was then (early 50's) and he could find none at all.
I also went through 4 months of panic attacks because I was afraid of surgery and I needed surgery to decompress my spinal cord. I did a lot of things to work through those fears and it worked. I overcame them and I am not paralyzed by fear anymore. That comes with understanding what the problem is, and how to address it. Ask lots of questions. Pay attention to when during the day your symptoms are worse or better, and how does that relate to your medication schedule. Have you had exposure to anyone with Covid? On reading this information I shared, the symptoms you have seem to match the side effects for this drug, so that would be something to ask about if your physician thinks the drug is causing your symptoms. They may not be thinking about that and looking for disease instead.
We also have a new discussion about ways to face fear. You are welcome to join us.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-can-i-defeat-my-anxiety-about-medical-tests-and-surgery/
Do you think your medication may be responsible for your symptoms?
Replies to "@stevetaylor721 Hello and welcome to Connect. My first thought on reading your story is about prescription..."
Thank you so much for your response! To answer your questions as best as I can: I only started trazodone 7 days ago after more than a month of not getting more than a couple hours of sleep almost every night. At one point I went 4 straight nights of zero sleep due to the symptoms waking me as soon as I would start to doze off (within one or two minutes). I was an absolute mess and was seriously delirious during that time. After than I settled into a pretty terrible cycle where I could get a couple of hours in a row but no more. Sometimes after I was awake for a few hours I would be able to lay down and get another hour or two but I was completely non-functional for a month. I was vomiting with those symptoms prior to the trazodone and I am taking a very low dose of trazodone (I cut a 50mg pill in half). As for other meds I only took ibuprofen for a few days after surgery and haven’t touched it since. I also take low dose allipurinol for well controlled gout, but that is it as far as meds go. My arm just hasn’t hurt very much. I do not take meds if I can help it. Prior to the surgery I was very socially active and only drank alcohol in social settings, typically one day a week. I haven’t had any alcohol since the surgery and just haven’t felt good enough to do anything other than go for walks to calm my symptoms. I have been completely unable to relax since the surgery and can’t sit still or even watch TV because I begin to feel worse. It’s a catch 22- I desperately want to relax and sleep and can’t do either. I was a very happy and positive person prior to the surgery and was very active. I exercised, coached my kids teams, was very successful at work and had a bunch of great friends and an extremely active social life. Then out of nowhere it was like a switch flipped and I am a different person. I want to get back to my hobbies and work and enjoy all my kids activities again, but right now I am just struggling to get through each minute of each day. One thing I did forget to mention above is since the surgery I have had intense middle/upper back pain that comes and goes. Yep hanks again and sorry for the long reply- I have a good doctor trying to help me but nothing is turning up yet.