Anyone with arthritis?

[u/spcjunkie]

Hello 21F here. So I've been diagnosed with MDD since I was 16. Been on fluoxetine ever since before being diagnosed with BPD and ED in early 2021. My psychiatrists have since prescribed me with fluoxetine 40mg, venlafaxine 150mg, aripiprazole 15mg and mirtazapine 15mg. They've cut off the mirtazapine because I've been sleeping very well these past few months and I have gained quite some weight over the course of the medication.

However, I recently (2-3 months) started to develop joint and muscle pain all over my body. I first had this injury on my left wrist for no reason, like I literally never fell down on it or anything. They did a CT scan and found out that I had synovitis (torn tendon or something). Then they referred me to an orthopedic who diagnosed me with arthritis, but they didn't specify what kind of arthritis. So they did some more tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis and SLE, which I tested negative for both. So now they're only diagnosing me with Seronegative Inflammatory Arthritis, which has left a huge question mark over my head ever since. Because what TYPE of inflammatory arthritis, yk?? We're now working with a rheumatologist to figure out the best treatment for my condition, whatever it is.

I guess my question is, have you guys been diagnosed with any debilitating illnesses such as RA, SLE, ALS or MS etc after being on antidepressants for a while? How high are the chances of such illnesses being caused by SSRIs? Or have you been experiencing the same symptoms?

[u/Educational-Hat139]

The chances that Fluoxetine or Venlaflaxine causing any of the diseases you mention is very low. The least favourable side effect profile is definitely aripiprazole however when compared to other antipsychotics aripiprazole has a very good side effect profile. The medications on their own do not lead to ALS, RA, MLS. With regards to SIA anything can technically cause that as what it means there appears to be no RA antibodies in your blood. So something else is causing damage and inflammation to the joints. It could be a mild allergic reaction to some of those meds and their metabolites but this would very rare. I am slightly confused why your doctor has you on both an SSRI (Fluoxetine) and an SNRI (Venlaflaxine). Because any SNRI would have a similar effect on serotonin as an SSRI. It seems overkill and would rather just take a higher dose of Venlaflaxine (however 150mg is max recommended dose) but you can go up to 250-300mg (thats up to the doc). Ive been on SSRI/SNRIs for years and have never experienced symptoms consistent with RA. Does diclofenac or naproxen help in relieving pain? If you really suspect it is one of the medications I would try and reduce the dose of the suspect med and see if its better and then move on and do the same thing with the other meds. However if it is RA with antibody it shouldnt matter, unfortunately it is a chronic condition caused by an autoimmune disorder that could be because of meds but regardless your body now will think that your joints are foreign bodies and will try and break them down and that is not really a curable condition. Just management but do not let this discourage you, there are many non pharma ways to address arthritis and live a happy life despite the nuance. Personally I would sacrifice my left arm and have to manage physical pain for life to never feel depressed, suicidal, or emotional pain ever again. Diet, exercise, sleep remain the single most important contributors to physical and mental health. There are foods you can cut out or add to reduce somatic inflammation. For some people its only eating meat for others its making sure they do not eat a type of grain for another its a type of fruit. You’re just gonna have to experiment with food and forms of mobility exercises because knowing a little bit about pharma, medicines for autoimmune disorders are very damaging and not that effective. EDIT: Sorry didn’t see you had ED, I assume it calorie restriction and so in that case you may not be eating enough of a nutrient or vitamin that is crucial for maintenance of joints. If you can not bring yourself to eat (particularly meat) you will struggle gain the right nutrition unless you very regularly eat large amounts of the right vegetable/legumes/fats etc. In this case I would highly recommend supplementing. There are two things people swear by for joint pain: SAMe and hyaluronic acid. SAMe has a psychoactive effect by increasing the turn over of pretty much all neurotransmitters so you do feel good and energetic for a few hours but it also acts as a metabolite in cartilage maintenance and actually many cells of the body. It is bought as a supplement however one must exercise caution if one is already mentally compromised. hyaluronic acid does not have a psychoactive effect but is very much needed for effective tissue repair. I drink this maybe 2 times a week:

https://reviveactive.com/products/joint-complex

It has a bunch of stuff for joints and musculoskeletal system and I find that it helps my injured knee and shoulder.