Is there much research or knowledge about brain chemistry and…

I just had a bad experience with Endep (Amitriptyline) prescribed for pain management. At first, it was good and I was sleeping well at night, but after two weeks, my spasticity spiked to become almost crippling. I had a similar, although more sudden and violent experience with Duloxetine prescribed for depression. After some investigations, it appeared that both drugs brought on Serotonin Syndrome, where too much serotonin becomes dangerous. Needless to say, I stopped the Endep, but it made me wonder how much spasticity is brought on by brain chemistry changes, rather than just being a simple reaction to neuromuscular weakness. Is there much knowledge about this and could medication strategies be more effective by targeting chemical imbalances?

Hi David,

Sorry to hear you’ve had some negative experiences recently with medications.

After a stroke, spasticity occurs when the regulation of ‘tightness’ in muscles is affected due to damage to part of the brain. Regarding your question, this is a good one to ask your neurologist directly. As well as speaking with your neurologist, you could also speak with your pharmacist in relation to specific side effects and medication interactions.

If you haven’t already come across our podcast about spasticity, you can listen via the link below on EnableMe. In this podcast we speak with John Olver who is a leading researcher in spasticity management.

https://enableme.org.au/Community/Podcasts/How-spasticity-can-affect-you

If you'd like to speak with one of our health professionals over the phone, you can call us on StrokeLine (phone 1800 787 653, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm AEST).

Best wishes,

Katherine (StrokeLine)

Is there much research or knowledge about brain chemistry and spasticity?

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