Lack of focus and concentration with serotonin antidepressants.

I was diagnosed with ibs in 2016 and I have to use SSRI'S or else I suffer super strong chronic abdominal pain and all kinds of weird symptoms.

I tried most SSRI'S and they make me feel "stupid" I can't focus properly, They have different side effects but the lack of focus is common place for me.

Anyone tried using another drug (maybe adhd drugs) to cope with the side effect ? My brain just doesn't work "right" if you know what I mean. I just can't make quick "connections" my thought is slow and dragged, my focus is blurred.

I don't have depression, never had.

If I stop using ssris, my brain returns to normal and I can focus, work, and study properly again but then the pain symptoms in my gut and discomfort starts all over again after a month or two.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm desperate, thank you.

Edit: All antidepressants that modulate serotonin (SNRI, TCA, SNRI) work fine but they make me "stupid" even after months of use.

Post Edited (Silva_) : 5/18/2018 4:18:00 PM (GMT-6)

Hi Silva. I'm a fellow IBSer too. I've had it since I was about 6. For me it's usually there but then I also have anxiety which I believe is part of it.

I too encourage you to go and make sure that's what is going on. It could be any number of gut issues. Have you kept a food diary to see if something really triggers it?

There is a medication that is for cramping. It works well most of the time. I also have diverticulitis and it was prescribed for that but it might be for IBS. I've also learned it is best to relax your muscles through the cramp. Do deep breathing ; deep inhale through the nose, blow the air out through your mouth. It's hard and takes practice but it helps.

Good luck.

Yes, thank you all for the help, I'm a man, 26 years old, I tried EVERYTHING, with multiple GI's, more than twenty specialists, tons and tons of medical tests, all negative, Doesn't matter what I eat, try, or do, It's probably not IBS but something called FAPS (Functional abdominal pain syndrome), my humor doesn't affect the pain at all, I don't have any food intolerance, nothing absolutely nothing make it go away, only serotonin antidepressants relax my gut so I can live normally again, but I can't study, and I feel dumb and stupid. Amytriptile works but not as much, and is a serotonergic ad also so it make me stupid too like the others.

So I have no choice, I'm forced to use at least one SSRI, I tried multiple times stop with ad's but it IS impossible, the pain is chronic and unbearable.

I'd be fairly surprised if your doctor thought to try SSRIs before peppermint oil, buscopan or mebeverine, but if you have not tried any of those things - absolutely give them a try. There is a particularly fancy type of peppermint oil called IBgard, which may also be worth a try.

I googled faps but it came up with, uh, the slang meaning of the word. Best to type out that particular acronym in full. It sounds unpleasant. I wonder if pain management techniques would help - I don't mean narcotics, which are best avoided (chronic constipation certainly won't help your abdominal pain). I mean, relaxation and mindfulness therapies which are aimed at chronic pain sufferers. A pain management clinic might be able to offer access to therapists specialising in these sort of therapies - alternatively, there is a well-known book on the subject, Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. If you've been down this road already, then I apologise. I'm not sure what else to suggest, tbh.

I just posted about a drug called Trintellix. It's supposed to help lift the fog as well as depression/stress etc which can cause IBS.

I also take provigil which is a med that does give a bit of energy. It's approved for MS fatigue but is used for other types of stuff. It is not in the same class as ADHD meds. It does help but it's not a miracle but usually I can tell a difference from taking it or not. I've heard others say it's like a wonder drug.

BTW, amitriptyline made me into a zombie. It didn't make me sleep but I sure didn't know what was going on either.