Hi Jan,

Long time since I have messaged you but I thought of you right away when my Dr keeps switching my meds to different types of anti-depressants. First Celexa, then Cymbalta and I absolutely hate the Cymbalta. It feels like it is making my muscles cramp worse than ever. I dont even want to move. Now she wants me to try Effexior and I am scared to even try. Alot of stress has been happening in my life and I dont know what you think of these drugs or if there is a natural way to fight depression/stress but I would love to hear your opinion. I hope and pray things are well with you.

Thank you very much,
Jody

Type of Myotonia: Myotonia Congenita - Becker type

Country: USA

Jody,

Have you been on any of the myotonia medications like Mexitil, Flecainide or Lamictal? Some of the tricyclic antidepressants act as muscle relaxers, but that doesn't seem to help MC very much.

I asked my daughter to give her input when she has a chance. Many people with MC have bad reactions to the antidepressants that contain any fluorine (i.e. Prozac) or napthalene (i.e. Cymbalta) molecules. These seem to further inhibit the function of the chloride channel.

Have you tried using the amino acid Taurine? That has been proven to help with myotonia. You don't need a prescription for that. I take Aceyl-L-Carnitine, another amino acid that really helps me with muscle soreness and cramping. I started taking it for another condition, but it make my exercise tolerance much better. It is a natural SSRI.

When I used to do a lot of nutritional consulting I always recommended 500 mg of L-Tyrosine and 2 mg copper for depression. Depression related to stress is often caused by adrenal exhaustion and those two supplements help support the adrenals and the thyroid. You can get them at any health food store.

A safe non-prescription medication that might help you is Unisom tablets (not the gelcaps). This is the only medication I feel safe recommending for teens who have some depressive issues. The dose for an adult would be 1/2 tablet morning and noon, and 1 whole tablet at night. Although it is considered a sleeping pill, it helps balance serotonin levels. It is given to pregnant women for morning sickness caused by an imbalance of serotonin.

Another helpful supplement for some people is 5-HTP. It is a serotonin precursor. It works best along with B6, and most of the formulations in the health food store contain both. This is taken a few hours before bedtime. Sometimes if you can break the cycle of poor sleep the depression will go away on its own.

I'll let you know if I turn up anything else.

Jan

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's

Country: USA

Thank you so much Jan. I quit taking the Cymbalta and my Dr convinced me to try Effexor for one week and so we will see how that goes but this is it. I am so tired of being on the medicine train. I am going to go to a health food store by me and get the items you mentioned and see if they help. I would rather try your suggestions any day. I cannot believe how different Dr's prescribe completely different than each other. It is like a circus. My Dr is very smart but she is a GP/Pediatrician and I should find myself a good internist. With how much pain I have I still wonder if something else is going on besides the MC but at the MDA they seem to think it is the cause for everything. I dont know what to think anymore.
Anyway I hope your health is good!!! and Thanks again :) I will keep in touch better..................

Type of Myotonia: Myotonia Congenita - Becker type

Country: USA