What happens if serotonin levels are too high

Serotonin syndrome. Ochsner J. Serotonin synthesis and reuptake in social anxiety disorder: A positron emission tomography study. JAMA Psychiatry. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

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Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. McGraw-Hill Education; Accessed Oct. Boyer EW. Serotonin syndrome. Accessed Dec. Francescangeli J, et al. The serotonin syndrome: From molecular mechanisms to clinical practice.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Werneke U, et al. Conundrums in neurology: Diagnosing serotonin syndrome — a meta-analysis of cases.

BMC Neurology. Bartlett D. Drug-induced serotonin syndrome. Critical Care Nurse. Ganetsky M. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor poisoning. Baldo BA. Opioid analgesic drugs and serotonin toxicity syndrome : Mechanisms, animal models and links to clinical effects. Archives of Toxicology.

Serotonin syndrome adult. Mayo Clinic; Nerve cells produce serotonin. If you take different prescribed medications together, you may end up with too much serotonin in your body. The types of medication that could lead to serotonin syndrome include those used to treat depression and migraine, and manage pain. Too much serotonin can cause a variety of mild to severe symptoms.

These symptoms can affect the brain, muscles, and other parts of the body. You may have symptoms within minutes or hours of starting a new medication or having the dosage of an existing medication increased. The symptoms may include:. Symptoms tend to appear quickly after exposure to a drug. Most people who experience toxicity will develop symptoms within 24 hours , with 30 percent of symptoms appearing within 1 hour and 60 percent within 6 hours.

For this reason, it is essential to seek help immediately if anyone shows symptoms that could indicate serotonin syndrome. Typically, the condition occurs when you combine two or more medications, illegal drugs, or nutritional supplements that increase serotonin levels. For example, you might take medication to help with a migraine after already taking an antidepressant.

Some prescription medications, such as opioid pain relievers, may also increase serotonin levels, according to a case report. Certain illegal drugs are associated with serotonin syndrome. These include :. Certain over-the-counter cold and cough medications that contain dextromethorphan may increase the risk of serotonin syndrome, if you take them with other drugs.

Taking too much of a drug or combining two drugs that boost serotonin can sometimes trigger serotonin syndrome. If someone takes an antidepressant alongside MDMA, for example, they may be at risk of serotonin syndrome. Your doctor may begin by reviewing your medical history and symptoms. This information can help your doctor make a more accurate diagnosis. Your doctor will usually perform several other tests. These will help your doctor find out if certain organs or body functions have been affected.

They can also help your doctor rule out other conditions. A condition known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome also has similar symptoms. If you have a very mild case of serotonin syndrome, your doctor may only advise you to immediately stop taking the medication causing the problem.