These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
Antidepressants Use In Porphyria
Question:I have a blood disorder called porphyria. my doctor has suggested that I try one of the serotonin related antidepressants because I am showing some symptoms of depression and am also coping with chronic pain. I know that some drugs and hormones can aggravate porphyria and we are having difficulty finding information about this regarding the family of serotonin related antidepressants. I do not want to worsen my porphyria, the attacks are painful, problematic and take a long time to heal. I would certainly like help with the other problems though but am wary of the try it and see approach. Any info you might have on this would be very helpful in making an informed decision.
Answer: I could find no information on any interaction of SRT anti-depressants and porphyria. Porphyria is an inherited disorder of metabolism due to overproduction or overaccumulation of porphyrin products. Porphyrins are ring structures generally used in blood synthesis. It is triggered by many drugs including sulfonamine antibiotics, alcohol, barbiturates, many seizure medications, griseofulvin, and ergotamine products. There are many subgroups of this disease depending on the defective enzyme or metabolic step.
