No one should be alone in this. We can help. View New Content

[Ledzepp94]

Hello all,

I have been on antidepressants on and off since I was 13. I am 26 now. In fall 2010 I had been on Clomipramine (anafranil) for about 4 years, but for some reason in September 2010 I had put on about 30 pounds rapidly (have stretch marks on hips and inside of arms). I also noticed I was sleeping all day and night. I went to my doctor and he did blood work and noticed that everything was fine except my white blood cell count was high, around 17,000 where the normal is somewhere between 5-11,000. He told me to come back in 2 weeks and I did and had another blood test and my count was still high at around 13,000. We consistently did more blood work over the course of a month and my WBC count would bounce between 12,000 and 17,000. In November 2010 I had to go on a trip to NYC overnight on business (im from Boston). Everything was fine and I was excited for the trip and everything. I met with my work partner in the morning at the train station and everything was fine, we got on the train around 10am. The whole day was fine up until around 7pm when we were in a bar and I started to feel sick. It was a weird kind of sick, I had head pressure, fatigue, slight vertigo, popping ears and body aches. I also had a slight headache. Eventually we went back to the hotel and I went to bed with these symptoms still present. I woke up at 8am because we had to make a presentation. I felt very tired, facial flushing and body aches. We went over to the place where we had to be and the entire time I could barely stay awake, I would drift in and out, trying so hard to keep my eyes open. My face was beet red and I had body aches. I just felt very weird, my head was cloudy, heavy and achy. Eventually I jumped on the early train back home feeling sick the entire way and when I got home I went to the ER where they did some blood work and EKG and they said everything was fine. I couldn't believe it as I still felt terrible. Eventually over the next week I got back into my usually routine and seemed OK but not optimal. I was referred to a hematologist/oncologist to figure out why my WBC count was so high and I saw that doctor for literally 5 months from december to april doing every possible blood test there was it seemed. I must have had about 14-16 blood tests over that period. I also had cat scans of my chest, Stress test, echocardiogram, stool tests and urine tests. Everything was fine except the WBC count still being in the slightly high range and my heart rate was always high, tachycardia. The hematologist was baffled by this and so was I. At this point I was still on the Clomipramine, I also have Hypothyroidism so I take Levothyroxine as well. So she thought to take me off of the Clomipramine to see if that was causing things and it seemed to work, my heart rate went back to normal and my WBC count went into the normal range. I thought at this point that everything was going to be fine. So in early May I went to Foxwoods with a few friends, we left in the morning and we had a great day and so forth until around 8pm again I started having the same symptoms as I did on the New York trip only worse. We were sitting down to dinner in a restaurant and I felt horrible body aches, felt very fatigued and out of it. I was so scared of passing out. I had frequent trips to the bathroom for urinating. I had bad head pressure, seemed mostly in the back of my head. So I fought this off for the next 5 hours, I developed a slight headache in the back of my head. Eventually we went to bed and I woke up at 5am with an absolute terrible headache in the back of my head that was much worse when lying down. I had to walk around and sit in the bathroom for a while. I just felt terrible. So the next day I went to the doctor and we had a CT scan done of my head (without contrast) which came back normal. I was referred to a neurologist which ordered an MRI (without contrast) which also came back normal. I have seen an ENT as well and she says everything looks normal. I am still having these symtpoms and they seem more frequent, like I will be out in a grocery store and I will start to get the same symptoms. I have tried taking allergy and sinus meds over the counter and they don't seem to work (maybe thinking it's inflammation). I also take Lorazepam 1mg when needed. It does seem like it has something to do with inflammation as I usually get a slight sore throat and my head becomes cloudy and I can feel the pressure in the back of my head. I saw a psychiatrist and she put me on Wellbutrin which I seemed to have a terrible reaction to (buproprion). I had what felt like a bone going up into my brain and a terrible stiff neck so I stopped that after a week. She then put me on generic Zoloft and I started to get the same symptoms so I stopped that after 3 days since It is a very scary symptom. Anyway, some days are better than others and I am really worried as I have no idea what's going on but the symptoms are very real and strange. Could this possibly be depression and anxiety? They seem like such infection/inflammation type symptoms it doesn't make sense to me!

[Trace]

Hi and Welcome Ledzepp94

I am not a professional, but this may not be related to depression or meds. I have an autoimmune illness and one of the signs of an autoimmune illness is a very high white cell blood count. I have an exceptionally high white cell blood count, I have tachycardia and I get flushed, exhausted and have aches and pains. This is all due to my autoimmune illness. I recommend that you see a rheumatologist, they may be able to get to the bottom of this.

Trace

[LaurynJcat]

Hi there.

How upsetting and frustrating for you. I encourage you to continue seeing doctors and specialists until they figure out what it is -- they eventually will. I had a mysterious stomach ailment several years ago and it took many months and tests but they finally did find a solution. I heard a lot of stories from nurses about similar cases that took months or years for the doctors to solve.

I've never heard of anyone having these specific symptoms from panic or anxiety. But they DO sound a bit like migraines. Has your doctor investigated that possibility?

I get migraines and they can be bizarre. They can last hours to days, and usually start with a variety of symptoms (I get visual aura, sometimes numbness in body parts, sometimes euphoria, hot flashes, dizziness, aphasia -- very scary). Later the intense terrible headache comes.

Just a thought. I really hope they find out what's wrong.

Best wishes,
Lauryn

[angelwings17]

wow i get this as well, no idea what it is either. neither does the doctor she finds it strange, tests have not shown up anything. I was thinking it was a sinus problem or somthing maybe. I woke up feeling this way this morning. It seems to come on every few weeks for me and last a few days

[Ledzepp94]

Hi and Welcome Ledzepp94

I am not a professional, but this may not be related to depression or meds. I have an autoimmune illness and one of the signs of an autoimmune illness is a very high white cell blood count. I have an exceptionally high white cell blood count, I have tachycardia and I get flushed, exhausted and have aches and pains. This is all due to my autoimmune illness. I recommend that you see a rheumatologist, they may be able to get to the bottom of this.

Trace

Hi Trace, What disease is it if you don't mind me asking? What if my WBC count were in the normal range now, around 10,000.

[Ledzepp94]

wow i get this as well, no idea what it is either. neither does the doctor she finds it strange, tests have not shown up anything. I was thinking it was a sinus problem or somthing maybe. I woke up feeling this way this morning. It seems to come on every few weeks for me and last a few days

Hi angelwings, do you get any ear issues as well? Like ringing in the ears or dampening of sound in one or both ears?

[angelwings17]

Yup i get that alot. I also get massive headaches, back of eyes and all round my head like its in a vise, sinus problems, massive fatigue, body aches, at times ive had a slight raises temp, dizzy as, nausea.

wow i get this as well, no idea what it is either. neither does the doctor she finds it strange, tests have not shown up anything. I was thinking it was a sinus problem or somthing maybe. I woke up feeling this way this morning. It seems to come on every few weeks for me and last a few days

Hi angelwings, do you get any ear issues as well? Like ringing in the ears or dampening of sound in one or both ears?

[Trace]

Hi and Welcome Ledzepp94

I am not a professional, but this may not be related to depression or meds. I have an autoimmune illness and one of the signs of an autoimmune illness is a very high white cell blood count. I have an exceptionally high white cell blood count, I have tachycardia and I get flushed, exhausted and have aches and pains. This is all due to my autoimmune illness. I recommend that you see a rheumatologist, they may be able to get to the bottom of this.

Trace

Hi Trace, What disease is it if you don't mind me asking? What if my WBC count were in the normal range now, around 10,000.

Hi Ledzepp94

I have Lupus, but there are various other autoimmune illness's as well. With an autoimmune illness too much stress can increase your WBC count and make you feel much worse. If stress subsides, you may start to feel better and your WBC can lower.

Trace

[funchas]

Some of what you're experiencing sounds like a panic attack. But panic attacks do NOT last that long! Plus it doesn't explain the high WBC count.

I only mention the possibility of it being a panic attack because I've had some of the same problems (except they don't last as long as yours) and I pass out. I've been told it's a panic attack... though I'm not sure because I've had those before and they don't feel the same.

Maybe lupus? I'm told that one can be hard to diagnose. My uncle has lupus, and he sometimes gets this way... But he has other psychological issues, so we don't know if his symptoms are due to the lupus or from depression, OCD, or whatever other psychological problems he has.

Sorry I wasn't much help. I hope you feel better soon.

Edited by funchas, 02 July 2011 - 10:41 AM.

[Angela2226]

Just wanted to clear up some misinformation. I have recently be diagnosed with a connective tissue disease. We are most likely leaning towards RA rather than lupus despite my positive ANA and high C reactive protein. The main reason? Because my WBC has been consistently at or around 17,000. Lupus always presents with a low WBC rather than a high one, where RA almost always presents with a High WBC. My Mom has Lupus, my sister addison's and my Dad RA. When I started noticing symptoms of fatigue, joint pain, Kidney problems, Lung involvement, Muscle pain, etc....I got myself to a rheumatologist quickly. It can be nothing to do with autoimmune, so don't panic but be informed.