Has anyone tried Sertraline to help with MSA ?

[JJAJJ]

Hello,

My husband was diagnosed with MSA-P November 2021. Looking back symptoms started round about 2017. He has tried Medication but because he has profound Orthostatic Hypotension medication lowers his BP dramatically. He is now bed/chair bound. My granddaughter came across research paper on Sertraline. I was just wondering if anyone has tried this drug ?

‘Sertraline, a second-generation selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) is one of the most promising therapeutic options for MSA. Sertraline has been shown to block the endocytic pathways by which α-syn is taken into oligodendroglia in in-vitro models.’

[Redjune1]

Hi, my husband has PSP and he was prescribed Sertraline earlier this year, mainly to help with anxiety and in the long run to help with sleep. It hasn’t helped with his sleeping problems but he seems less anxious maybe. He still gets very frightened about things and worries about money. He moved into a care home in June and worries that I won’t have enough money after paying for his care.

[JJAJJ in reply to Redjune1]

Thank you for your reply. Your husband is so caring and thoughtful. I hope you get some help x

[AndyJack in reply to Redjune1]

Im newly diagnosed with MSA and have been taking Sertraline for a while, the short answer is for me it has not helped with sleep, but takes my anxiety to a manageable level, some situations are still a bit tough but hey all we can do is move forward!

[Cat-gal in reply to Redjune1]

My husband has Sertraline but not sure if it's effective or not.

[Moran666]

I imagine many patients already take sertraline as a 'happy' pill ie anti-depressant. It is widely and commonly used for this reason.

[JJAJJ in reply to Moran666]

Thank you. Is it prescribed to help with the condition of MSA or just with depression ? x

[thedjsupreme]

I was put on it for depression in 2018 before msa. It actually lowered mood

[Birdladyuk]

I'm sorry to hear about your husband's condtions.

My husband was prescribed stepped doses of Sertraline - they said it may help but it isn't guaranteed. Unfortunately it had to be stopped before he reached the dose they were aiming for as it seemed to be making him worse.

Everybody is different though, so if offered, it is worth a try in case it works well for your husband.

[Moran666]

I know it is widely used to treat depression generally. There seems to be some research into using it to relieve MSA symptoms. Not sure there is much info on this at the moment. Many drugs are repurposed though or have more than one use.

My horse who has what they used to call cushings syndrome has been taking pergolide (prascend) for many years. This was an agonist used for treatment of PD but discontinued in this country - it was repurposed as an equine drug helping a condition that is similar in that the horses brain does not produce enough dopamine (quite technical but that will do). So they try different drugs for different things all the time.

[Monkeyfeet1]

I tried Sertraline for depression but it didn’t work for me. Xx

[Honghua]

Hi I did have a quick scan through some of the research. All small scale, all results appeard to show minimal clinical efficacy.

I honestly wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

[Frenchoak]

Hi, I was diagnosedwith MSA-C 2022, symptoms dating back to 2019. I'm on Sertraline too, for depression and anxiety. Been on it since May this year and it seems to have kept me calmer and less prone to irrationality!Not experiencing any side effects and feel its helping me cope better . if it has any other benefits towards helping with other MSA stuff then, all well & good I say!Will put on my list to ask at forthcoming Neurologist appt. Best wishes to you both.

[Kaye31]

my hubby is on this and so am I. It helps with our mood. For him his mood and for me coping, keeping my emotions at bay and allowing me continue calmly