Seekinghealth new here

[seekinghealth]

Hi all. I am new here...found this site through Benzo Buddies. I am on Zoloft for the second time, and while it has only been for a short time, I seem to be very sensitive to drugs of all types. I would love to be off now, but know I need to taper.

 

History:

2013: Put on Zoloft (100mg) for extreme, sudden postpartum insomnia. Took Ativan, then Traz for sleep for 6 weeks. Weaned off Zoloft after 4 months. I had no trouble at all while tapering, but one week off, my insomnia returned. I dealt with it on and off for 5 months after tapering. I took Ativan off and on during that time. So, drug free as of Oct. 2013.

 

2015: Had another episode of the same insomnia, I think due to high stress and a near death experience with my child. I was very hesitant to get back on Zoloft, thinking it would be a short lived experience. Whoa, was I wrong. I started the battle of my life.... I took Ativan at varying doses (.5mg-2.5mg/night) and it did help me sleep...some. After a week and a half, I began experiencing daytime anxiety. I was unable to take care of my kids. I could hardly take care of myself. Panic would overtake me throughout the day and night. My muscles ached. I was nauseated. I couldn't be alone. After three weeks, I decided I needed to get on Zoloft because I obviously wasn't getting better, only worse. Started at 50mg and updosed slowly to 100mg. I also added Trazodone again to get off of the Ativan (I knew it was addicting...I had no idea it could CAUSE so many of the symptoms I was having). When I ran out of Ativan, my doc insisted on giving me Xanax instead. That's when "Hell Week" began. I slept only in small spurts. I panicked often. I cried all the time. This was all so unlike me...a typically easy going, happy person. By the end of the week, I began thinking about how wonderful it would be for my life to end. Wow. Never in my life have these thoughts crossed my mind. Something is WRONG!

 

My doc finally agreed to let me go back on Ativan , which I took solid for several more weeks and I was able to taper. I tapered over 5 weeks and as of last week, I'm free of benzos!! My symptoms still include brain fog, blurry vision, with an occasional bout of anxiety....so not so bad. BUT....

 

I'm still on Zoloft and Traz and I want to be done. Which is why I'm here. So, my questions:

 

I need to only taper one at a time, right? Trazodone first is my thought.

Should I follow the 10% rule since I've only been on a total of 2 months or could I go more quickly?

Do you think my 5 months of post Zoloft insomnia in 2013 could have been w/d after only taking it for 4 months? Or maybe it was my benzo use off/on during that time?

 

I want to be off of everything, but I fear insomnia. I am the kind of person that NEEDS a lot of sleep to function well...like 8-9 hours. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks for reading my lengthy detailed post.

[mammaP]

Hi and welcome to SA.  I'm sorry to see that you had a bad experience with your little one that led you back to being prescribed drugs again.  

 

You had a lot of changes and several drugs in a short space of time and your body needs to stabilise again. I'll try and answer your questions for you.

 

I need to only taper one at a time, right? Trazodone first is my thought.

Yes you need to taper one at a time to get off successfully and safely. Zoloft is an ssri and the most activating, you have been on it for the least time so think I would taper that first as SSRIs can cause insomnia and that is what you want to avoid at all cost. Trazodone was given to help sleep and ifit does help then it would be best to taper that after the zoloft.   http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/

 

Should I follow the 10% rule since I've only been on a total of 2 months or could I go more quickly?

 

You've been through a lot and sounds like tapering zoloft too fast resulted in the insomnia before so I would taper by the 10% per month that we recommend. 

 

Do you think my 5 months of post Zoloft insomnia in 2013 could have been w/d after only taking it for 4 months? Or maybe it was my benzo use off/on during that time?  Yes I do think it is likely the zoloft withdrawal caused the insomnia and you are probably right thinking the benzo contributed also. 

 

It will take time for your brain and nervous system to heal and get back to their pre drug state by tapering slowly and carefully, it takes patience but is worth it, however I would wait to stabilise from the benzo withdrawal before starting to taper. Take a good look around the site, read the tapering topics to be prepared. 

 

It would help us if you can put your drug history in your signature strip, we ask all members to do that so we can see at a glance the history without having to scroll back through the thread to find the info. You can find how to do that here.... http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

[clearday]

SSRIs such as Zoloft are notorious for causing severe waves of insomnia and non-restorative sleep.

 

After stopping/tapering off SSRIs, many report waves of insomnia as the body adjusts back to normal sleep patterns.

 

After my Lexapro WD insomnia wave, my sleep was restored back to normal, and I sleep better now than during all my years on Lexapro (see my signature below).

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Seekinghealth.

 

It seems you are still suffering withdrawal symptoms from going off Ativan. This means your nervous system has been destabilized. Further drug changes will most likely make this worse.

 

Probably holding steady on your current cocktail until your nervous system settles down would be the wisest thing to do.

 

What is your daily symptom pattern? Please keep notes on paper throughout the day. This will help figuring out whether any of your drugs are causing adverse effects themselves, and can indicate which to reduce first.

 

Are you taking any other drugs? If so, please put ALL the drugs you take in the Drug Interactions Checker http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html and post the results in this topic.

[seekinghealth]

Thanks for the replies. So, the drug interaction checker told me that Zoloft and Traz together are dangerous b/c of the possibility of serotonin syndrome, which I knew about, but didn't really think about.

 

It does seem to make more sense for me to taper the Zoloft first, then the Trazodone, since my biggest problem is sleep (my ONLY problem until I started taking these drugs!!). But, I'm having pretty severe blurred vision. My Traz rx lists blurred vision as a main side effect. I also see blurred vision listed as a side effect of serotonin syndrome. Which one is more likely?

 

So, I'm leaning toward tapering the Traz first to see if it helps my vision, and b/c I tapered Traz first two years ago. Didn't have the blurred vision last time. EVERYTHING is worse this time. Not sure what to do????

[Altostrata]

There's no way to tell where the blurred vision comes from. It could be benzo withdrawal. It could be interaction between Zoloft and trazodone.

 

What is your daily symptom pattern? Please keep notes on paper throughout the day. This will help figuring out whether any of your drugs are causing adverse effects themselves, and can indicate which to reduce first.

[seekinghealth]

Hi. I am currently tapering Zoloft, down to 3.125 mg. I am doing a quicker taper than recommended on here because I was only on Zoloft (this time) for several months. I am going down every 1-2 weeks, started with 50 mg (I came down from 100 to 50 even slower and a while back). Anyway, I've felt fine, except for a few episodes of insomnia, which was the reason I took the stuff in the first place. But for the past few days, I've had periods of feeling really down mixed with periods of anxiety. This is totally normal while tapering, right? I'm so mixed up with all of this. I probably had times in my life off and on when I felt like this, on no meds at all. Now I second guess everything and question my own brain, even though it worked fine for over 30 years until my insomnia issues started.

 

Just looking for reassurance. Thanks.

[Petunia]

Hi seeking,

I moved the topic you started in the symptoms forum to your introduction thread here because it was related to your own situation specifically. Please use this thread to track progress, write about symptoms, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want.

 

It sounds like you may have been tapering too fast. We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why:

  

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Its important to taper slowly as the dose gets lower. What we recommend is a taper that's based on a percentage of your current dose not of your original dose. This paper will show you why: http://survivinganti...concentration/ 

(Check out the charts on page 4 and see how the receptor occupancy drops much more sharply at lower doses.)

 

It seems you are still suffering withdrawal symptoms from going off Ativan. This means your nervous system has been destabilized. Further drug changes will most likely make this worse.

 

Probably holding steady on your current cocktail until your nervous system settles down would be the wisest thing to do.

 

 

Did you hold for a while before starting your Zoloft taper, as Alto suggested?

 

I think you need to hold for a while until your symptoms settle down again, symptoms are a sign from your nervous system that you are going too fast.  See:  The rule of 3KIS: Keep it simple. Keep it slow. Keep it stable.

 

Petunia.

[seekinghealth]

Thanks Petunia,

Yes, I did hold for a while after my Ativan taper. I waited until I was feeling normal again for a while. I agree that I probably am moving too fast. I'll hold where I am for a while and see how I do.

 

My symptoms are so random so it's hard to know when I'm feeling normal again. As soon as I think I'm back to normal, I'll get a wave. But I guess that's normal, right? I'm thankful for random symptoms vs. all the time symptoms now.

 

Thanks for the reply.

[Altostrata]

seeking, I agree with Petunia. Your best bet is to hold on tapering for now to let your system settle down. The random waves of symptoms are warning signs that you've gone too fast.

 

After you stabilize, if I were you, I'd taper by no more than 10% per month, calculated on the last dosage (the amounts of the decreases keep getting smaller). Your nervous system is the final arbiter of how fast you can taper.

[seekinghealth]

Am I having brain zaps?....

 

I read a bunch on here about brain zaps and how they are electric-shock like episodes in the brain. I have had two episodes in the past several days where I guess it feels like I've been shocked (once on each side of my head at the temple), it's followed by localized pain...pretty intense. They last for a while, too, several minutes. The best way I can describe it is as if someone shot some type of acid into my brain and let it sit there, burning my brain on the one spot for a while. The first was in the evening while I was up and about. The second happened just after I had fallen asleep several days later. Both were quite frightening, especially since they lasted for a bit.

 

Does that sound like "normal" brain zaps?

[brassmonkey]

No, it doesn't sound like a "normal zap".  But it does sound like a sensation that others have reported, frequently an intense burning around the temples.  I have gotten something similar, which to me feels like ice tongs being driven into my temples.  Lasts for a while then goes away.  A "normal zap" feels like an electric shock running back to front or side to side through the middle of the brain.  It happens very quickly usually less than a second and in relatively painless.  Mine usually have an electric crackling or zapping sound along with them.  Some people see colored lights.  No one really knows what they are, but they usually happen when people drop too fast or to big, and can be triggered by side to side head movements.  They are really scary the first few times, but are harmless.

[Altostrata]

It looks to me that you went off Zoloft entirely on August 3.

 

What other withdrawal symptoms do you have?

[seekinghealth]

Thankfully that's the only symptom I'm having right now, other than very occasional minor issues with sleep and exacerbated emotional PMS symptoms. I really am doing well right now other than the couple of crazy head episodes.

 

I'm planning to start a 10% taper of Traz soon, but want to give my body a little longer off of the Zoloft to adjust. It's frustrating with the multi drug thing, knowing WD can happen months later. Hard to tell what's causing symptoms. The brain pain scared me, though. Can't wait to be clear of these, but I know I need to go slowly.

[Altostrata]

It might be a good idea for you to take fish oil -- it can help with brain zaps -- and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

Please let us know how you're doing.

 

[seekinghealth]

Update: I'm almost one month off of Zoloft and holding at 50mg/night of Traz. I've had a week of mild anxiety and insomnia. I am experiencing big life changes and stressors, though. We are moving and in between houses.

 

I can imagine that wd is heightened by stress for most people, right? I'm wondering if this is Zoloft wd or if I'm starting to experience side effects from the Trazodone?

 

Does anyone have an experience with Trazodone working with few side effects for a while, then having side fx pop up after a while?

[seekinghealth]

Oh, and I haven't had any more of those weird burning episodes in my temples.

[Altostrata]

Yes, stress can aggravate withdrawal symptoms or bring on new symptoms.

 

Did you add any other drug recently? If so, please put ALL the drugs you take in the Drug Interactions Checker http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html and copy and paste the results in this topic.

[seekinghealth]

No, I haven't added any new drugs. I've been taking Trazodone since Feb. I need to clarify that in my signature line. I am anxious to begin tapering, but only being off Zoloft for one month and going through some stressful life changes right now, I'm holding off for a bit. taking 50mg nightly. 

[Altostrata]

It sounds like you might be having some mild symptoms from dropping Zoloft.

 

What is your daily symptom pattern relative to when you take trazodone?

[seekinghealth]

My symptoms right now are mild anxiety and mild insomnia (taking 2-3 hours to fully fall asleep). It comes in waves and I'm feeling really well right now. I had a 4-5 day episode last week. I was wondering about the Trazodone correlation because I take it at night, then the anxiety doesn't usually show up until afternoon. I was wondering if my body is starting to have interdose WD from the Traz? That wouldn't explain the insomnia, though, bc I always take Traz 30-60 min before bed.

 

But, I think you're right that these symptoms are from dropping the Zoloft. Last time I weaned (2013), I went through 5 months of off/on symptoms (same: mild anxiety and insomnia) and I wasn't on Traz during that time. I was also on Zoloft for less time, too (3 months). It's hard to remember that when I'm in the thick of it. I start questioning everything and grasping for answers instead of relying on logic.

 

Thanks for always replying.

[seekinghealth]

So...I'm getting ready to start tapering Trazodone. I just bought a Gemini scale from Amazon. I hope it will serve the purpose.

 

Last time I took Trazodone, I was able to taper fairly easily, but I only took it for a month. This time I've been on it for almost 6 months. I'm nervous, as sleep anxiety is my biggest issue. Hopefully the slow taper will produce little to no side effects/disrupted sleep. I tapered really fast last time, but know I need to take it a lot slower this time.

 

Thanks to this site (and Benzo Buddies) I'm a lot wiser now about psych drugs now. My biggest fear is having another episode of the sudden insomnia that pulled me into psych meds. Twice. What will I do then? I've sworn off the drugs, but what if they did help me? Part of me wonders if I wouldn't have recovered more quickly on my own if I hadn't taken the drugs. Maybe I wouldn't have. I still don't know what causes my "episodes", other than I know they are triggered by highly stressful events. Just pondering....

[Altostrata]

Highly stressful events cause many people to be sleepless. You might look into learning stress management techniques.