Persistence: Antidepressant withdrawal

[Persistence]

Hi, I am withdrawing from 32 years of antidepressants. Last one was trazadone used for sleep. Been off completely 30 days. Been tapering from 150 mg for 3 months. Very very depressed and a lot of fear. Just wanting to learn all about how long it takes to fully withdraw and whether there really is a chemical imbalance I need drugs for and all the withdrawal symptoms. I've been on a lot of different drugs but this is the latest.

Edited August 29, 2016 by scallywag
tags added

[scallywag]

Persistence -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)
 
I hope you'll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation. I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but am glad that you found us.
 
A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-18 months particularly? Any drugs prior to that can just be listed with start and stop years. This topic explains how to do that:
Please put your withdrawal history in signature  
 
If you can remember, it would be helpful for us to know the dose steps you took in your 3 month taper. For example:
 

1 May: alternated doses 150 mg and 100 mg
1 June: 100 mg
15 June: alternated doses 50 mg and 100 mg
1 July: 50 mg
15 July: skipped dose every other day
1 Aug: 0 mg
 

You are experiencing withdrawal symptoms that show up because your CNS (central nervous system) was accustomed to having trazodone in the mix, doing what it does.  Now that you're off the traz, your CNS is working overtime to make up for it. A couple of topics that discuss withdrawal symptoms and what's happening in your brain and CNS:

• What is withdrawal syndrome
• How your brain responds to psychiatric drugs - aka "Brain remodeling"

Unfortunately we can't tell you how long you'll have these withdrawal symptoms. If your symptoms are intolerable and affect your ability to function effectively, the best remedy is to test a very small dose of trazodone -- a reinstatement. When I say very small, I mean maybe as low as 1 mg. To understand this, read the link #2 above "how your brain responds ..." and this topic:
About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Before you try reinstating, please let us know how you tapered off traz earlier this summer.