eggzy: quitting trazodone after taking it for a few days

[eggzy]

Hi everyone.

Need some help.

Ever since our little one was born, I had trouble sleeping. A couple of weeks ago, it got worse to the point where I was barely sleeping 3 or 4 hours a night. I was prescribed 50 mg Trazodone for sleeping. Day 1, 2, 3 and 4, it worked great. I slept 7 to 9 hours per nights (but woke up in the middle so split in two per night). Day 5, we had to go out so I did not take it. I barely slept 3 hours that night. The next day, I had some rough symptoms, mainly severe headache and nausea. That night, I took the pill. I slept OK at night but the next day, I was a wreck. Nausea, headaches again but also "foggyness", as if my brain was outside of my body. I don't know if this make sense but I felt like everything was in slow motion...

So the day after was yesterday, I decided not to take the pill ever again. I thought it was due to the pill but reading here, could it be due to withdrawal cold turkey? I never thought I could have withdrawal from taking the pill 5 times!

I'd rather not ever ever take this pill again and figure out another way to sleep but will my symptoms of withdrawal go away soon? Should I restart it with the 10% decrease? I am OK riding the symptoms for a couple of days, a week if needed but if this will take months, it will be rough...We have a newborn at home and I already have trouble helping my wife during nights awakening due to my insomnia, I'm really looking forward to being normal..
 
Thanks!

Edited November 22, 2016 by scallywag
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[ChessieCat]

Hi eggzy, and welcome to SA,

 

Your post was moved from Tips for Tapering Trazodone which is a general topic.  Each member has their own Intro/Update topic where they can ask questions about their own situation and journal their progress.  This keeps your history and answers to questions in one place for you, the mods and other members.  Click "Follow" top right and you will be notified when someone responds.

 

 

It will be helpful if you would Please put your Withdrawal History in Signature.  Please include details for the last 12-18 months of  all drugs, dates, doses and discontinuations & reinstatements.  If you can't remember dates, please write it as "early March" or "mid-August".  Please provide a summary of any drugs prior to that which can just be listed with start and stop years. Please include all prescription, non-prescription drugs and supplements you are currently taking.

 

I'm not familiar with Trazodone, and also about to go to work, so I will leave it for one of the other mods to assess your situation.

 

We do need more detailed information about your drug history so please complete your drug signature in the meantime.

[eggzy]

Thank you ChessieCat. Signature updated

[KarenB]

Welcome Eggzy,

 

Thanks for adding your signature.  It is shocking how these drugs can affect people so quickly, isn't it?  It does sound as though you are one of those who is extra-sensitive to them. 

 

The nausea, headaches and fogginess you are experiencing are side-effects of trazodone.  From the Trazodone thread:

For some people, mCPP produces not only anxiety but headaches and a hallucinatory effect. So while trazodone may help you sleep at night, mCPP might make you feel sick, anxious, and out of control during the day.

 

And generally, side-effects can also be very similar to w/d symptoms - it's all a result of drugs messing with your brain.

 

As you were only taking the pill for (6 or 7?) days you can reduce faster than the 10% method which we recommend to those who have been on their drug for a month or more.  Like Chessie above, I don't have a lot of experience with trazodone, but a faster reduction could look something like this:  Dropping to 37.5 for a few days, then to 25 for a few days, then 12.5, then 0.  However, I'm going to get some of the more experienced mods to pop in with their thoughts.  

 

We also have a thread on melatonin.  Depending on how much you take it may cause sleep problems rather than help. 

 

Welcome to SA,

Karen

[yyeehhaaww]

Dear E,

 

I am so very sorry you are going through this.  As someone who has dealt with drug induced insomnia by a c/t off benzo klonopin of 4 months, I want to reassure you by telling you something I did not hear until August of this year by my new pdoc.  She told me that I would sleep again.... that people sleep when they are tired even those affected by drugs.  The point of this is to relax.... difficult to do but anxiety over not sleeping compounds insomnia and only escalates the problem.  

 

Over a year ago, I had been told by a pdoc I would go psychotic if I did not sleep.  what did that do.... put fear in me.  I was told by a sleep dr I would probably NEVER sleep again without meds since I had been on so many.  I was not sleeping at all for days ... sometimes a couple of hours.  I now sleep 4 hours and wake up but can usually sleep 2 more.  Not great but I have been poly-drugged.  You have not.  Whatever direction you take for the trazodone, it will be brief which is a true blessing.  You will heal.  You will get through this.  You have learned that you are medication sensitive and to avoid or be very cautious about psych drugs.  

 

Lastly, when trying to sleep and relax stay in bed or try staying there as even then your body will be resting.  

 

Some things that may or may not help.  Bananas, no caffeine at all, no sugar if you can.... exercise....

I hesitate to share .. I take magnesium glycinate 100 mg in morning and afternoon.... It may help, it may not.  Vitamins and supplements are tricky in withdrawal.

[yyeehhaaww]

Look at  what you eat.... eat clean when you can

 

foods to eat to help sleep.... some of best are ...

 

turkey, fish, almonds, walnuts, pineapple, oatmeal, hummus, spinach, tart cherry juice but it can be expensive plus the bananas i had in last post

[Altostrata]

Welcome, eggzy.

 

Throughout the ages, parents have had their sleep disrupted by caring for a small baby. It's a natural phenomenon. Getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep, while exhausting, isn't too bad.

 

It sounds to me like over a week, you developed an adverse reaction to trazodone, possibly to its mean metabolite mCPP, which built up (possibly because of slow P450 cyp2D6 liver metabolism). Your system and trazodone don't get along.

 

If I were you, I'd let your system settle down. This may take a while, but you were on the drug only a short time. It doesn't make any sense to restart it.

 

This would be a good time to learn meditative breathing, as sleeplessness makes you anxious and it feels bad, too. This will help your nervous system settle down.

 

Many people do better with fish oil 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/

A lot of people find them helpful. Try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

 

10mg melatonin is a lot of melatonin. An effective dose starts at about 0.25mg. Overshooting this can cause a paradoxical reaction: Sleeplessness. See Melatonin for sleep and other topics in Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems

[eggzy]

Thank you all.

The symptoms seem to have went away but I still have terrible insomnia My head hurts so I will be trying to follow up on the links you gave me. I'd rather never ever take any other sleeping pill

[KarenB]

Insomnia does commonly take longer to fade away than other symptoms.  Gradually your sleep patterns should find their way back to normal.  I'm glad you'll look at the sleep links - there's loads in info and ideas in there.  Awesome that the other symptoms have gone! 

[marie123]

Hi eggzy. Good for you for getting to this site in time before you got more involved with trazodone. It's a dirty drug with lots of side effects AND ADDICTIVE. The good sleep becomes not so good really fast as you've found out. I remember when I had my first son almost 27 years ago. He was up all night crying and between my husband and I we got about 4 hours total  I am not kidding. Your baby will settle down and your sleep will improve. Never take a med for sleeping! It's not worth it. Don't let your doc give you ambien or remeron either. Been there, done that. Both meds are awful and addictive. Take care of yourself by maybe napping on the weekends.

[Altostrata]

Hello, @eggzy How are you doing?