Dan1123: Reinstating trazadone

[Dan1123]

Hi I'm on fluoxetine 40 mg for the last 6.5 months. and my psychiatrist prescribed me trazadone for sleep. I was taking 12.5 mg a night occasionally 25 mg for nearly 5 weeks. She told me that it wasn't addictive and could stop it when I wanted. Well I did and two days later I broke out in hives and itching then over an 8 day span anxiety and depression built. Which is where I am now. Can I reinstate the trazadone at 12.5 and stabilize? She also wants me to start abilify 2 mg

Edited July 15, 2017 by mammaP
Added name to title

[mammaP]

Hi Dan, welcome to SA.  I am moving your post to the introduction forum where it will be your journal to log your progress and ask any questions. Do you still have the itching and hives?  Sadly doctors haven't a clue about the drugs they prescribe! After 5 weeks some people might be able to stop but others will have withdrawal like yourself. Did it help any or did you have side effects from it?  You could reinstate at a lower dose if you had side effects, that would be less to taper too when you have stabilised. I would avoid the abilify, just another drug with side effects that has to be tapered very slowly. What was her reason for wanting you to start abilify? 

 

We ask all our members to fill in their signature with their drug history, when drugs were started and stopped. you can find instructions here...

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/12364-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

About reinstating to stabilise. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/

 

Tapering trazodone.

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2883-tips-for-tapering-off-trazodone/

 

[Dan1123]

I'm not sure why she wanted me to continue the trazadone and abilify. My pharmacist said not to continue the trazadone since I'd been off it for 14 days. He did say the abilify (2 mg) is something we could back off of later slowly when we need to. I've been on fluoxetine 40 mg for 6 1/2 months. And it's been an up and down process. I know I could go up more on the fluoxetine but I can't stand the thought of waiting 10 to 12 more weeks for it to level out. I was told that the fluoxetine can take some time to level out because it's a slow drug. One lady said her son took 9 months and another said it took 7 months for her. But I was beginning to wonder if it was gonna work for me. I'd have good periods and bad periods. I was on citalopram before and it worked good until I had an traumatic accident and they started moving my med up and down and long story short it quit working. Don't know a lot about abilify and hope it works and isn't too hard to get off of later. 

[mammaP]

 

 

When did you start and stop the citalopram?  

 

When did you start fluoxetine and why did you start taking it? ( It is possible that you were suffering withdrawal from citalopram)

 

You've been off trazodone 14 days, did you have any side effects on it?  

 

What is your symptom pattern, worse in the morning or evening, before or after taking fluoxetine? 

 

We need these details so that we can get a picture of what is happening. Sometimes people think they need more of a drug when they are actually feeling side effects. 

 

If you click the quote button you can type the answers in the quote box under the questions. 

 

  

[Dan1123]

 

17 minutes ago, mammaP said:

 

 

When did you start and stop the citalopram?  

 

started the citalopram in 2010 and took it till winter 2016. Was then switched to fluoxetine Dec of 2016. Switched over the course of a month. Was on 60 mg of citalopram for approximately 4 months trying to stabilize me in order to drop it back down to 40 mg. So I was switched over by a cross taper to 60 mg of fluoxetine. Then dropped down to 40 mg of fluoxetine. That was in the first part of January. So I've been on fluoxetine for 6 1/2 months now. Had to switch to fluoxetine because I had an accident and they upped and downed my dosage of citalopram and then I had a manufacturers change and couldn't get it to settle at the 60mg. So they switched me to fluoxetine. 

 

When did you start fluoxetine and why did you start taking it? ( It is possible that you were suffering withdrawal from citalopram)

 

January of 2017so 6 1/2 months. Citalopram wasn't working. Is it possible to still be having withdrawals from citalopram after this long? Even though I'm on fluoxetine now? 

 

You've been off trazodone 14 days, did you have any side effects on it?  

 

As for the trazadone I was taking it for about 4 to 5 weeks at mostly 12.5 mg. a night. 25 mg occasionally. When I stopped I got hives and itchy. Not really any side effects while on it other than hard to get up in the mornings. 

 

What is your symptom pattern, worse in the morning or evening, before or after taking fluoxetine? 

 

With the fluoxetine I wake in the mornings with anxiety and depression mid morning. Then gets better in the evenings. I take the fluoxetine in the evenings tried it in the mornings and it didn't work out real well. 

 

17 minutes ago, mammaP said:

 

We need these details so that we can get a picture of what is happening. Sometimes people think they need more of a drug when they are actually feeling side effects. 

 

If you click the quote button you can type the answers in the quote box under the questions. 

 

  

 

[mammaP]

Thank you for the information, Dan.  I suspect that the fluoxetine dose is a bit too high for you. Fluoxetine is stronger than citalopram and would have been better in smaller doses. 60mg is a huge dose to start with and you must have had some pretty strong side effects . 

Right now you are also suffering withdrawal from trazodone. You could wait it out or reinstate a small dose of trazodone to counter the withdrawal. AS it seemed to help this might be the best option for you. When you are feeling more stable, that is, when you are back to how you were before you quit trazodone, you can look at reducing the fluoxetine, tapering down in very small decreases.  Could you split the 12.5 trazodone and take half, then see how you are with it? Many people find almost instant relief from reinstatement. 

[Dan1123]

I'm on 40 mg now of fluoxetine. And have been for 6.5 months. Do you think 40 is too high? 

[Dan1123]

How long will the trazadone withdrawal last if I don't go back to it?

[Dan1123]

Also can I stop abilify after only two days on it at 2mg?

[mammaP]

You can stop abilify after just 2 days. There is no way of knowing how long withdrawal will last, it is different for everyone. After just a few weeks it could be weeks but some people struggle for months. Are intching and hives the only withdrawal symptoms? It is quite unusual to get an allergic reaction after stopping. Did anything ekse change at all around the time you stopped? Any new food or supplements. Drugs or even new washing detergents?

[mammaP]

Looking at your history it does look like 40mg prozac is too high but you need to be more stable from the mirtazepine c/t before making a reduction. 

[Dan1123]

No I believe the anxiety and depresssion I'm experiencing is also from stopping the trazadone cold turkey. Also some headaches. I went ahead and took the abilify for the third night and I slept none at all hardly. You said I could stop the abilify after just two or three days. I believe I will and go back to the trazadone. 

Next question. 

Its hard to determine if these symptoms I'm feeling are from the trazadone or just another down from the fluoxetine. You said that I could still be withdrawaling from the citalopram. Does it sometimes take this long to withdraw from one med even though I've been on the other for 6+ months? 

 

And thiigh the fluoxetine may be to high of a dose will I level out on it before lowering?

[Dan1123]

I had read where stopping suddenly from trazadone that people have experienced itching and hives. But I don't know. I know when I first started taking the fluoxetine that I itched and a few hives and I told my dr. But they didn't seem to alarmed about it. I hope it's not that doing it.