Jan14: trazadone withdrawal horrific

[Jan14]

Hi everyone...

 

off of trazadone now since Aug 14 and the withdrawal has been horrific.  

 

My weaning schedule was much too quick and I’m now suffering for it.  Initially on 50 mg for 15 months, dropped to 25 mg June 22, 12.5 mg July 31 (doctor’s suggested timeline) and as I was not really sleeping at this point and had other bothersome withdrawal symptoms like low grade headaches (and a feeling like my head was clamped), tense muscles in back of upper neck and head, a raw feeling in my chest, creepy crawly tingling in a hip where I had injured it a year prior, etc. I decided to eliminate the last 12.5 mg Aug 14.  Mistake!  

 

So I’m coming up on three months trazadone free but hit bottom last week when I thought I was losing my mind!  I have always had a harsh relationship with drugs and tend to get side effects but this has been the worst!  Any thoughts as to when this could end?  

 

I just started some natural supplements to help with the sleep and they are helping.  I find however that the chest rawness, upper back discomfort, and head/neck symptoms are worse when I haven’t slept well.  

Edited November 7, 2017 by baroquep

[baroquep]

Hi Jan14,

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA), am really glad that you found your way to the site.  As you've guess, you are likely feeling the effects of tapering too quickly and by far too large a dose.  When a drug is removed abruptly or reduced too quickly it throws our central nervous system into chaos and results in the withdrawal symptoms that you are now experiencing.  

 

The only known solution at this time to decrease or eliminate withdrawal syndrome is to reinstate a very small amount of the drug into your system and then to hold until you stabilize.  I will attach the link on reinstatement to give you an idea of the process involved and something I think you may want to consider.  Because you have been off of Trazodone since August 14th, you will want to weigh the benefits and risks as to whether reinstatement is a good option for you.  

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms
What to Expect in Reinstatement (James Heaney article)

 

At SA, it is recommended that a person taper by no more than 10% of their current dose with at least a four week hold in-between decreases.  The 10% taper recommendation is a harm reduction approach to going off psychiatric drugs.  Some people may have to taper at a more conservative rate as they are sensitive to even the smallest drops.  

 

To get you started, and familiarized with the protocols followed by SA, I am linking a few topics so that you have a better understanding of what is recommended here. 

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?
Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Tips for Tapering off Trazodone/Desyrel

  

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