Moya: insomnia meds poisoning - advice needed please

[Moya]

Need urgent advice please from South Africa. Unbearable pain... I don't know what to do. I have been drinking a sleeping tablet for 30 years, got tolerant to it and am currently on a dangerous cocktail. I don't want to die like this.... I use 7,5 mg Mirtazapine, 2 mg Rivotril / clonazapam, 40 mg Seroquel, TWO 12,5 mg Stilnox MR / Ambien slow release. I am poisoned and afraid of deep tissue pressure ulcers because I lost my muscle mass, also no padding left under my feet. Pain is unbearable. The doctors seem not to think the concoction is dangerous. I have blisters in my mouth, severe hair loss and acidic loose stools. Thank you.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Moya.

 

I am sorry you're so ill.

 

It sounds to me like you are having an adverse reaction to this combination of drugs. Have you had kidney and liver function tests recently? If not, I would request these blood tests right away.

 

Please put ALL your drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
and copy and paste the results or a link to them in this topic.

 

[Carmie]

Hi Moya, 

 

Thanks for your private message. I have answered you there but please do as Alto says n check the drug interaction checker n  give her your results and get those blood tests and tell her what they say.

 

Im so extremely sorry for the pain you’re going through. Must be horrific to be in such bad pain. I wish i could take it away. 

 

Sending hugs🤗💚💚

 

 

[Rabe]

Welcome Moya...I am so sad to hear of what has happened as result of all the meds.  I hope you are able to get the lab tests done quickly.  You will get help here!  Are you able to eat?  All that on empty stomach would be hard on system.  Thinking about you Moya!💜

[Shep]

Hi, Moya. Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants.

 

I also was on dangerous cocktails of drugs for 30 years, so I can assure you it's possible to come off these drugs and heal. 

 

We are going to need to know more before we can offer advice.  As Alto mentioned, it would be good to get liver and kidney function tests done. Please let us know the results. 

 

Please add a signature.  Include drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can. 

• Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

What time of day to you take each of your drugs? How is your sleep?

 

Please continue to use this thread to document your taper and to ask plenty of questions. 

[Moya]

Shep I take all just before sleep.

[Shep]

Thanks, Moya. That may be causing some of your problem, as you are taking 4 drugs that cause sedation all at one time. Take 4 sedating drugs at once can actually cause a paradoxical reaction, meaning instead of sedating you, it's causing hyper-alerting. The more you dampen down the nervous system, the more it fights back to stay alert. So you may benefit by taking some of your drug doses earlier in the day.

 

You may also be getting rebound and / or interdose withdrawal symptoms, especially from the drugs that have short half lives. And again, spacing you drugs throughout the day will help with that. 

 

Please start a drug and symptoms journal. This will help us figure out the best way to space your drugs. 

 

This is the best format to use:

 

Drug and Symptoms Journal Format

 

On 9/27/2016 at 2:49 PM, Altostrata said:

Keep notes on paper about your drug dosages and daily symptom pattern

 

A symptom pattern that occurs regularly over several days could mean the symptoms are from withdrawal, other adverse effects of drugs, or something else you do on a daily schedule.

 

In the course of discussion in your Introductions forum topic, you may be asked to keep notes on paper of your daily symptom pattern, including when you take your drugs, their dosages, and any symptoms.

 

What we need to see for every individual day over several days is:

- Time and dosage for drugs taken in morning
- Time and description of any symptoms in the morning
 
- Time and dosage for drugs taken in afternoon
- Time and description of any symptoms in the afternoon
 
- Time and dosage for drugs taken in evening
- Time and description of any symptoms in the evening
 
- Time and dosage for drugs taken in middle of the night
- Time and description of any symptoms in the middle of the night (such as waking)
 
And so forth. A diary, in chronological order, such as:
 
6 a.m. Woke and vomited
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Had diarrhea
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Stomachache
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate dinner
9:20 p.m. Headache
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Headache got worse
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke with headache

 

An appointments diary is perfect for this and can be bought at stationery stores. 

They have a page for each day with times for appointments which can be filled in with doses, symptoms etc as shown by Alto.

 

 

Please also include:

• any supplements you are taking
• when you eat
• how much sleep you are getting each night

Once you have posted a few days of your journal, we can help you space out your drugs and hopefully, you'll start to feel better.

 

Also, please set up your signature (instructions are in my previous post). 

[Moya]

Shep thank you but I can't take sleep meds during the day. ALL meds are for insomnia. 

[Shep]

I understand, Moya, but it may help to take part of your doses earlier in the evening, not all at once at night.

 

As you post your drug and symptoms journal over the coming days, we can discuss ways that you could move them a bit that won't interfere with your daytime activities.

 

Do you work? Do you have a set time you have to get up and go to work or take care of children? We can work around your schedule. 

Edited October 19, 2018 by Shep
fixed typo

[Moya]

Cannot work. Please see muscle atrophy and eminent deep tissue pressure ulcers. I drink the Seroquel and Mirtazapine 1 1/2 hour earlier.

[Shep]

On 10/18/2018 at 5:23 PM, Altostrata said:

It sounds to me like you are having an adverse reaction to this combination of drugs. Have you had kidney and liver function tests recently? If not, I would request these blood tests right away.

 

Moya, please see Alto's recommendation about getting kidney and liver function tests done. Please report back what you find out. This is important. 

[Bee5]

Moya, I cannot stress the importance of interdose withdrawal enough. It is not that the meds stop working, it is that your body develops tolerance.  I experienced interdose withdrawal on Ativan (lorazepam) and on Urbanol (clobazam). Interdose withdrawal literally makes you feel as if you are going crazy. The only way to get better is to SLOWLY and SYSTEMATICALLY taper off your medications. Benzodiazepines (the Rivotril you are taking) and Z-drugs (Stilnox, active ingredient zolpidem) make you fall asleep, but you never ever feel rested. I have read that they don't allow you to enter REM sleep. I had a paradoxical reaction on zolpidem. 

 

The mods will advise you on which drugs to taper first, but you need to follow their advice. Good luck and keep us updated. Please get the blood tests done.