AgainAlisia: Hello and help/advice

[AgainAlisia]

@Sassenach or HI, anyone who will listen. So, my psych gave me remeron and trazodone to help with sleep. the first one knocked me out one night and then did little the next both following days totally out of it--trazodone had me up and down all night.  is it a bad idea to take low doses of these to help with sleep to is it just making things worse?  

 

I cannot sleep at all. is that bad? will I go crazy? no one believes that I am not making this up.  i tried some cbd oil a few nights--it didn't do much. 

 

I do not know what to do next. I am so mad at myself. I was so good for three years.

 

Thank you for listening.

[Sassenach]

When did you take these and what dose Alisia?

[AgainAlisia]

@Sassenach

 

Cbd on and off at night fir last two weeks one serving

 

Last week I took 7.5 remeron on Monday, half of that on Tuesday.  Saturday tried 50 mg trazodone 

 

this week I took 7.5 remeron on wed, and again last night.

 

last night makes three weeks since prozac meltdown

[AgainAlisia]

@Sassenach are you there?

[Sassenach]

Hi Alisia

 

Sorry for the delay but not online 24/7, also i am in UK so time difference as well.

How are you feeling now and what are your current symptoms?

Please do not take any futher meds as it seems you react badly.

Trazodone is a  old antidepressant drug prescibed to help sleep off book.

Remeron (mirtazapine),  belongs to a class of drugs known as tetracyclic antidepressants.

Your doctor has put you back on antidepressants.

You have experienced another adverse reaction.

Why did you not tell us about this earlier Alisia.

We cannot help without all the facts.

Please complete the drug signature by following the link below.

lease 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. 

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This will ensure that all mods can see all your history in one place as it will appear beneath every post you make.

 

This is a setback but only a temporary one.

For the moment do not take any drugs

Please follow the links Alto gave you to help sleep.

 

How are you feeling today?

 

Sass

 

 

Edited October 19, 2019 by Sassenach

[Sassenach]

Hi Alisia

 

How are you doing?

 

Sass

[AgainAlisia]

@Sassenach

I am doing okay, I guess. Compared to benzo withdrawal before the taper, most anything is manageable. But the symptoms are: brain fog/ocd of suicide on a loop, tired but not sleeping.

 

i did the signature

 

 

 

[AgainAlisia]

@Sassenach Didn't take any meds last night--slept okay did take some magnesium and melatonin and lactic at bedtime.

 

Feeling a bit shaky today--mental anxiety--might that be a mini-withdrawal from the 4 nights of the sleep meds? Thanks for any advice/support.

 

[Sassenach]

33 minutes ago, AgainAlisia said:

Feeling a bit shaky today--mental anxiety--might that be a mini-withdrawal from the 4 nights of the sleep meds

Impossible to be sure but highly likely.

Keep taking the same each night at the same time.

Sleep will certainly help you through W/D symptoms.

 

Sass

[AgainAlisia]

Thank you! God bless you for the work you are doing. 

[AgainAlisia]

@Sassenach hi. I took the same supplements and a cup of nightly night tea and I didn’t sleep a wink. Ugh.

[Sassenach]

Hi Alisia

 

What doses of Gravol, Magnesium and Melotonin are you taking?

Do you keep a daily symptom diary?

Do you take supplements at other times and if so how much?

 

Sass

 

[AgainAlisia]

Vitamin d 1000 mg am

200 mg xr mag Malate at breakast

200 mg xr mag malate in afternoon

 

bedtime: 1 mg xr melatonin

200 mag citrate

1 capsule life extension lactium

 

[Sassenach]

We are not really going to know what is happening until you get past the effects of the Remeron and Trazidone.

That could take a while.

Try increasing your Melotonin  to 2 mgs tonight and take it 2 hours before bed if possible.

This is because you have XR extended release.

You may be better with instant release if you cannot actually get to sleep.

Please add the Melotonin info to your drug signature as well as the other supplements.

 

Hope you get some sleep tonight.

 

Sass

[AgainAlisia]

Hi, Sass,

I have not been following your advice. I got convinced to try Zoloft for my OCD. I have been on 12.5 since 10/25 and then 3/4 days on 25. I swear that any sleep I was getting by naturally falling asleep went away once I start taking it. I think all SSRIs are too activating for me. I took it because I am the full-time breadwinner and cannot miss work and was not sleeping and thought maybe the zoloft would serve as a reinstatement from the prozac but it didn't and I had no sleep at all.  I keep panicking, searching for answers.

 

I do not know what to do now. I want to stop it and just let my body return to sleeping naturally, but am so afraid that severe insomnia will make me psychotic.

 

Please advise!

[Sassenach]

Oh Alisia

Who convinced you you?

I suggest you go back to 12.5mgs immediately and keep in touch daily.

Hopefully as you have been on 25mgs for 3/4 days the symptoms may not be too bad.

We need to monitor you daily so we can decide when and how to get you off safely.

 

Sass

[AgainAlisia]

Everyone in my life--including me--is afraid that I will be in the psych wing again--from a lack of sleep, which is what happened when I first got the OCD from the combined benzo usage and lexapro in 2014.  I have been back and forth like a crazed person. Yesterday, no zoloft, today yes. Really nuts--the panicking of fear of no sleep is driving it all. Should I really keep taking it?

 

Will one go psychotic from no sleep?

That is what my husband and family are worried about. Because of the in-patient stay before when i did not understand what was happening to me.

[Sassenach]

You must stop changing doses to avoid full blown withdrawal.

Go to 12.5 mgs.

It will not be for long hopefully, then we can get you off.

If you come off too fast W/D is almost inevitable even after less than 2 weeks.

Please keep in touch.

 

Sass

[AgainAlisia]

My psych said I could just stop. She says I imagine everything. Is it true I can go psychotic if I don't sleep? Have you seen this happen on this forum?

 

[AgainAlisia]

@Sassenach why can't i just stop it if it has only been 11 days if the doctor says I am imagining everything?

[AgainAlisia]

@Sassenach and @Altostrata I did not sleep for five days and became suicidal and my best friend and husband got scared and they brought me to the hospital. Unbeknownst to them, that fact of suicide threat meant I could be detained against my will. Spent 5 days in the psych ward where they put me on 100 mg seroquel  to sleep, and on leaving added 15 mg Mirtazapine. Going on three weeks now.  I quickly weaned down to 75 seroquel but at 50 sleep doesn’t happen.

 

Sleeping 6 hours approximately. Extreme depression. Suicidal thoughts all day. Anxiety in body starts around 10 AM and lasts until 4 or 5. Foggy from drugs at the same time. Anhedonia and inability to feel. Time is like sludge.

 

This is all such hell. Connecting the dots, o think I have had mild internal akathesia since cancer drugs in 2011, which they placated with the benzos. Then after my long benzo taper, I still had internal doom, but coped. Now this fall trying the ADs I am afraid I have ruined everything. I worked so hard to get back my feelings after my benzo debacle.

 

What should I do? 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

Not sure what you're asking. You went to the hospital for a solution to your sleeplessness and you got one. Yes, you feel drugged, you're taking Seroquel and mirtazapine (?). What is the question?

[AgainAlisia]

I did not willingly go to the hospital. That response seems very harsh. I do not want to be taking psych drugs. This is the only forum that seems to be able to gauge what an adverse reaction is. I was hoping to get help for how to stabilize and then taper or what might be happening and why my body is reacting as such.

[AgainAlisia]

Because even last night I only slept five hours fitfully and there is no sign of the depression lifting.

[Altostrata]

On 10/14/2019 at 5:26 AM, Altostrata said:

Welcome, AgainAlisia.

 

Since you were on Prozac for only a couple of weeks and reacted badly to it, if I were you, I would not take it again. Seeing that you reacted badly to Lexapro as well, if I were you, I wouldn't take any SSRI for anything ever again. It appears that "normal" dosages are too much for you, and you're probably sensitized to the activating effects. I would not take seriously any psychiatric diagnosis given when someone is having an adverse drug reaction, doctors should know better (but don't).

 

It will take time for your body to reset to normal sleeping patterns. You will have to be patient. Melatonin can help, see 

 

Melatonin for sleep: Many people find it helpful

 

Tips to help sleep -- so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

Path to Better Sleep FREE online for everyone from the US Veterans Administration

 

Music for self-care: Calms hyperalertness, anxiety, aids relaxation and sleep

 

What is the sleep cycle?

 

TV or computer use in evening can disrupt sleep: Bright light signals the brain that it's daytime

 

 

On 10/14/2019 at 8:11 AM, Altostrata said:

I don't know. If you're seeing slight improvement, you might just observe that for a while and not rock the boat by adding something else.

 

However, you need to check whether your estrogen patch needs progesterone supplementation for safety.

 

Please read the links I gave you above for sleep improvement. There are many non-drug things you can do to move the recovery process along.

 

Please keep notes every day of when you take your drugs, their dosages, and your symptoms. Also include your sleep pattern. These notes help identify adverse drug reactions and symptom pattern improvement.

 

 

On 10/14/2019 at 8:37 AM, AgainAlisia said:

It does need progesterone but I am afraid it might act on the same benzo receptors.

 

I will try to keep a record.

 

Last two nights it has been fall asleep fast at around 9 for an hour. Awake for a while and then 2-3 hours until 1:30 or so. Get out of bed at 6:30 and do the day.

 

 

Thank you.

 

It seems that for a while, you were experiencing the typical slow, frustrating process of recovering from an adverse drug reaction. Your sleep was coming back in bits and pieces. We urged you to be patient.

 

You never did post the requested daily drug and symptom log.

 

Despite our recommendations to try only very gentle methods to improve your sleep, at some point you convinced yourself you needed help from the hospital. They gave you a bunch of drugs, which sort of work.

 

It's possible you feel "depressed" as a side effect of Seroquel, what would you expect from an antipsychotic? Not sure what I can suggest. If you feel you need Seroquel to sleep, I'm not going to tell you not to take it. (Not sure if you're also taking mirtazapine.)

 

This is a site for going off drugs. It's very frustrating for us to see people going back on drug cocktails after we spend time explaining non-drug methods. If you're having adverse reactions to the drugs you got at the the hospital, you should talk to your doctors there. We're just peer volunteers, we can't fix every drug mistake.

[AgainAlisia]

Hi @Altostrata I am very sorry. I am just very scared. You are right that you cannot fix every mistake. But I did not have a choice about the hospital. They had me on the seroquel and mirtazapine for two weeks--I am still taking the seroquel. Barely helps. What IS stable? Is it possible that I might never stabilize on these drugs? If so, then what? My brain is slowly frying.