Kerrip - Introduction

[kerrip]

Hi Everyone,

 

I figured I should submit an introduction about myself since I posted my trazodone question. I am now 11 months of off Celexa. Life is ok, or I should say good since I have a great family and I have been able to maintain an engineering position through my WD troubles. I struggle with mainly insomnia, heart palpitations and anxiety, not being able to handle stress, obsessing over my WD, random crying, fatigue, cognitive problems etc. I believe that I have been improving as I used to have other symptoms, like migraines EVERY afternoon, so I should be thankful. I have been following the board since Jan, which was one month after I stopped celexa. I did a 4 month taper from 20 mgs celexa, and I wished I had known more before going that fast, but what can you do about it?

 

I refer to this site very often and am thankful for all the great information on here. It is sometimes difficult to accept that my brain will heal itself but I keep on telling myself it will. I have not received a lot of understanding from doctors around here so the internet and this site have provided so much for me.

 

Things did appear to be progressing well until I developed an eye twitch around a month ago that has gotten worse and is consuming me. I suspect it is due to the 50 mg Trazodone that I experimented with for sleep the past 4 months. I have been taking other supplements, but mostly they are herbs that I have taken for years and I don't think they are the cause. So I stopped the Trazodone CT last night. I slept a normal night and am hoping that 4 months wasn't enough to force me to taper. I know it would be wise to taper but I really want to get rid of the eye twitch, which is my major problem right now, so I tinkering with a CT for now.

 

Anyways, it is nice to meet all of you, take care and I hope to hear from you and share our experiences.

[Karma]

Hi Kerrip and welcome to the community. Thank you for including your withdrawal history in your signature. That will help us provide better responses to your questions.

 

I'm afraid I don't have any experience with trazodone so I can't say whether or not you will run into trouble going CT after 4 months. Monitor your symptoms and if you have symptoms then you can probably re-instate and taper off.

 

Is the eye twitch the only symptom you are experiencing?

 

Karma

[basildev]

Hi Kerrip,

 

welcome to the forum.

 

I only joined last week and have found the people to be very kind and helpful.

 

I've had shocking withdrawals from citalopram in the past too (I think Celexa is citalopram??). Several attempts to get off the meds, all tapers were no longer than 3 months.

 

I see now after finding this forum that I was going way too fast.

 

I hope you recover very quickly and I wish you all the best.

[kerrip]

Thanks,

 

The eye twitching is not the only symptom, it is just the new one that is freaking me out. I am also dealing with heart palpitations and chest pain, especially in the morning. Like I can't even get up and go to the bathroom without my heart jumping out of my chest. I hate that. I have been off of citalopram for 11 months and I'm still dealing with this. It is difficult to say the least.

 

After skipping my traz two nights ago I had to take a 3/4 dose (37.5g) to help sleep last night. I wish I hadn't but I did. it didn't help much, especially with the early morning wakings.

 

my eye twitching still starts up once I get to work, and it's killing me.

[Nikki]

Hi Kerrip....

 

The eye twitching does go away. It is a symptom of ssri w/d. It is for me. My daughter got off trazadone a long time ago, and she did it in a relatively short period of time and insomnia is an issue. It did go away.

 

I would suggest going back on and doing a slow taper.

 

The other symptoms you have described, are in my estimation, anxiety. It could be a residual effect from getting off Celexa. Did you take Celexa for anxiety?

 

I am on Celexa. It was 40mgs. which was too much. I am now down to 30mgs. I made my cuts in 5mg.drops because I was tapering onto Imipramine which is an older medication (tricyclic).

 

With the Imipramine I can tolerate a 5 mg. drop in dose. Without it, no way.

 

 

Best regards

[kerrip]

Thanks Nikki,

 

I just realized that the eye twitching started around when I starting using a prescription fluoride toothpaste. It has 5x the fluoride in it and I am supposed to not rinse to allow it to seep into my teeth. I started using it 2-3x a day (per my dentists recommendation I have you) without rinsing, so that means I am swallowing a lot of fluoride. I am stopping the fluoride as of today.

 

I wonder if that has been aggravating my this eye problem.

 

Yes, I did take celexa for anxiety. There are days that I wish that I never got off of it, or that I want to reinstate, but from what I can tell reinstatement won't work at this point.

[Skyler]

I just realized that the eye twitching started around when I starting using a prescription fluoride toothpaste. It has 5x the fluoride in it and I am supposed to not rinse to allow it to seep into my teeth. I started using it 2-3x a day (per my dentists recommendation I have you) without rinsing, so that means I am swallowing a lot of fluoride. I wonder if that has been aggravating my this eye problem.

 

my eye twitching still starts up once I get to work, and it's killing me.

I pulled up a lot of references on Google for SSRIs and eye twitching.. but nothing for toothpaste flouride. You might also want to contact your pharmacist for his opinion.

 

Like Nikki, my twitching issues went away. It took awhile, but IMHO, they should not be worth a CT. Maybe stick with your Trazodone cut (25%) to see how well you tolerate this amount. Judicious tapering should help to slow further progress of the symptom. Try not to taper too fast and so leave yourself open to reinstatement.

 

Edit 11:47 AM

[kerrip]

I did cut by 25% last night and will continue at that for a while and see what happens. I guess I just need to realize that this is part of the process.

 

thanks

[Altostrata]

Kerri, your signature says Tapered from 20 mg to 0 from Aug 2011 to Dec 2nd 2012

 

It must have been Dec 2011?

 

What were your symptoms coming off Celexa?

 

I agree with the others, the eye twitching probably will go away. However, you should be careful going off trazodone. Not only can you get rebound insomnia, you can get trazodone withdrawal symptoms that might revive any symptoms you got going off Celexa.

[kerrip]

Hi Alto,

 

You are right, Dec 2011 indeed. I updated my signature. I am not Dr. Who, although I wish!

 

I never intended to stay on Trazodone long term; as a matter of fact I have some regrets about going on it. My sleep didn't improve enough to justify staying on an old SARI drug when I am trying to heal from protracted WD. Given this, I think it is time for me to slowly taper and see if this is 1) doable without much pain, and 2) has a positive impact on my eye twitch and numb left hand that started recently (both around the same time). I just can't help thinking that the trazodone is damaging my already very sensitive nervous system.

 

After reading up on Trz, it really does appear to be somewhat of a nasty drug.

 

My symptoms coming off of Celexa were/are:

 

Anxiety, esp morning

insomnia, esp morning

heart palpitations, more in the morning but can last all day (gee I am seeing a trend!)

random crying, happened more in the afternoon when my system calmed down

daily migraines, from 3-6 PM, these for the most part have gone away

cloudy vision, mostly gone away

cog fog, poor memory

fatigue

teeth pain, neuralgia, but that has been a little better lately

 

I have tried essentially every OTC supplement listed on this site. I do try to meditate and practice yoga, which helps, and I go to therapy twice a month. I also started acupuncture a month ago but haven't felt any different yet.

 

I'm sure there is more but I can't think of it right now. My mindset cycles between "I made the right choice" and "I wish I never got off of Celexa, and should I reinstate", depending on whether I in a good or bad period.

 

thanks

[Jemima]

I noticed in your signature that you were also taking Xanax through your withdrawal from Celexa, but are not taking it now. What is your history with it? If you abruptly discontinued Xanax, that could also be adding to your withdrawal miseries.

[kerrip]

Thanks Jemima,

 

I never took Xanax on a daily basis, rather I got 10 pills (0.5 mgs) a month for anxiety, however I mainly just used them for sleep. In WD I was using them a lot, taking half a pill would mean that I have 20 doses a month, which meant most nights I was using them. I did stop them a few months ago but never felt any immediate symptoms, although you are right in that they probably exacerbated my existing symptoms.

 

I few times a week I will take a multi herb combination OTC formulation that has phenibut, and tryptophan, and that does help with sleep. However, I need to be careful with the phenibut because it is so similar to a benzo, and I am noticing that my heart palpitations start right up the morning after i've used them. So, I need to work on that.

 

I do admit to taking a lot of supplements, especially multi-nutrient herbal formulations. A lot of stuff is in them, here is a list off the top of my head: chamomile, glycince, gaba, taurine, magnesium, melatonin, passionflower, l-theanine,

 

I also take kratom from time to time. Sometimes it's wonderful and sometimes it's too stimulating. I used to take seriphos, it worked for a while and then stopped.

 

phew, after writing it down I am realizing that is a lot of supps to be taking.

[Altostrata]

Yes, trazodone can have side effects that might be exacerbating your withdrawal symptoms.

 

Still, please do the 10% taper. You may be able to reduce more often than every 4 weeks. If you are having adverse effects from it, decreasing the dosage may decrease the side effects, too.

 

Keep notes about your reductions and your symptoms so you can tell what's what.

[kerrip]

I am starting my taper and will take it slow. Thanks for the advice.

[Altostrata]

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

[kerrip]

I am now taking 25% less trazodone (37.5 mg). Sleep isn't much different, although I am still waking up too early. The eye twitching went away for a few days but has now come back, although not quite as bad as before.

 

I guess I need to give it time.

[kerrip]

Hi everybody after being off of Celexa for a full year I decided to reinstate after going through a prolonged period of withdrawal that was troubling me. To make this short, I started on 10 mg a night for six nights and then increased to 20 mg, the usual recommendation.

 

I am now one month and but two weeks in I started getting severe anxiety that lasted for a few days. It went away but now it's come back. It's just like the anxiety i was having before but it's been augmented which is probably a kindling reaction?

 

Over the last couple of nights I've switched down to 10 mg because I'm really not sure what to do at this point.

 

I could really use some advice what should I be doing at this point? I know this was probably a bad idea and now I am paying for it.

 

I am willing to get myself off of it that's what people say but I really was hoping that it would work . should I try to give it a little more time at a smaller dose.

 

Thank you in advance by the way I dictated this through my smart phone so I apologize for any grammar errors.

 

Kerrip

[kerrip]

Thank you for putting this in my original introduction thread, I should've had it there in the first place.

 

Just as an added note I did stop taking my trazodone a week ago so I'm sure that is complicating things as well.

[Altostrata]

Often people become sensitized by withdrawal syndrome and react differently to drugs they've taken before.

 

It sounds to me like this is what happened. 20mg was too activating.

 

See if you can stabilize at 10mg. It may take a while for your nervous system to settle down from that kindling.

[kerrip]

Has reinstatement worked for anyone out there? Especially since I have been off the meds for one year? I just wonder if I have made a big mistake and I should consider just getting off of Celexa. Figure it would be easier to do since I have only been on for a month rather than waiting three or four months and then consider making that decision.

 

Thank you

[Jemima]

It's best to follow Alto's advice and just stay at 10 mg. Celexa. Going cold turkey off it now or even reducing the dose a bit will just traumatize your nervous system even further. It's important to get stable before making changes in drug dosage. Once you're stabilized for a bit, then you can consider a long, slow taper off.

 

I know how miserable withdrawal is. I tapered too fast off of Lexapro from mid-September 2011 to December of the same year and I'm still not all the way back to myself. I'm still having trouble enjoying things I used to like doing and sometimes experience really nasty neuro-emotions. Occasionally I've considered going back on an AD, but knowing the damage they do to mind and body over time has always brought me to a halt.

[flower]

I don't know if I'm allowed to post here but I thought I'd mention I cut Trazadone back a few times and had a mess with WD. I don't know which WD was worse actually. The Traz. didn't last as long. Cheers to 10mgs of Celexa working for us both.

[kerrip]

I can't believe I did this i knew it was a bad idea I'm feeling pretty bad. Are you sure I shouldn't just quickly taper off of the citalopram I really want to get it out of my body. I have only been on it for a month much of which I was at 10 mg.

[kerrip]

I'm even willing to go back on the trazodone for little bit.

[Nikki]

Hi Kerrip...

 

I am on Celexa and have been dropping the dose every few months of so. Celexa helped depression, but it exacerbated anxiety.

 

There is WD from Trazadone which you are (imo) experiencing. My thoughts are to go back to Trazadone to stop it's wd.

 

As for Celexa, I totally understand the feelings that prompted you to go back on.

 

Make a list of what is happening right now after reinstating Celexa and Trazadone. Has there been any significant improvement?

 

It's good that the Celexa is only at 10mgs. in the event you want to discontinue.

[kerrip]

I am going to go back on the trazodone I'm only on 12.5 mg.

 

I sure hope that does the trick.

[Altostrata]

Did you drop from 12.5mg trazodone to zero? That could be responsible for your symptoms.

 

You might want to reinstate 10mg trazodone, figuring you've accommodated a bit to the decrease.

 

Since you did 2 things at once -- drop trazodone and start Celexa -- it's hard to tell what's causing you to feel bad. Either could be responsible.

[kerrip]

Yes I did drop from 12.5 to 0. But that was only a week ago. I went through a similar state of anxiety for a few days two weeks ago before I dropped to zero, so I was thinking that it is still the Celexa. I had been on Celexa for only two weeks when I had my first attack.

 

Are you sure that I can't quickly get off the Celexa since I have only been on it one month

It's such a short time it seems.

[Altostrata]

When you have prolonged withdrawal syndrome, your nervous system is already sensitized to small doses of drugs and changes in dosage.

 

You made 4 changes in a short amount of time: 10mg Celexa, increase to 20mg Celexa (with an obvious adverse reaction), reduction to 10mg Celexa, quit 12.5mg trazodone.

 

Reinstating Celexa after a year is a long shot, whether it might have worked has gotten confused by the adverse reaction to 20mg and quitting trazodone.

 

It's up to you whether you want to stay on it. Again, since your system is sensitive, if I were you I'd go off it carefully, maybe 10% every few days.

 

But if you reinstate trazodone at the same time, you won't know which is causing symptoms, if you get any.

 

You'll have to decide whether to

 

- reinstate trazodone and see if it helps, then reduce Celexa

- go off Celexa and then reinstate trazodone (because of time lapse, less likely to help trazodone withdrawal symptoms, if that's what you have)

- go off Celexa and not bother with the trazodone

- stay on Celexa and not bother with the trazodone

 

Your choice, no one can tell what will work best.

[Jemima]

Please note that none of the above will likely make you feel good immediately. Your most important tool in withdrawal is patience. Jumping off and on medications destabilizes your brain and the greater the destabilization, the worse you'll feel and the longer it will take to recover.

 

So please give it some hard thought, pick one of the above courses of action, and stick with it for several weeks with no further changes.

[peggy]

Hi Kerrie - if i read correctly, you were on 37mg of trazadone in early November? - if so, that is a huge drop down to zero in 2 months.. it is quite possible that's the reason for the big increase in anxiety.

 

I can so relate to the impulsive - 'i want off now', but invariably it comes back to bite you. It is a good idea to record your dose changes and symptoms as accurately as possible.

[kerrip]

Thank you everyone for your perspectives. I am definitely going to reinstate on the trazodone and hold on the Celexa for now. I just want to feel back to where i was before. I don't know what I was thinking with reinstating the Celexa. I guess part of me just wanted to have it work. My pregnant wife is sick with lyme disease and I just can't go through it in my stressed out state, so I wanted to give it a chance. But it seems to have been the wrong decision.

[Jemima]

That's the choice I would have made.

 

In reading your drug history in your signature I realized that you have actually come all the way down from 50 mg. Trazadone at the end of October to 0 mg. as of December 30th. Is that right? That's one REALLY big drop! Stay the course, but don't be hard on yourself for making some mistakes. Between withdrawal and your wife's illness, you have an overflowing plate filled with stressors.

 

May 2013 be far, far better for all of us.

[kerrip]

I still think I should be dropping the Celexa. I am waking up at midnight to 3 AM only hours after taking my dose. Waking up in panic. It seems like since I'm having a bad reaction to this medicine that I should just simply stop it. Even if I going to withdrawal syndrome it's better than being in this kindling reaction.

[kerrip]

I'm feeling worse today even after reinstating the trazodone I really think this is the Celexa and I need to get off of it. I am at 10 mg now I think I'm just can stop right here I am only a month out so hopefully after little bit of time I can start feeling little better what to do people think about that.

[kerrip]

My thinking here is that I can deal with the protracted withdrawal symptoms I have been dealing with them for a year now but I cannot deal with this kindling reaction so it needs to stop as fast as possible therefore I'm going to stop Celexa tonight and just deal.

 

I hope to God that it calms down a little bit.