Thank you so much for the information you provided. All I have been hearing is bad things about trazadone and was really worried about taking it I started it today just took it actually I was prescribed 200 MG at night for clinical insomnia. I also take Ambien too along with some pain meds and valium. I really hope that I am able to finally get some sleep. Thanks again for sharing.
RAVEN
RAVEN
I am on 50mg of trazadone per nights and want to get off this medication.
I have been on it now for 4 years
Can I just take 1/2 for 2 weeks and then just keep bumping down until I'm off
I have been on it now for 4 years
Can I just take 1/2 for 2 weeks and then just keep bumping down until I'm off
Just wondering if you tried it because I want to get off it and it's been 8 years I have been on it. Thanks!
Just wondering how you are doing now? I have been on it for 8 years and it stopped working. I only get 2-3 hours a night for sleep
It may not be severe in your experience, but for those of us that have been taking it for a dozen+ years, even at the initially prescribed dose of 150 mg, my withdrawal has been terrifying... Anxiety like I've NEVER experienced (even worse than a panic attack), light headedness, sweats, racing thoughts... My doc is swapping it out for Remeron - no titration. I believe THAT is the problem my body has since in a similar situation (last year an attempted swap of Effexor for Cymbalta) was equally terrifying. While in both cases I was assured "they have similar properties so a swap out should be no problem..." HAH! WRONG WRONG WRONG!
I have the same problem.I only took this drug fro two weeks after taking Xanax for about two also when I had panic attacks due to effect of taking caffeine.The doctor never told me about widthrawal symptoms after quitting this since she just had prescribed me for only two weeks and I have terrible insomnia for months up to now because of this drugs....;-(
I stopped taking everything completely in 2014 and am still being tortured with stinging,itching, tingling on my back constantly, day and night. Going to physical therapy, but not helping so far. Dr. recommended acupuncture, but Medicare doesn't cover that, so how can I afford $80 a session as I can't work having severe hearing disability. Damn pharmaceutical companies, never warning people about all the side effects of their damn drugs. Thanks s much for the prayers.Hope you're fine and praying for you, too!
Yes it can. You are not supposed to stop abruptly. Hope this helps!
I started Trazadone two years ago for my Lupus and Fibromyalgia and was told it was not addictive. I feel betrayed by my doctor. I have several medical conditions caused by Lupus. The most serious being a heart problem. This past week during my last hospital stay my cardiologist suggested stopping my Trazadone cold turkey because he felt it was adding to my heart condition. Needless to say this has been the roughest 8 days of my life. I was taking 450mg of Trazadone per night. I have experienced headaches, insomnia, electric shocks, shakes, night sweats, nausea, diherria, grinding teeth, crying spells and I'm just wondering how many more days will I have to go through this stuff. When will this mess be out of my system.
I took 50 mg every night for 3 1/2 years and decided last week to try to wean off. Cut back to 25 mg/night 03/10/16 so this is day 7. I feel AWFUL. Chest tightness, dizziness, sweats, chills, muscle weakness, mood swings, crying spells. The physical symptoms are the worst. I thought I could possibly be having a heart attack this a.m. Any suggestions or hopeful responses??
I think you are probably right on the intra-dose withdrawal symptoms according to the biphasic half-lives of the trazodone. When I took traz, I could feel the different phases (symptoms) throughout the day. The higher the dose, the more I could feel it.To me, trazodone was something like smoking cigarettes, you don't really need it but your body gets used to the drug and will react when it is discontinued.
I had hand tremors from what I believe to be Lorazepam that really bothered the heck out of me. I like to work with my hands, sewing, etc. and was very hindered by it. When I stopped the lorazepam, the tremors stopped. I was put on all these medications for an episodic anxiety due to hyper arousal from uneven thyroid levels. I was also put on fluoxetine and buspirone= too MANY medications doing too many things to me!
After 6 months, I decided that I wasn't getting better, which these drugs were supposed to be doing and I began to discontinue them one at a time. The lorazepam I cut out after 4 months because it is addicting. Then cut the traz in half from 50 to 25....stayed on that for about 3 months and made another cut. As mentioned, I was on so many medications, didn't know what symptoms were from what. The fluoxetine 20 mg. was easy to stop, went to 10 mg. for 5 weeks, then off and felt so much better. Left the traz for last and I am now into 3 weeks off of it, feeling more like myself as time passes.
I think the traz had the worse impact side-effect-wise for me. Felt like a total zombie on it, weird weird dreams every nite and a weird sort of depression that I had never experienced before. I can see where it could convince someone they need to be on an anti-depressant. Never been on any of these medications in my life (age 54 now).
Trazodone was the hardest to get off of. I did have withdrawals from it, but was just so happy to be off of it. The encouraging part was the lessening of side effects as the dose went down. I had tapered down to 3/4 of a half pill for 5 weeks, then 1/4 pill (12.5 mg.) for 11 days, then 1/8 pill for 5 days and off. Feel my head clearing and can think and function better. It's like I have my brain back! It is no longer being sedated, tired, muzzy headed. I did not like the kind of sleep trazodone gave me, it didn't feel natural.
I had hand tremors from what I believe to be Lorazepam that really bothered the heck out of me. I like to work with my hands, sewing, etc. and was very hindered by it. When I stopped the lorazepam, the tremors stopped. I was put on all these medications for an episodic anxiety due to hyper arousal from uneven thyroid levels. I was also put on fluoxetine and buspirone= too MANY medications doing too many things to me!
After 6 months, I decided that I wasn't getting better, which these drugs were supposed to be doing and I began to discontinue them one at a time. The lorazepam I cut out after 4 months because it is addicting. Then cut the traz in half from 50 to 25....stayed on that for about 3 months and made another cut. As mentioned, I was on so many medications, didn't know what symptoms were from what. The fluoxetine 20 mg. was easy to stop, went to 10 mg. for 5 weeks, then off and felt so much better. Left the traz for last and I am now into 3 weeks off of it, feeling more like myself as time passes.
I think the traz had the worse impact side-effect-wise for me. Felt like a total zombie on it, weird weird dreams every nite and a weird sort of depression that I had never experienced before. I can see where it could convince someone they need to be on an anti-depressant. Never been on any of these medications in my life (age 54 now).
Trazodone was the hardest to get off of. I did have withdrawals from it, but was just so happy to be off of it. The encouraging part was the lessening of side effects as the dose went down. I had tapered down to 3/4 of a half pill for 5 weeks, then 1/4 pill (12.5 mg.) for 11 days, then 1/8 pill for 5 days and off. Feel my head clearing and can think and function better. It's like I have my brain back! It is no longer being sedated, tired, muzzy headed. I did not like the kind of sleep trazodone gave me, it didn't feel natural.
When I went from 50 to 25 my withdrawals symptoms were pretty intense too. I had all the symptoms you mentioned. They seemed to
lighten up after 1-3 weeks, but I remember being so tired. And I had a couple episodes of negativity toward late afternoon along with some weird kind of depression or darkness that others have described. I did not dwell on it though....just continued to press on.
Try light exercise at first and work your way up to whatever you can handle. I walked 2.5 miles a day and that seemed to help keep me above water. I craved and ate chocolate every day, any form of it!
As time went on, I just wanted to get off the Trazodone, as the side effects of the drug itself were becoming worse and worse.
lighten up after 1-3 weeks, but I remember being so tired. And I had a couple episodes of negativity toward late afternoon along with some weird kind of depression or darkness that others have described. I did not dwell on it though....just continued to press on.
Try light exercise at first and work your way up to whatever you can handle. I walked 2.5 miles a day and that seemed to help keep me above water. I craved and ate chocolate every day, any form of it!
As time went on, I just wanted to get off the Trazodone, as the side effects of the drug itself were becoming worse and worse.
I know you posted this 3 months ago....but here is my advice: As you taper down, listen to your body. Wait til you are ready for the next dose cut, mentally and physically.
I was on 50 mg. for 6 months and cut it in half to 25. There were withdrawal symptoms but the side effects of all-day grogginess was worse and I needed to do something. Stayed on that for about 3 months til I felt like I was ready for another cut. Then went to 3/4 of a half pill for about 5 weeks. Again, listen to your body.....if I had a road trip or some event coming up, I stayed where I was at, did not want to rock to boat. For myself, I planned the dose cuts around what was going on in my life and tried to make the change when there was the least amount of activity or stress going on.
I was on 50 mg. for 6 months and cut it in half to 25. There were withdrawal symptoms but the side effects of all-day grogginess was worse and I needed to do something. Stayed on that for about 3 months til I felt like I was ready for another cut. Then went to 3/4 of a half pill for about 5 weeks. Again, listen to your body.....if I had a road trip or some event coming up, I stayed where I was at, did not want to rock to boat. For myself, I planned the dose cuts around what was going on in my life and tried to make the change when there was the least amount of activity or stress going on.
I had the same experiences as stated above. It took me approx. 4 to 6 mos to readjust a normal sleeping habit because the Trazodone withdrawals were so bad.
You are F.O.S. I just stopped taking Trazodone after taking 50mg once nightly for sleep, for a period of about 2 weeks. I abruptly stopped, and within 2 days started experiencing marked "dark" depression and anxiety attacks, as well as many deep muscular pains, charlie horses, aches, and stiffness. If I wasn't so well-versed in dealing with depression and understanding the effects of drugs, I would definitely have been suicidal. I have gone through many dark depressions in my lifetime, and the last 3 days coming off of Trazodone have been some of the most pronounced I've ever experienced. The way I knew it was a withdrawal symptom as opposed to genuine depression was that I had no "depressed thoughts" with the depression. It was just an extremely "dark" feeling. No questioning of my purpose in life, or feelings of worthlessness, or many of the other things that accompany most deep emotional depression. I was just physiologically darkened and being drawn downward, prone to anger, confusion, and an inability to quell those emotions. My first moments of true clarity came about 10 hours ago, and my emotional and physiological state has been drastically improving since. It's literally like the curtain is slowly being lifted, and hour to hour I feel better and better. The muscular pains are disappearing with it. I will never take this c**p again, for any reason. These pills are going in the trash. (Not down the toilet, because they will end up in reclaimed water, and eventually end up in drinking water and will be ingested by others! No bueno. THINK before you flush pills down the toilet. There is no way to remove drugs from sewer water!)