I was wrongfully arrested and imprisoned in Alaska(just to give you an idea of the mentality). I was on 500mg of Trazadone a day and had been on it for over a decade. I was also on gabapentine. They abruptly stopped both of them. You would not believe what I went through. I was already upset at being wrongfully imprisoned and knowing my cat was being starved and tortured and my possessions were being stolen. I was in excrutiating pain. They told me I had not really been taking it. Then a week later they told me I looked so much better now that I was not taking it. I believe they did this on purpose to torture me for political reasons. Even the worlds most backwards idiotic doctor would know not to abruptly stop 500mg of Trazadone and 2700mg/day of gabapentin. I have just weaned myself off of both of them over a period of months. It has been two days since my last small dose and I have a migrane/type headache. I am afraid to take anything due to not knowing if I will be wrongly arrested for something again. I am a retired RN with experience in multiple areas including psychiatric and prison clinics.
I have been taking Trazodone (for insomnia and depression) for about 4 years - 150 mg/day. It has really helped me get a full-night's sleep after many years of chronic insomnia, and it complements the Citalopram I take for depression very well. I ran out of my Trazodone prescription on a Thursday and forgot to call in for the renewal on Friday - so I headed into the weekend without any. By Saturday night, I was having great difficulty sleeping, very strange/vivid dreams and hot flashes. Sunday morning, I was having anxiety attacks, constant sweating, confusion, and light-headedness. I went straight to the pharmacy and asked them for two pills to hold me over until I could call my doctor and get the Rx renewed. The pharmacist gave me 3 pills. I took one pill immediately and my withdrawal symptoms vanished within 3 hours. I've read many comments on this site from people wanting to come off Trazodone for various reasons. I for one will stay on it for life because of its benefits in relation to insomnia.
I've been taking Trazodone on and off for about 6 years. I think I was taking as much as 200-300 mg at one time. Now I take 50 mg at night, along with 5 mg Ambien. I also take 200mg Zoloft and am prescribed 1 mg Clonazepam per day: sometimes I take 1.5mg, usually 1 mg, sometimes .5 mg, sometimes none.
I have severe tremor most of the day. For years now I have wondered if this is due to the Trazodone, the Zoloft, or the way I play with my Clonazepam. I think I've ruled out the Clonazepam. Although my anxiety has always had a strong diurnal component (always worse in the morning), I have for a long time suspected that a large component of the tremor is due either directly to the effects of Trazodone, or due to intra-dose withdrawal symptoms from Trazadone. The (biphasic) half-lives of Trazodone are indeed quite short, so it seems to me quite possible one could "withdraw" during the day from a dose taken at night.
A few experiments would answer the question for me, I suppose, but I'd be interested in hearing from others as regards this issue.
As regards to symptoms from tapering off Trazodone, I can't say I've experienced any. I suppose everyone's brain chemistry is a bit different, but I'm very skeptical that people cutting back by 5 mg/day, or quitting 12.5 mg/day "cold turkey" are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Perhaps one should consider that this is evidence of the extraordinary effectiveness of this drug for some people, and that underlying symptoms are re-appearing upon complete cessation.
I have severe tremor most of the day. For years now I have wondered if this is due to the Trazodone, the Zoloft, or the way I play with my Clonazepam. I think I've ruled out the Clonazepam. Although my anxiety has always had a strong diurnal component (always worse in the morning), I have for a long time suspected that a large component of the tremor is due either directly to the effects of Trazodone, or due to intra-dose withdrawal symptoms from Trazadone. The (biphasic) half-lives of Trazodone are indeed quite short, so it seems to me quite possible one could "withdraw" during the day from a dose taken at night.
A few experiments would answer the question for me, I suppose, but I'd be interested in hearing from others as regards this issue.
As regards to symptoms from tapering off Trazodone, I can't say I've experienced any. I suppose everyone's brain chemistry is a bit different, but I'm very skeptical that people cutting back by 5 mg/day, or quitting 12.5 mg/day "cold turkey" are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Perhaps one should consider that this is evidence of the extraordinary effectiveness of this drug for some people, and that underlying symptoms are re-appearing upon complete cessation.
HELLO, IM 19YRS OLD (FEMALE) IVE BEEN TAKING TRAZEDONE AND DALMANE TO HEELP ME SLEEP I TAKE 50MG A NIGHT TO SLEEP OF DALMANE AND 100MG OF TRAZEDONE , NOW THAT IVE GOOTEN BETTER MYD OCTOR TOLD ME I SHOULD STOP, THE THING IS THOUGH I DONT KNOW HOW TO?????
IVE BEEN ON MEDICATION FOR DEPRESSION AND IT USUALLY SAYES TO CUT THE PILL IN HALFH ETC... AND TAKE IT FOR 3 WEEKS ETC...
BUT THESE PILLS ARE VERY STRONG AND I WOULD REALLY APRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE COULD HELP!! ME!!?
IM SCARED AND I HAVE ALREADY BEEN EXPERINSING SIDE EFFECTS FROM IT...PLEASE..I DONT' WANT TO MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT, AND I DONT WANT TO TALK TO MY DOCTOR, SO PLEASE ANEYONE?
IVE BEEN ON MEDICATION FOR DEPRESSION AND IT USUALLY SAYES TO CUT THE PILL IN HALFH ETC... AND TAKE IT FOR 3 WEEKS ETC...
BUT THESE PILLS ARE VERY STRONG AND I WOULD REALLY APRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE COULD HELP!! ME!!?
IM SCARED AND I HAVE ALREADY BEEN EXPERINSING SIDE EFFECTS FROM IT...PLEASE..I DONT' WANT TO MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT, AND I DONT WANT TO TALK TO MY DOCTOR, SO PLEASE ANEYONE?
I've been taking Trazodone for six years now. I started with 50mg for sleep, then went up to 75mg for awhile. Eventually I had to start taking regular anti-depressants with it too. I went back down to 50mg and stayed with that for about 4 1/2 years now. The past six months I decided to try weaning myself off to see if I can sleep and function without it.
So, I'm splitting the 50s into 25mg and have been doing that for awhile. When I cut those in half and take 12.5mg my symptoms seem to get worse, not sleeping as well, anxiety, etc... even headache and stomach ache if I do that a few days in a row. Maybe I should just taper slower as some others have mentioned?
I should mention I have multiple sclerosis (MS) that causes terrible fatigue. I feel that the Trazodone adds to that fatigue in the morning. I'm to the point of almost needing to apply for disability and trying to get off Trazodone is one of my last ditch efforts to regain some of my normal energy.
So, I'm splitting the 50s into 25mg and have been doing that for awhile. When I cut those in half and take 12.5mg my symptoms seem to get worse, not sleeping as well, anxiety, etc... even headache and stomach ache if I do that a few days in a row. Maybe I should just taper slower as some others have mentioned?
I should mention I have multiple sclerosis (MS) that causes terrible fatigue. I feel that the Trazodone adds to that fatigue in the morning. I'm to the point of almost needing to apply for disability and trying to get off Trazodone is one of my last ditch efforts to regain some of my normal energy.
I've been taking Trazodone for six years now. I started with 50mg for sleep, then went up to 75mg for awhile. Eventually I had to start taking regular anti-depressants with it too. I went back down to 50mg and stayed with that for about 4 1/2 years now. The past six months I decided to try weaning myself off to see if I can sleep and function without it.
So, I'm splitting the 50s into 25mg and have been doing that for awhile. When I cut those in half and take 12.5mg my symptoms seem to get worse, not sleeping as well, anxiety, etc... even headache and stomach ache if I do that a few days in a row. Maybe I should just taper slower as some others have mentioned?
I should mention I have multiple sclerosis (MS) that causes terrible fatigue. I feel that the Trazodone adds to that fatigue in the morning. I'm to the point of almost needing to apply for disability and trying to get off Trazodone is one of my last ditch efforts to regain some of my normal energy.
I wonder if I should just stay on the 25mg and forget trying to stop it.
So, I'm splitting the 50s into 25mg and have been doing that for awhile. When I cut those in half and take 12.5mg my symptoms seem to get worse, not sleeping as well, anxiety, etc... even headache and stomach ache if I do that a few days in a row. Maybe I should just taper slower as some others have mentioned?
I should mention I have multiple sclerosis (MS) that causes terrible fatigue. I feel that the Trazodone adds to that fatigue in the morning. I'm to the point of almost needing to apply for disability and trying to get off Trazodone is one of my last ditch efforts to regain some of my normal energy.
I wonder if I should just stay on the 25mg and forget trying to stop it.
Trazodone has got to be the hardest thing I've ever tried to get off of. I can only think of heroin that was harder. The withdrawal symptoms come and go, they start hard and even after a week I still can't function normally. I was on 100mg for over a year and cut it down to 50mg for a few days then stopped. I was only perscribed it to sleep, now it would seem that I'm chemically dependent on this junk. These damn pill pushers have no idea what they're doing to people.
I'm really sorry to hear tha tit was so hard for you but I'm glad that you are still trying to do it. Have oyu thought to talk to a doctor about a tapering schedule at all?
My doctor told me it was safe to just stop trazadone completely. She was so wrong. I am experiencing random crying attacks. I just am lucky I am not alone and I know I don't genuinly feel this way...
I've been on Traz for about 7 years (25-50mg) for sleep. Last week I was ill and couldn't get to the pharmacy for my refill for 2-3 days. I didn't even realize that what I was feeling was due to lack of the med. It was horrible! Insomnia, pain, horrible nightmares when I did doze off for few minutes, loud ringing in my ears, dizziness, headache, cold sweat, gastrointestinal issues, numb/tingling face/lips and bizarre crying jags. I forced myself to finally go to get the rx when I realized what was going on. They (as usual!) had a screw up with the refill and I had to wait THREE HOURS! After the first hour, I was sweating like crazy, felt horrible, and could feel the crying coming on. I went out to the car and had a total crying breakdown! It was horrible! I will never let my rx lapse again, believe me. It was worse than anything I've experienced before with any med. I took it immediately upon getting it and took a nap. Felt a million times better!
Oh my goodness! After 4 years I went off 50 mg Trazodone on Nov. 21, cold turkey, beause I thought it wasn't effective. It didn't even occur to me that there would be side effects. 3 days later I went to the doctor cause I felt so sick. He said I was depressed, that the Trazodone obviously wasn't working and put me on zoloft. I took the zoloft for a week and had complete insomnia, loss of appetite, sweating, clammy hands and feet, severe anxiety, muscle twitching, trembling and I actually wound up in the ER where they said I had a virus. I knew the doctor there was wrong but I assumed the symptoms were a side effect of zoloft. It never occcurred to me it was trazodone withdrawal. Now I'm off the zoloft and the traz. Never again. I'm still having anxiety attacks, loss of appetite (I've lost 13 lbs.) nausea, trouble sleeping. At this point I'm going to just see it through. Tomorrow is 1 month traz free. I wonder how much longer til I feel myself again. I am happy that I know what's wrong with me. Thank you all.
I was on trazadone and paxil for years, probably at least 5, and it took one and a half years after going cold turkey on both of them to be able to sleep at night. A test at a sleep clinic determined that I was not getting any REM sleep. Zero. I don't take addictive drugs, so I refused ambien, and I persisted with my plan to get off these drugs. They truly are NOT addictive, but if you want to stop taking them due to side effects (such as weight gain), it can be very difficult due to sleeplessness. I don't know which drug caused the sleep problem when I got off them. The doctor at the sleep clinic said my brain was firing off 25 times per hour when I was trying to sleep, and that these jolts were severe enough to disrupt sleep every 6 minutes, resulting in no REM sleep. I figured it would be even worse to try to wean myself off, but who knows, maybe I took the tougher road. After the sleep study, which I took 9 months after going cold turkey, my General Practitioner prescribed lamictal, a non-addicting anti-seizure medication. The first night I thought I was in heaven because I slept for 2 hours! Gradually, my sleep increased until I was able to stop the lamictal, and I was sleeping 6 hours per night. In the meantime, though, I had developed "periodic limb movements at night," according to a neurologist, and later, I had "restless leg syndrome," a similar condition, only during the day. I can't describe how horrible these symptoms were -- not relevant here, except to note that the doctor said the lamictal could not be causing these symptoms. Funny, they went away immediately and entirely as soon as I stopped the lamictal. Goes to show how much doctors know about side effects. I hope this helps somebody.
I am the guest who posted on 12/20/09 about my withdrawal from traz. Another month has gone by and although I am still suffering from horrible anxiety and have lost another 4 lbs. (total 17, I look horrible) I think the effects of the traz withdrawal are gone. I am sleeping ok, no more tremors or clamminess or twitching. I believe that my anxiety at this point is due to perimenopause and if it wasn't for that I would be fine. I could talk about what I'm doing for perimenopause but that's for a diiferent website. I just wanted to let people who are trying to get off this med know that you will be fine, the side effects will pass, and most importantly- DON'T GO COLD TURKEY. btw, when I told my doctor about my experience he refused to acknowledge that it was caused by the traz withdrawal. He said he had never seen it happen before. I'm changing doctors.
i took it for 3 months, and i grew an immunity to it. i was on 300mg and it still wasnt working. i was getting ALL of the psychological symptoms while i was still taking it. i recently got some flu-like symptoms lately though, after being off for over a week.
I started Trazodone about 3 weeks ago. Mind you I was told 25MG to sleep for some health issues I have had with vertigo. The first night I tried that and nothing worked. The Dr. told me give it a few more days then try taking two which i did. Everything seemed to be going along fine until I took the pill before bed three days ago and started to have hallucinations. I would look at the walls and they seemed to be kind of melting. Then I felt a little weird until about an hour later the effects went away. Two nights ago I took the pill and again within 45 minutes I had a reaction. This time it was very adverse and everything below my neck went numb and I felt sick. I couldn't get off the floor for about 2 hours. When I woke up the next morning, my entire body felt like I had the flu. About an hour later I had another small attack with everything going numb and weird shooting numbness throughout my arms and head. Last night was horrible. Half of my face was numb and I kept getting shooting pains throughout my body. For two days since i last took my pill my body feels like it's been hit by a truck.