trazodone w/d and seroquel w/d

[rae001]

Hi to everyone, I used this board in 2006 to withdraw from 222mg of effexor. It took me a year. I felt better in about 6 months and then tried to come off of klonopin by crossing over to 20mg of valium using the Ashton method. I made it off but was too weak and started to take klonopin again. For some crazy reason I tried to get the klonopin to work for more that a year. I became so sick that I had Dr. put me in hospital and c/t the klonopin. Today is the 81st day of being benzo free. The reason I'm writing hear is because the Dr. put me on 100 mg of seroquel 2 weeks ago. I can't believe that I even took the poison, but I'm too sick to get off of this right now(I think). When he started the c/t he also prescribed 50mg of trazodone. I have just weaned myself down to 1/4 of tablet or about 12mg of trazodone in one week. Does anyony have any advice on this. I've felt some trembling, but that has pretty much subsided. I have felt nothing but better. Should I stay at 12mg for now, or should keep reducing. It was giving me pretty bad symptoms while I was at the total dose. I have read other sites that says there is no trazodone withdrawal.
Also, if anyone has experiences concerning seroquel withdrawal , I would really appreciate it. Oh, I'm really still in the throws of benzo withdrawal now.

[GiannaK]

hi Rae,
I came of Seroquel...it can be nasty, but your real issue is the benzo c/t withdrawal not Seroquel. You haven't been on Seroquel long enough to have the brain changes that neuroleptics cause.

The thing is with the cold-turkey benzo withdrawal I can't say if it's safe to come off the Seroquel now even though in general if someone is on it only two weeks it isn't a really big deal.

Once people are on Seroquel (or any other neuroleptic) 6 months and more then they can expect the brain changes that neuroleptics cause and the withdrawal from those drugs become more difficult and potentially dangerous. Neuroleptics will lower the threshold for psychosis in everyone, not just people who have been psychotic prior to being on them and so if you end up on the Seroquel for some time you do need to go very very slowly.

I'm just sorta giving you info I'm aware of for your information because I really don't know how to advice you to proceed at this precise time, but information about the class of drug you're on hopefully can help you decide what makes sense for you when you're ready to make a decision.

Trazadone can and does cause some withdrawal for some folks but not everyone.

I hope others here can give you more info so that you can collect enough to make some sort of fruitful decision.

best to you.

[Songbird]

Originally Posted by GiannaK

Once people are on Seroquel (or any other neuroleptic) 6 months and more then they can expect the brain changes that neuroleptics cause and the withdrawal from those drugs become more difficult and potentially dangerous. Neuroleptics will lower the threshold for psychosis in everyone, not just people who have been psychotic prior to being on them and so if you end up on the Seroquel for some time you do need to go very very slowly.

Yikes, I was on Seroquel for a few months last year, the p-doc told me it was 'not addictive'! It also gave me muscle twitches, mainly in my legs, which have reduced in severity and frequency since stopping, but have still not gone away completely even now (I finished Seroquel last December). I weaned off it by cutting down by a quarter of a tablet every few days. I had no problem getting off it, but seems that was because I had not been on it for long.

[GiannaK]

yes, short term use is relatively unproblematic, but once one gets into many months and then years people can have as hard a time coming off neuroleptics as they do SSRIs and benzos...it's just less likely that people who end up on neuroleptics long term will choose to come off so there is less information on withdrawal floating around.

I've come off every class of psychotropic now and worked extensively with populations who were on all classes of psychotropic drugs as well so I've been witness to how difficult it can be once people are on them long term as well as having my own personal hellish experience.

I've been neuroleptic free for almost a year now after 20 years of astronomically high doses of Risperdal and then both Risperdal and Seroquel for the last few years.

It's a rocky road. I'll be glad when I'm 100% drug free so I can actually tell what is going on.

I have 7 mg of Valium left to go.

[GiannaK]

I just did my signature and it looks like I'm contradicting myself. I said I was on Risperdal for 20 years...that was short hand for neuroleptics...I started out with the old school stuff...Thorazine!!

So my whole history actually goes back 25 years on psych meds starting at age 19. I did a bit of "non-compliance" when I was young and less brain washed and started hard-core long term use at around age 25.

sorry to sorta change the topic...was just fixing my signature which was pretty bare bones.

[samantha]

I took trazadone for a while for sleep - almost every night - years and years ago (maybe 10 years ago now.) I was on 50 mg's. All I remember is that I felt I didn't need it anymore, stopped taking it and had absolutely no problems. I may have just been lucky but it was one med I never weaned and had no negative effect from. Maybe because I was so doped up on paxil I couldn't notice a difference

[rae001]

Thanks eveyone for the info. I'm in really pretty severe benzo withdrawal right now. I think that I will quit the trazodone completely, and then try to get off of the seroquel. Does anyone think that seroquel could be helping me?
The withdrawal is so bad that it is hard for me to tell right now. I do know that the trazodone was making it (the w/d) worse. Thanks

[GiannaK]

rae,
it's likely that if you're sleeping (are you?) the seroquel is allowing that to happen...seroquel is grossly sedating...so it very well may be taking the edge off to some degree if you are indeed sleeping...

whether that is actually "helping" you is debatable though. It maybe making you feel less intensely in general, but it's likely not healing you. Neuroleptics are major tranquilizers...they essentially just know the crap out of you. That is the only reason they're effective they stop our brains from functioning right and feeling what is there.

You need to simply see what you can tolerate. I don't believe in masochism as much as I loathe these drugs we need to do what makes sense for us in any given moment...

you have some time in which it is okay to take the seroquel in terms of you not becoming overly dependent if you find you can't get off it immediately.

you may also find that less seroquel would be enough too...I used to take 25 mg for a while and it would put me out for 14 hours...so 100 mg may be more than you need even if you find it helpful for the time being.

[GiannaK]

that was supposed to be knock...not know! sorry

[eileen]

Hi, re the Trazodone WD, I reduced mine by 12.5mg in June and had some withdrawal symptoms, such as joint pain but nothing like Paxil withdrawal. I am on it a long time so will go off it gradually.
I think it's wise to only do one withdrawal at a time for success. Good Luck!
Eileen

[Songbird]

Originally Posted by GiannaK

you may also find that less seroquel would be enough too...I used to take 25 mg for a while and it would put me out for 14 hours...so 100 mg may be more than you need even if you find it helpful for the time being.

Wow, when I was in severe paxil w/d last year I needed 200mg Seroquel to get to sleep at first. I started off trying 25mg and it did nothing at all. I slept for a normal amount of time and felt okay the next day, it certainly didn't knock me out. However, at the time my body was totally speeding from a ton of adrenaline from the Paxil w/d.

[GiannaK]

well I was on 11 mg of Risperdal which is the equivalent of about 2000 mg of Seroquel...but it's not as sedating...

but NOW if I take either drug it messes me up so bad it's not even funny...

i've become hypersensitive and tolerate NOTHING.

the last time I took seroquel this is what happened---from a blog post over a year and a half ago--I hadn't taken it in a year and a half and was suffering from withdrawal from the drug I was going off of at that point:

In any case, I took the Seroquel. It made me sleep alright. A good 11 hours. It also turned me into the nasty ***** from hell. And the fogged out of my head ***** from hell. And the suicidal ***** from hell and the crying, eyes rolling back into my skull ***** from hell—graphic courtesy of my husband. I had no idea my eyes were rolling.



totally frightening experience...and I will NEVER take it again.

[GiannaK]

my goodness you can't say b - i - t- c - h on here??

they even say that on mainstream TV

[rae001]

Thanks to everyone for replying to me. I have been on trazodone 50mg for about 2 1/2 month, started because of klonopin c/t w/d at the first of June. It took me a while because of the severe klonopin w/d, but I finally realized that the trazodone was making my symptoms worse. So last week I reduced my trazodone to 1/4 of a tablet or about 12mg. I thought I was not going to have to many symptoms, but last night I decided not to take any trazodone. I hardly slept at all, and that was after taking 100mg of seroquel. Then this morning I was really nervous and thinking very abnormally. So at last I took just a few crumbs ( a suggestion I read in Dr. Breggins book) and within 15 minutes I felt better. So, I know that I'm having w/d from the trazodone. It has only been a little more that a week since I started w/c from the trazodone. So tonight I thought I would take another 1/4 of a tablet and stay there until I feel stabilized(I guess until I sleep again). If anyone reads this and has a better idea, I would appreciate it. I thought I would be lucky and not have any w/d, but apparently I'm wrong. Thanks everyone.

[rae001]

I remember my w/d from effexor. It was really bad. I did it by taking the capsules apart, counting the beads, and reducing each week). It took me a week. I wish for everyone a good w/d.

[Songbird]

Originally Posted by rae001

So tonight I thought I would take another 1/4 of a tablet and stay there until I feel stabilized(I guess until I sleep again).

That is kind of how I tapered the Seroquel. I cut my dose by a quarter tablet, I found I was able to sleep but the sleep quality was not good at first, then it gradually improved over a few days, and then I cut again.

[rae001]

Thanks Songbird for the info. I'm taking seroquel XR. I've been told by someone on another board that I need to change it to nonextended release because I shouldn't cut the XR tablets.

[GiannaK]

yes Rae,
one should never cut or crush extended release pills...that's good advice.

It's dangerous to cut an extended release pill because they are formulated to slowly release...if you cut or crush them it damages the formulation and one can get way too much drug too fast.

[rae001]

I'm back for an update. I appreciate everyones advice concerning the seroquel. I am still taking it, but I have reduced the trazodone to just a piece(less than 1/8 of a 50mg pill). I did have some withdrawal, but I'm feeling better since I have gotten it out of my body. I think that I will be completely off of the trazodone in at least 1 week. I'm still worried about taking the seroquel. In fact I almost have a panic attack everynight when it's time to take it. But this klonopin withdrawal is so bad, that I'm afraid to stop as well. I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. If I was normal, it wouldn't be so bad. I'm thinking that I will get off of the trazodone completely, and then try again to go to non XR seroquel again, and then try to taper again. If anyone has some advice, I would welcome it. The seroquel is killing my brain, am feeling more brain dead everyday. Oh, I'm at 100mg XR seroquel in evening. Thanks.

[Songbird]

Sounds like you're doing well with the trazodone w/d. Once you are off that and feel stable, try a switch to the non XR seroquel and see how it goes. It is a tricky situation, you have to try to find the right balance - you should normally only taper one drug at a time and it can take some time to recover from benzo w/d, but at the same time you don't want to stay on the Seroquel for too long. If the switch goes okay, then you should be able to start reducing down your seroquel dose a little at a time.

[rae001]

Songbird, thanks for the reply. I'm down to just a piece of trazodone. I think in a week or so I will know how I'm doing. I'm still in terrible throws of benzo withdrawal. I'm having terrible brain disfunction. It's all I can I do to keep a straight thought in my head. I'm so fearful of the seroquel. I wish I hadn't taken it. I know now that I wouldn't have taken the seroquel if it weren't for the trazodone reaction, but it's too late now. I've been on seroquel for about a month. I hope that if I take it another month or so, I will be ok to withdraw.Thank you for the help.

[eileen]

Good Luck Rae.
Eileen

[rae001]

Eileen, thanks for stopping by. I was on paxil for a while. I'm so glad that you are off it. I withdrew from effexor in 2006. It took me a year. I thought that was bad, but this benzo thing is the worst thing that has ever happened in my life. I'm into the 4th month off and I'm just barely hanging in there. And each night when I take the seroquel, I almost throw up. I'm just not stable to think about reducing it now. I'm really scared about the seroquel, but don't know what to do. Congratulation on getting off of paxil1

[eileen]

Rae, I think that cold turkey from anything is very hard. I'd try not to worry too much about the seroquel right now as you need some help with your benzo withdrawal. We can only do one thing at a time.

I plan on cutting Trazodone another 12.5 mg this month and staying there until I do my benzo withdrawal beginning in January. I've done everything very slowly and for me it's the best way. I'm switching over to valium for the ativan withdrawal but I understand that it's harder with K. Good Luck and take care.

Eileen

[jule1]

Rae,

I just want to know how in the world you made it off Effexor????