hello, i have a problem that has just occurred a few days ago. but first let me explain.

i am a male of 20 years old, i was recently prescribed the sleepaid trazodone for insomnia. it is also given as an antidepressant. i have only been taking it for a short time. about 40 pills worth. once a day, 50mg. i also consume alcoholic beverages and recently have occasionally used cocaine.

last saturday i consumed a lot of alcohol than neccessary and did a very very small amount of cocaine, and smoked marijuana for the first time in a long while. before going to sleep that night i took half a pill of trazodone, when i normally would have taken a full pill. the next morning (sunday) i felt how i normally would have the day after doing what i did, the slight hangover feeling. later that day i took a nap, being really tired and worn out. when i woke up i realized i didnt feel any different, the hangover feeling was still there i was actually severely depressed. i decided to take a full trazodone pill, which didnt help me goto sleep for a few more hours afterwards. the next day (monday) i still didnt feel any better, so i thought it was the medicine i was taking, so i decided not to take it monday night. which was the first time in over a month i did this. i thought i was cured from the feelings i had, until i went to class. when i went to class, i was overwhelmed by the feeling of confusion, restlessness, nausea, the lack to focus, immense dizziness/lightheadedness, and a feeling of extreme heat. i noticed that time went by incredibly slowly, and this was the worst feeling i ever experienced.

i have never felt anything like this before to this extent (lasting nearly an hour), and ever since that day i havent felt that way. all i feel now is a heavy feeling in the center of my forehead, which would be easily said as a 'hangover' feeling, which hasnt gone away. this leads me to the feeling of dizziness/lightheadedness, slight confusion, and the lack to focus. i mostly found out that when i am sitting or standing is when i feel this way. when i lay down i feel fine. i have also been overwhelmed by the feeling of tiredness. the feeling as if i goto sleep i might feel better.

i still have not taking anymore trazodone, even though it is probably not advised to quit 'cold turkey.' and i also have read various posts on this board of people with similar feelings, but i have not read anyone with these feelings from antidepressants.

so my question is, after this long story, is if anyone could give me some insight on what could be going on? is it a bad affect to the sleeping pills i was taking that were coincidently antidepressants? or could it be due to the street drugs i have used (eventhough i have hardly used them)?

i understand that it could be anxiety. but ive only felt one immense 'attack' since these symptoms occur, but mostly just feel spaced out.

i also wanted to include that a couple days before this happened, the pills i were taking made me have a want to stay home and lay in bed all day, which is what i do now. except now i have a feeling of disoreintation. so im leading to thinking that these changes im occurring has happened from the sleeping pills, but i would rather have other peoples thoughts and insights about it. also, i came here for help, and that i -do- know the dangers of using drugs, even occasionally, so i ask if you please do not ridicule me for my usage but instead help me.

i will probably be going to the doctor tomorrow/next available appointment, but i do not expect much. so i thank anyone who could help me and has beared through this long post and can help me in any way.

Dear Empty, This morning I wrote you a long, extensive reply but it didn't show up, I'm not sure why.
Basically, what I said was, it's probably a drug interaction problem you're having. Trazadone is one of those medications that does not mix well with strong pain meds, etc. I took it with a Fentenyl patch for severe pain & had such a drug interaction I though I'd die. My heart was slamming, I was deathly ill, nauseated, hot and terrified, it lasted about an hour. The next day I was exhausted but got in to see a doc and that's what she called it--an interaction. I had to discontinue the strong pain med (fentenyl) even though it was really helping my pain. AND, I had to cut way down on the trazadone until I felt better. Good luck at the doctor. Be honest, tell him/her everything. Believe me, it's nothing they haven't heard before! Once this gets straightened out, you'll be fine. God bless.

Dear Empty, How are you doing today? Have you seen a doctor yet? Thiis is very frightening for you I know, so please write and let me know how yyou're doing. Hang in there!

Dear Empty - try not to worry, exactly the same thing happened to me! I woke up after a night out (which included alcohol and drugs) with the worst hangover I'd ever had. And it didn't go away. I felt completely spaced out, foggy, unreal, tense, shaky and with that horrible heavy feeling in my head. I had no idea what it was and suffered for two whole years before finally accepting that I suffer from anxiety. It really can appear overnight, and it can be related to even a small amount of drug use. Now that I understand what's wrong with me, I'm starting to work out ways to control it and reduce it

So you could be suffering from anxiety too - see what your doctor thinks. You could also check out the stress/anxiety board here, there's lots of useful info.

Take care and let us know how you get on.

Bunty

thank you so very much for your replies.

since my first post i still have not seen a doctor. i plan to, but it is hard to get an appointment. but there is somewhat good news, which is that i have been feeling a lot better.

yesturday was my first day of going back to class and i did not have a panic attack, nor anything close to what i experienced the last time. all i experienced was a slight lack to concentrate and focus on things. which i experienced last week, but this time was not nearly as bad.

after continuous searching on the internet, i have found out that the abruptly quitting of antidepressants can cause the symptoms that i am experiencing. they should be tapered off gradually, but since i have finals in two days, i am currently not willing to experiment anymore with this medicine until i talk to a doctor, and just hope i can do halfway decent with this now somewhat cloudy head i have. although with all this said i still have not ruled out any other possibilities.

i do have questions for my repliers though.

sukers - first, thank you so much for your replies. i was wondering if you could tell me how long it was until you felt better while you were on the lowered dose of trazodone? also what was your doseage and what did your doctor lower it to?

bunty - i also thank you so much for your reply. i have read some of your posts and responses to other people with similar problems which is why i included the street drug usage in my original post in the first place. i was wondering when you said 'the worst hangover I'd ever had' did you mean that it felt worse than any hangover you ever had? or did you mean that in a different context? also, did you after a short period of time feel any better? and have you done anything that helped to make you feel better?

i apologize if these questions are too personal by any means, and i thank you so much for your replies and help.

Hi again! By the 'worst hangover I'd ever had', I meant that I woke up that morning with all the symptoms of my usual drug/alcohol hangover, but amplified by 100! However, there was also something different about that hangover - I had an unbearable feeling of unreality and disorientation. I couldn't grasp the meaning of things around me, and I really thought that I was going crazy. Prior to that morning I'd experienced the unreality feeling a few times, generally after taking drugs, but only for a couple of hours at a time. This time the unreality feeling was much much worse and didn't go away - not the next day, or the next, or the next! That week was absolutely horrendous, I can't believe I actually got through it.

Since then I've had good patches and bad patches, but even in the good patches there's still a vague sense of unease. It's as though the feelings are bubbling away all the time, but sometimes they are nearer to the surface than others.

I hope that answers your questions - feel free to ask more!

How are you getting on? It's good to hear you're feeling a bit better. Try not to worry about your exams - it's amazing what you can do even when you feel as though you're losing it completely!

Bunty

Oh I forgot to say that the things that have been most helpful for me are anti-anxiety meds, exercise, relaxation and breathing techniques and a general acceptance and understanding of what's wrong with me, and how my body and brain work.
Bunty

a similar happened to me and has persisted (although not as profound today) for nearly three years.

i am very slowly reovering with the assistance of anti anxiety meds, anti deprressent meds, relaxation, and exercise