Trazodone Withdrawal

Trazodone is one of the most popular depression medications used today. It is effective in treating depression and all its related disorders like anxiety, mood swings, unexplained weight gain and loss, etc. On the other hand, trazodone is also one of the most effective medication used to treat insomnia or sleep disorders. Trazodone is found to be useful in treating disorders like manic depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, suicidal behavior, etc. Due to its several uses, it is very popular and used by many people all over the world.

An Overview on Trazodone Withdrawal
Unfortunately there are several side effects, withdrawal symptoms and overdose side effects related with nearly all depression medications. Therefore, like all depression medications, trazodone should be taken only with doctor's consultation and prescription. Initially the doctors prescribe a small dose (150-200 mg per day) to people. Later, the dose is increased in order to give relief to the person. As the person gets relieved from the disorders, depression and sleeplessness, he also gets addicted to this drug. This is one of the biggest disadvantage of trazodone, that people get addicted to it very quickly. Once the treatment gets over, there is an abrupt discontinuation of the usage of trazodone which leads to withdrawal symptoms.

Side Effects
Most of the time, people are unaware of the side effects that arise from discontinuation of this drug and hence experience severe health concerns. Among the general symptoms, headache, feeling of illness and discomfort, nausea, dry mouth and vomiting are the common ones that are experienced when one ends the intake of trazodone abruptly. Apart from these, the following is a list of withdrawal effects that one must be aware of:

• Irritability
• Aggression
• Dizziness
• Anxiety
• Blurred vision
• Brain zaps
• Loss of consciousness
• Frequent urination
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Lack of concentration
• Insomnia
• Impaired speech
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Diarrhea
• Severe chest pain
• Chills

Not all symptoms are observed in people at the same time. One may experience a single or a combination of trazodone withdrawal symptoms at a time. Secondly, if a person misses his dose on a single or more than one occasion, he experience some of the above mentioned symptoms. Sometimes, a person may experience severe insomnia (more than what it was prior to the use of the drug) on discontinuation of this drug. One must have observed that among all withdrawal symptoms, weight loss or weight gain is not observed. Hence, if one experiences it, it is considered as a result of some other cause.

Treatment
One may wonder, what can be the effective method of controlling and treating this condition. One should remember that this condition is temporary and improves as time passes. The duration of withdrawal differs from person to person and can last for several days or weeks. However, the doctor may prescribe medication to treat other symptoms associated with it. In order to prevent this condition, it is essential to reduce the dosage of this drug gradually. In most of the cases, this helps in overcoming trazodone withdrawal side effects to a great extent. However, in some cases, if it does not work, the doctors go back to the original dosage and again reduce it more gradually.

As a concluding note, one should remember that antidepressant medications should only be taken in severe cases of disorders and only with the doctor's consultation as ignorance about the usage can lead to life-threatening conditions. Take care!