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Trip to ER, 24/7 headaches,dry mouth and general wretchedness..

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
My friends, I have been going through something very rough. I was at home, feeling terrible as usual, and actually, little more terrible as for the past few days I had experienced severe headaches, 24/7. Not migraine, not that intense, just a level of nonstop pain wrapped in a band across my forehead. Then came the dry mouth. From just parched to the gobI desert. And when the shit really hit the fan, and I collapsed I was unable to get up and struggling with my breath, straining to speak, my speaking voice had completely left me, due to the severe dryness. I had to write down my bro phone number, as I couldn't speak it. My neighbor came to help and called 911. The fireman were great, carried me Down 2 fights of stairs to the ambulance. Where occurred the predictable and rapid denouement. Tests normal (basically), give an I'V and medication for nausea and headache, and that was that. Not idea why I was left weak dizzy, gasping for air and unable to stand up. That's just another day at the office for us, right. (Did feel much better after the saline I've so am certain dehydration played a role- dry mouth maybe trazadone, which I had recently increased)

Now spending a few days with family until I'm comfortable being alone again. Uuuuuuuuggggghhhhhh. Do I need a work up, I don't know. I do know that terrible things are happening but no faith that anyone can find a damn thing wrong. I'll force myself to call my doctor tomorrow, and hope things get better. What else is there.???
 

Gypsy

Senior Member
Messages
123
Location
USA
Sorry to hear you're having such a rough time right now!! I was wondering, did these symptoms coincide with the trazodone increase? Some people do OK with a small dose, but a larger dose can cause crazy symptoms like headache, dizziness, nausea, extreme dry mouth, rapid heartbeat. I personally can not take it at all. I would not overlook this possibility- even if your doctor(s) brush it off!

Hope you can figure out what is causing these new symptoms.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I feel that we a lot of new problems and complications are due to medications. Drugs have so many side effects and many of us are very sensitive to medications and to increases of dosages. I'm sorry JAH that you had to go through this frightening experience. It sounds like symptoms of dehydration. How do you feel now?
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
JAH

Since you felt a lot better with a saline IV, why not get a couple a week? My autonomic doctor used to give patients 2 liters at a time as often as they needed them. He set it up with a hospital IV clinic to bypass the Emergency Room.

Best wishes,
Sushi
 

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
Thanks everyone for your support. I'm feeling better, but still having headaches, jaw pain, and fatigue is bad. I stopped the trazadone and dry mouth is gone, so I think that was a factor. I wonder if I could be having any trazadone withdrawal symptoms now? Anyone had problems going off trazadone? I have been having dry mouth for a few months but it was unbelievable on tues, literally couldn't talk. Only good thing about this bad stretch is that I'm sleeping better, so I didn't miss not taking trazadone for sleep. Still on ambien and doxepin for that - trazadone was for restlessness (after 2 drugs for restless legs syndrome caused vomiting!). I think I wrote my post under the influence of ambien, but that is for a different thread "the ambien chronicles - weird things I've done while on ambien."

JAH

P.s. I will bring up getting IVs with my doctor, until then be more vigilant with drinking fluids
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I'm glad you are feeling better. The Ambien is not enough for you to sleep? I have learned the hard way the dangers of taking too many drugs at once for sleep. If you can stay off the Trazodone - great!
 

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
I'm glad you are feeling better. The Ambien is not enough for you to sleep? I have learned the hard way the dangers of taking too many drugs at once for sleep. If you can stay off the Trazodone - great!

Unfortunately ambien isn't enough for me. I can be awake for hours after taking ambien. Though I have been falling asleep a little better lately. Not sure if you are like this, but sometimes when I feel,worse, I sleep better.

J
 
Messages
80
These sleep medications are bad news, and yet, we all need them!! Ambien was the bad one for me. Daytime fatigue and flu-like symptoms just kept getting worse and worse, chest tighter and tighter, could hardly get a breath. Thought it was just this disease getting worse. As I was laying in bed one day, unable to move, it hit me! It's the Ambien!! And it was! Things slowly improved from the first day off of it. I actually think I would be dead if I hadn't stopped taking it. Of course, I still had the insomnia issue to deal with and have had to find other ways to help with that.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I think that if the Ambien is not effective anyway and it gives you strange side effects, why not discontinue taking it?
 

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
These sleep medications are bad news, and yet, we all need them!! Ambien was the bad one for me. Daytime fatigue and flu-like symptoms just kept getting worse and worse, chest tighter and tighter, could hardly get a breath. Thought it was just this disease getting worse. As I was laying in bed one day, unable to move, it hit me! It's the Ambien!! And it was! Things slowly improved from the first day off of it. I actually think I would be dead if I hadn't stopped taking it. Of course, I still had the insomnia issue to deal with and have had to find other ways to help with that.

That is fascinating (and horrifying) that ambien had that effect on you. I'll ask my doctor if ambien could be the cause of any of my problems. I have been through about every sleep medication you can name, and although not great, works better than most for me. It also has retained it's efficacy, which the other drugs have not. I am addicted to it, which I hate, but what can I do? Last time I ran out of ambien, I was up until 6 am.
 
Messages
80
You can ask your doctor, but usually they have no idea of the side effects of these drugs and will just say "it can't be the Ambien". We have to do all the experimenting ourselves. I am now taking phosphatidylserine and some zinc (brings down high cortisol so you can sleep) along with very low dose amitriptyline for my insomnia. Has been working pretty well. I have Lunesta as a backup if I really can't sleep--it is a hypnotic like Ambien, but doesn't give me the same side effects. I can't say this would work for anyone else, but it might be worth trying.
 

Gypsy

Senior Member
Messages
123
Location
USA
Hi JAH

I don't know if you have POTS, but I have read by quite a few, including a Dr whose name escapes me, that Trazodone can make it much worse. It is one of those meds where a person will either have no side effects and love it 100%, or they get lots of side effects. As you already know, it is VERY drying/ dehydrating. It can also lower blood pressure markedly. Perhaps it can mess with mineral levels in the body? An electrolyte drink like Alacer ElectroMix may help?

P.S. I just saw you are on Doxepin also, that is also a very VERY drying anticholinergeic, one of the most potent antihistamines there is (I know it is an AD, but also acts as a strong antihistamine). You could be having a lot of dehydration from this combo of drugs. I know doctors deny side effects many times, but I think anyone would be dehydrated with trazodone and doxepin.

Have you tried Remeron? Lunesta? The new low dose sublingual ambien? Intermezzo? Maybe it would work better than regular ambien? Benadryl or doxlamine succinate (OTC) instead of doxepin?

I feel for you! We need meds, but it seems like 8/10 times the side effects are worse than the symptom we are attempting to treat!
 

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
I don't know what's going on, but the last couple of nights, about a half hour before I go to bed, I start feeling a burning in my stomach. Then get very shaky- I mean teeth chattering, shivering like chill's, but no infection. A a little trouble breathing. Called my doc and she told me to take an antacid and drink fluid with salt and sugar. This worked! She said my vagus nerve was stimulated by acid reflux. I have to get an MRI of my brain and a endocrine work up. Now my neck is killing me, headache some low back pain. I'm thinking maybe it is neurological, some vagus nerve problem. Chairi malformation? Whatever it is, Gatorade is the cure for the acute stuff, but feeling horrible otherwise. Anybody have this vagus nerve, acid reflux problem??

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read and respond to my post,

J
 

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
Hi JAH

I don't know if you have POTS, but I have read by quite a few, including a Dr whose name escapes me, that Trazodone can make it much worse. It is one of those meds where a person will either have no side effects and love it 100%, or they get lots of side effects. As you already know, it is VERY drying/ dehydrating. It can also lower blood pressure markedly. Perhaps it can mess with mineral levels in the body? An electrolyte drink like Alacer ElectroMix may

Weird thing is that I had just had some electrolyte mix before this all happened. Clearly not enough! I sort of like the doxepin because of the antihistamine quality, but I'll ask my doc if it is dehydrating. (I hadn't heard that)

Thanks for the input,
j
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I don't know what's going on, but the last couple of nights, about a half hour before I go to bed, I start feeling a burning in my stomach. Then get very shaky- I mean teeth chattering, shivering like chill's, but no infection. A a little trouble breathing. Called my doc and she told me to take an antacid and drink fluid with salt and sugar. This worked! She said my vagus nerve was stimulated by acid reflux. I have to get an MRI of my brain and a endocrine work up. Now my neck is killing me, headache some low back pain. I'm thinking maybe it is neurological, some vagus nerve problem. Chairi malformation? Whatever it is, Gatorade is the cure for the acute stuff, but feeling horrible otherwise. Anybody have this vagus nerve, acid reflux problem??

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read and respond to my post,

J


The vagus nerve is most active at night, according to my cardiologist. Some of us (me included!) have an overactive vagus nerve anyway (found out with autonomic testing), so anything that stimulates it can cause problems.

Sushi
 

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
Hi JAH

I don't know if you have POTS, but I have read by quite a few, including a Dr whose name escapes me, that Trazodone can make it much worse. It is one of those meds where a person will either have no side effects and love it 100%, or they get lots of side effects. As you already know, it is VERY drying/ dehydrating. It can also lower blood pressure markedly. Perhaps it can mess with mineral levels in the body? An electrolyte drink like Alacer ElectroMix may help?

P.S. I just saw you are on Doxepin also, that is also a very VERY drying anticholinergeic, one of the most potent antihistamines there is (I know it is an AD, but also acts as a strong antihistamine). You could be having a lot of dehydration from this combo of drugs. I know doctors deny side effects many times, but I think anyone would be dehydrated with trazodone and doxepin.

Have you tried Remeron? Lunesta? The new low dose sublingual ambien? Intermezzo? Maybe it would work better than regular ambien? Benadryl or doxlamine succinate (OTC) instead of doxepin?

I feel for you! We need meds, but it seems like 8/10 times the side effects are worse than the symptom we are attempting to treat!


Hi Gypsy,

My doc just diagnosed me with POTs! I'm sure I've had it all along, but never this bad. She is going to order saline IVs, so I'm hoping that will help. Still going through something, and having a lot of tests. A lot of headaches, not sure if POTs is the cause. Had an MRI of my brain (not fun when you have a headache), which was negative. Thanks again for your input on trazadone.

JAH
 

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
JAH

Since you felt a lot better with a saline IV, why not get a couple a week? My autonomic doctor used to give patients 2 liters at a time as often as they needed them. He set it up with a hospital IV clinic to bypass the Emergency Room.

Best wishes,
Sushi

My doc thinks like you, and just ordered saline IVs. Hope they help me...JAH