Moreaux
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2011
- Messages
- 1,917
I've been sober for over two years after using for seventeen years. I have worked closely with medical professionals regarding my treatment for years, and was always proactive in making decisions regarding treatment types and medications as I should be, I know my body and mental state better than they do. For years in active addiction I was my own pharmacist as many of us have been or still are. I knew my recreational drugs and I knew my psych meds.
I haven't been on medication for a while outside of a week long stint a few months ago after a surgery. Again, being my best pharmacist I decided the pain pills were causing more issues and not helping the pain so I switched over to Kratom - win win. Didn't relapse and ended up dropping my addict brain before it got carried away at the prospect of significantly stronger meds.
Last week I began taking Wellbutrin as I can't quite seem to stop smoking on my own, and have been battling the habit for the past couple of years. I figured the risk of an antidepressant was worth the reward of no longer smoking. Last week I also started began a certification course that had long hours , M - F, 0800 - 1700, and then five hours of homework in the evenings. As I am not used to these long hours I was understandably concerned about sleep as I was having to stay up later than usual. I figured I would take sleep meds 30 minutes before I was ready for bed, and as Wellbutrin has a stimulating effect on me I would add some Trazodone that I had on hand with some melatonin to ensure I fell asleep quickly and stayed asleep.
Well, I haven't gotten more that three hours of sleep a night this past week. I assumed it was the Wellbutrin, it tends to be a little stimulating for me. Last night I took 150mg of Trazodone in lieu of the 50mg I had been taking throughout the week, which worked well because the pills are 150mg and they are a pain to cut. Wrong answer. I got zero sleep last night. Instead, I layed in bed having to focus on my breathing, keeping a panic attack at bay, short circuiting wondering when I need to get my husband involved.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was going on, so I finally decided to check Wellbutrin interactions. Initially, I though Trazodone would be fine as it has been acceptable with every other antidepressiant I have ever been on, of course, previous antidepressants weren't in the same class as Wellbutrin, but I hadn't considered that. In short, I spent the night sitting on the edge of a siezure according to the drug interaction site I decided to visit. I got lucky.
The purpose of this write up is to remind you not to get complacent in your knowledge and make poor choices. I am so used to being my own pharmacist I made a newbie error because I operated off of an assumption. I check all new meds before I start them, but not Wellbutrin because I assumed it would be fine. I wanted to share because in sobriety it is easy to go off of past knowledge or make assumptions, particularly if you have some previous experience with the medication. As addicts, it's also easy to remember situations differently or incorrectly when we were actively using. It's also easy to make that mistake for a short term situation, and when we operate as our own pharmacist for so long, we make our own decisions and we may not do due diligence beforehand. I had taken Wellbutrin years ago, but I had not taken it with Trazodone, but I assumed I did. I remembered incorrectly. My doctor and pharmacist didn't warn me of the interaction because I told them I no longer took the Trazodone, which is true mostly - I save it for emergencies.
TLDR: Don't allow yourself to get complacent about combining meds because you think you know best. Take the time to look up interactions, even if you have a past history with a specific med.
I haven't been on medication for a while outside of a week long stint a few months ago after a surgery. Again, being my best pharmacist I decided the pain pills were causing more issues and not helping the pain so I switched over to Kratom - win win. Didn't relapse and ended up dropping my addict brain before it got carried away at the prospect of significantly stronger meds.
Last week I began taking Wellbutrin as I can't quite seem to stop smoking on my own, and have been battling the habit for the past couple of years. I figured the risk of an antidepressant was worth the reward of no longer smoking. Last week I also started began a certification course that had long hours , M - F, 0800 - 1700, and then five hours of homework in the evenings. As I am not used to these long hours I was understandably concerned about sleep as I was having to stay up later than usual. I figured I would take sleep meds 30 minutes before I was ready for bed, and as Wellbutrin has a stimulating effect on me I would add some Trazodone that I had on hand with some melatonin to ensure I fell asleep quickly and stayed asleep.
Well, I haven't gotten more that three hours of sleep a night this past week. I assumed it was the Wellbutrin, it tends to be a little stimulating for me. Last night I took 150mg of Trazodone in lieu of the 50mg I had been taking throughout the week, which worked well because the pills are 150mg and they are a pain to cut. Wrong answer. I got zero sleep last night. Instead, I layed in bed having to focus on my breathing, keeping a panic attack at bay, short circuiting wondering when I need to get my husband involved.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was going on, so I finally decided to check Wellbutrin interactions. Initially, I though Trazodone would be fine as it has been acceptable with every other antidepressiant I have ever been on, of course, previous antidepressants weren't in the same class as Wellbutrin, but I hadn't considered that. In short, I spent the night sitting on the edge of a siezure according to the drug interaction site I decided to visit. I got lucky.
The purpose of this write up is to remind you not to get complacent in your knowledge and make poor choices. I am so used to being my own pharmacist I made a newbie error because I operated off of an assumption. I check all new meds before I start them, but not Wellbutrin because I assumed it would be fine. I wanted to share because in sobriety it is easy to go off of past knowledge or make assumptions, particularly if you have some previous experience with the medication. As addicts, it's also easy to remember situations differently or incorrectly when we were actively using. It's also easy to make that mistake for a short term situation, and when we operate as our own pharmacist for so long, we make our own decisions and we may not do due diligence beforehand. I had taken Wellbutrin years ago, but I had not taken it with Trazodone, but I assumed I did. I remembered incorrectly. My doctor and pharmacist didn't warn me of the interaction because I told them I no longer took the Trazodone, which is true mostly - I save it for emergencies.
TLDR: Don't allow yourself to get complacent about combining meds because you think you know best. Take the time to look up interactions, even if you have a past history with a specific med.
