Some Risks Of Trazadone

Is anyone else worried about the possible side effects of tardives dyskinesia or akathesia or dystonia? Does anyone know how rare it is to get these on a lower dose of 50 mg. for sleep? Please share if you have encouraging info on this. I have anxiety & I worry every time I have any facial twitches or unusal sensations, likely caused by my anxiety.
Otherwise, it does help for sleep. :~) I've taken it for 3 years for insomnia.

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They are very rare side effects, anyway, which means they would be even less likely to occur at the lower doses.

I'm not going to try to tell you there isn't any risk, but if you've already been taking it for years, that means your risk of developing them is even lower.

Learn more Trazodone details here.

Have you discussed your concerns with your doctor?

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Thank you so much! That is a very comprehensive website. I spoke to the Dr. yesterday regarding my concerns, and she said that in her 36 years of practice she has never seen any of those reactions from trazadone alone.If they were taking a neuroleptic drug or antipyschotic drug with it, that was different. Also I talked to pharamacists who told me that it is quite rare & wouldn't worry about it. One said maybe 1 in 1,000. Another said maybe 1 in 10,000 or 100,000. Now those odds sound much more reassuring than 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000!! :~)
Deep inside I am still terrified of that small risk. I was told that women are more likely to get it, especially older women. Also, they said longer you take it and the higher the dosage, the higher the risk. I am so glad that I am not taking more than 50 mg., yet I have heard that it is very hard to discontinue it , especially when taken for sleep, because the insomnia returns with a vengence. I also have anxiety, and that is supposed to increase considerably when tapering off it. I tried to cut it back by 1/4 pill one night, and I had awful irregular heart rhythms, racing, pounding heart, & electric like zaps in my body.I took the 1/4 pill & they subsided in about 20 minutes.(possibly the pyschological dependence they describe)
I told my Dr. about that & she said I would need to shave off a tiny amount with a razor blade and decrease it in tiny amounts every few weeks or so if I decide to stop the medication. No other help offered.
I have heard that a naturopathic Dr. can give you amino acids that can help withdrawal symptoms.
People who just take it occassionally can likely taper off without many problems, but if taken for years every night, it can be a real nightmare. (no pun intended) If I can lose the fear of the possiblity of TD or other scary effects, I will stay on it because it does help me with insomnia.When I went on it 3 years ago I was only sleeping 2-3 hrs. a night. I don't know what it might be like now, but I wouldn't take any Z drugs like Ambien.
I'd have to try some natural alternatives. Anyway, thank you once again for your concern and help. I will need to decide if the risk is small enough to continue taking it.
Blessings...

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