Trazodone For Insomnia

I have read the leaflet that came w/ my meds. Its listed as an antidepressant but was prescribed to me for insomnia. Two questions now.

1. Do I have to take it every night?
2. How worried should I be about the side effects?

Frankly, I've put off taking it because I've never been diagnosed w/ depression, just insomnia & migraine. Any concise info you can provide would be great! Just speak to me like a person, not a doctor. Thanks!

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Trazadone. First off Trazadone is a cocaine withdrawal pill. And I guess it is prescribed for insomnia as well. My doctor gave it to me to help me sleep. It most definitely put me to sleep. But the bad, bad, bad thing about this medication is it stops your nose up to point where its impossible to breath. The first time I took it I knew exactly how it made coke users get clean.

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Ellie Zarrabian, Ph.D. Says:
Tue, February 24, 2009

Hi,

I like to respond to your comment and I'll try not to sounds like a doctor but in case I do, I apologize :) It sounds like you are hesitant about taking the medication for insomnia. I would say listen to your self. If you feel uncomfortable with it, then try other routes that are not as invasive as mind altering medications with side effects. For example, mindfulness meditation has been shown to be very effective in alleviating pain, reducing anxiety and depression and insomnia. Look for works by Jon Kabat Zinn. He has authored many books and pioneered a program that I think you may benefit from. Take care.

Ellie Zarrabian, Ph.D.
California, United States
http://www.centeronpeace.com

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i just filled my script for 50mg trazadone for insomnia, my doc told me that dose is commonly used for just that and the higher doses are more for the other things.i will only take it after a few nights of restless sleep and he said that's not a problem.i took it monday and woke slept better but, i woke up feeling like every hair on my body was standing on end. it went away after a few hrs...

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This med is an antidepressant with a major side effect of causing drowsiness. It is much like the antihistamine Benadryl that has a major side effect of causing drowsiness. Thus you see Benadryl being used for insomnia. Also to address the stuffy nose, yes it is an anticholinergic and can cause stuffy nose and dry mouth, and blurred vision. However, it is widely used with relatively few side effects. Everyone is biologically different, and you might want to discusss this with your doctor or other health care professional if you still have problems or questions.

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ive been taking these tabs 6 weeks now 50 mg however after reading the side affect profile i was put off checked it out on wiki it looks bad on the surface but when u look a little deeper i found a lot of the articles for deaths possibly attributed and the negative side effects and to be fair without sounding to insensesitive
they were all on high doses taking lots of other drugs and in a real bad way check it out google it again and again i have a strong backgound in chemsitry and human biology however im not a doctor thats the disclaimer by the way ha ha ha please sign here
take care ps you cant drink gratefruit juice best to avoid it

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Beware with this medication. I was taking 150mg for 3 years, which was prescribed for depression and insomnia. I was not given any warning by my GP how my mind & body would become addicted to the medication and how bad the withdrawal symptoms are. I'm coming of the drug now but having to reduce the dosage bit by bit as the withdrawl effects are so bad. If you do decide to take the medication becareful that you do not become dependant on it as it's really hard to get off

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My partner was prescribed this medication after sleepless nights following triple bypass surgury. I don't recall why he decided to stop taking it but he ended up giving it to me. I know it is not wise to take anything without seeing a doctor first but that's just the way I roll lol. Anyway... as far as an effective sleep aid is concerned i find it mildly effective at best. Seems like it takes alot longer to take effect than others I have tried. I also find that it is not effective at all as far as staying asleep is concerned. I don't have any of the other side effects that others have mentioned here but I have noticed that my dreams are much more vivid and alot stranger than normal for me. Years ago I was on morphine for an extended period and the dreams and nightmares I experienced then are similar to the ones I have with Trazadone.

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I was prescribed Trazadone 100 years ago for depressikon and the nice side effect was it helped me sleep. But when I told my doc that I would awaken in the middle of the night cuz I couldn't breathe thru my nose; he looked at me like I was green. Maybe that was another side effect. Hee

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Trazodone has made me miserable. I have been taking it for 6 months and I am nervous, jittery, sleepy, dopy and appear to be drunk to some people. It helps with sleep but I want off of it now and need to know what to do.

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I have been on Trazodone for several years and my new Dr. wanted me to gradually stop taking it and switch to MyoCalm, which is a more natural alternative. I have been taking 100-150mg. at bedtime for sleep. It has been a very difficult thing getting off it. I have experienced all kinds of withdrawal symptoms, the worst being a crawling feeling all over my body. To make things worse, the MyoCalm is not really as effective as I need it to be. I will need to contact my Dr. to see what alternatives I have. I have been off the Trazodone for about 2 weeks and still my skin crawls etc. It's awful!!!

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to Blondieslp-
How did you taper off? How long did it take?Did you cut the pill in tiny pieces? I am having very scary symptoms when I try to cut off even a tiny amount.
I have racing, pounding heart,irreg. beat, electric jolts all over. I don't know what to do.

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I started coming down to 100mg. then I would cut that in half for about 1.5 wks then half of that (1/4 pill) for about 1.5 wks then stopped. I have not heard what my Doc wants me to do but I spoke with another Dr. I see and we decided to go back on a half pill (50 mg.) and take one Melatonin pill. I am finally able to sleep but not as good as before I started all this. Thanks to all of you for your comments and suggestions. I am hoping that sometime soon I can try again to get off and hopefully the melatonin will be enough. Thanks again!

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Blondieslp - It sounds as if you didn't have a very difficult time stopping the trazadone. That's great!
I hope that the 50 mg. & melatonin works for you.

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On the contrary, if you see my earlier post I had an awful time trying to get off it and then I couldn't sleep because the myocalm did not work for me. So, I had to go back on 50 mg. of Trazadone. I now also take a Melatonin tablet with it and can finally sleep much better. I will at some point try again to get off the Trazadone and hopefully manage with just Melatonin.

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I too am prescribed this medication for insomnia. I began taking it after notifying my specialist of difficulty falling asleep, juast after the slightly over-a-hour night drive home from work, the lights and attention required to make it home safely prevented me from sleeping. When I first took the medication I did oversleep. But the medication has in fact solved the issue of getting into bed at a reasonable time. I can not speak on behalf of nasal pathway issues as I do take antihistimines from the get-go. As for the claim about useage for illegal drug therapy, this is the first I ever heard of such a use, then again I don't go around huffing glue and dime bags of drywall.

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I had heard that Trazodone in doses of 200mg or less is for sleeplessness - and higher doses are used for depression. Just my $0.02

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I'm on 100mg of trzadone for insomnia, never been diagnosed with depression, but I tell you it works. And I have no side affects. It is a personal choice and everyone reacts differently.

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I was prescribed Trazodone for a sleep problem which I think the doctor, incorrectly in my view, assumed was due to depression. I found it to be absolutely useless. The dose was increased until I felt more ill than I've ever been in my life. I stopped it! I would advise you to steer well clear of any of these drugs. No one has a clue how they work. The simplistic explanations about Serotonin vastly underestimate the complexity of brain function. The best way to solve a sleep problem, as well as addressing obvious causes like pain, noise, lack of comfort etc. is to stop worrying about it. Lack of sleep never killed anyone. Its the anxiety and worrying that causes most of the suffering. I'm not being flippant. I had a really bad problem which nearly drove me over the edge. It takes time but if you can find a way to accept the situation and stop worrying, it will correct itself eventually.

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I was just prescribed this 3 weeks ago for insomnia and night time anxiety. Started off at 150 mg before bed which helped my sleep and anxiety throughout the day but left me in pain from muscle stiffness and also extremely fatigued They lowered my dose to 75 mg and the pain and lessened but my anxiety returned ten fold accompanied by the feeling that I am going completely psychotic. This medication is definitely one to watch out for. Know that it is extremely addicting and the withdrawals are some of the worst I've ever had. Take cautiously at low doses to save yourself from "losing it."

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Duh, no it isn't a coke withdrawal drug. Its an antidepressant! It's calming and sedating, which is probably what helps your withdrawal.

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Re: Jan (# 63)

This is me. I have Hypnagogia get familiar with this condition please. I is called before i sleep not like most people. Meaning it is not a sleep problem. Trazodone 100 mg. I do not take this often. Two pills since prescription was sent to me.

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1. Do I have to take it every night?

usually not. however it is an antidepresant so be careful.

2. How worried should I be about the side effects?

nightmares are common with trazadone.

mirtazapine is a newer and better (IMHO) medication; it is used for anxiety, sleep, anidepressant. problem with tradazone is that too many manufactorers starting making crud 30 years ago...

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I took Trazodone twice 100mg tablet. I did nothing for sleep. Took it around 12 midnight and still awake at 4 am

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Re: Diana (# 48)

Newest med for insomnia: Rozerem

I remember the hype of this cruft ~25 years ago. Rozerem is a joke. Better off with 5-htp or melatonin.

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Re: Optimistic (# 54)

the generic trazadone very low in quality, that makes up for 90% of complaints.

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1) What is desyrel?

it is common practice to prescribe generic trazadone for sleep in psychiatric hospitals because it is the cheapest hypnotic on earth.

The original drug DESYREL® was a square pill with a score - at that time (~30 years ago) the drug was considerably better. it actually worked!

2) How often to take?

most people will only take trazadone for the first few nights in a hospital. they will start to complain about the side effects, mainly drowsiness and "feeling out of it". Most people will not take trazadone again. The most frequent complaint is "why am I taking this crap?" I usually tell them that they were very tired and needed sleep.

3) What is the difference

nightmares. they will most likely prescribe something like minipress. for bad dreams.

do yourself a favor and try mirtazapine. this drug actually works consistantly.

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I’m sticking with Dreamwater which is a liquid form of GABA, tryptophan, and melatonin. I do this along with practicing some good sleep, habits like getting comfortable, and in bed an hour before I need to be asleep.

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trazadone [...]

< 1. Do I have to take it every night?

no.

< 2. How worried should I be about the side effects?

minimal. mirtazapine is a better drug (IMHO) but it can cause weight gain. traditional thought is; if it's working leave it alone.

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Re: Ellie Zarrabian, Ph.D. (# 2)

Sounds like you tried not to be a doctor. Philosophy. Prayer and controlled breathing after being verbally assaulted by someone helps me through the effects. I must take a clonazepam, too. I hold things in, and it felt like a pain in my chest last time. Still not over it. Guess I mourn it.
Had my back snap many years ago. Nerve damage in greater toe area. Been on pain meds since, though light ones called Tramadol. I still hurt and have an appointment to see a pain management professional. Lost my parents and two dogs about the same time. We were taking care of them and became very, very close. My Stepdad was my best friend. I didn't want to see people. I withdrew. My doctor has me where I want to be. Was taking 300 mg Trazadone by Qualitest a long time. No longer available, they gave me Teva and it was like taking water or nothing. Tried Trazadone by Apotex and it helped. However, I would awaken in less than two hours and stay up all night. No rest ran down my immune system. I got sick. My doctor did the best he could with the flu-like symptoms, but he aced the Trazadone problem.
He put me on another mild blood pressure med, olmesartan medoxomil, because I was racing. Put me on Prozac in the mornings. I take Fluticasone Propionate AM and before bed to help clear my draining(for years). Meloxicam helps with my leg cramps and pain. he took away the sleeping pill Zolpidem, and changed it to Extended Release Zolpidem TART ER. He changed my Trazadone to 200 mg at night. Make no mistake: Trazadone is made differently with different amounts of key ingredients from Qualitest, Apotex, and Teva. They are all different and accomplish different degrees of their intentions. Someone is not doing their jobs. My clonazepam is made by Accord and helps. All in all, my doctor helped me get over the weakness, the confusion, the short term memory loss, and everything else caused by the absence of Qualitest Trazadone. Senior citizen here. Watch your loved ones' meds and reactions when changed. It was not a good time for me. My chest is still sore, though.
Maybe my heart was beating too fast trying to control myself. See how lucky they are? Hope this helps.

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Re: scott (# 1)

It’s an SSRI. And yeah I had that same problem I ended up with a horrible sinus infection.
Plus this pill made me REALLY irritable the whole next day. It’s listed as a side effect but my doctor acted like she never heard of it. I have plenty of Serotonin so that’s probably why I had such a bad reaction to it.

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