Trazodone For Insomnia
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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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REPORT

No you do not, if using for insomnia, unless chronic, but it makes me super tired and zombie like. It was supposed to help with pain, I did not notice as half asleep even an hour after waking. Maybe start with half the dosage if your Dr approves. I did sleep all night but waking up was almost impossible for me.

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Re: Diana (# 67)

"I have been on Ambien for over 6 years and the original formula worked for me, the new one does not,"

yes, the original Ambien works. no you are not immune to the drug.
the original Ambien was yellow, labeled Ambien, and came with a warning. do not score or break the pill; do not take anything less than 10mg and do not take anything more than 10mg, and wait 24 hours between doses.

if 10mg of Ambien is too string for you - then please do not take it!

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I have been taking Trazodone for several yrs. I take 50 mg. for a few nights, then I have to take 100 mg. for a night or 2, THEN I go without any the next night. They sure don't last long. When they do work, I do sleep. But I don't want to go any higher.

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Just from my experience as an insomniac of 20 years after my daughter was born at 36, I have had the gamut of ridiculous meds for treatment. Tramadol is one of the worst. It would make me so brain fuzzy that I would end up in bed more than not, and though it made me sleep obviously, it was hard to get up the next day. Brain fog!! The last time I took just one over a year ago (to see) and it was still the same result for me, super tired and low energy, and the dreaded brain fog. I have had gabapentin prescribed even. Many MDs just throw whatever they think might stick and not a controlled substance. I have been on Ambien for over 6 years and the original formula worked for me, the new one does not, or I may be immune at this point. But at least no brain fog or fatigue, I would ask for real sleep aides, not drugs meant to treat other issues. Sidebar, my dog broke his leg and was given tramadol by vet, I grabbed wrong bottle one day and took his med instead of mine, and it worked better than mine, with no side effects. Sadly vets can't administer to people, and as a decade ago I did not know how to tell all this info like on this site about where from, etc that makes each drug different. Good luck.

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Re: steve g (# 64)

Be aware that Trazodone is a known trigger for PGAD (persistent genital arousal disorder). Before all the jokes start - imagine this: for men - persistent erections that will not easily subside. Also, orgasms and ejaculations at any time during your day, includes things like talking to your boss, praying in church. Eventually, you're in pain. For women, multiple orgasms, to the point of exhaustion and pain, any time of the day or night. Riding in the car, talking to your boss, making a presentation. The orgasm does not fulfill the sexual desire. People have surgery, use numbing creams and take medication to slow it down. It's a nightmare of a disorder. Trazodone is a trigger, but no one tells you about it. Luckily, if Trazodone is your trigger - stop taking it and it's fixed. Trazadone also causes other neuropathies. It can be a very bad drug.

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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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Currently taking trazodone 159mg for sleep and oxycodone/acetaminophen 10-325mg. I'm worried about not waking up because of my copd, should i be?

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Does anyone know why it causes the stuffy nose? And does Amitryptaline do the same thing? I recently started Amitryptaline and after a couple weeks I have a blocked ear and sinus problems on one side. I can’t tell if it’s from the Amitryptaline or if I am just getting sick. I stopped taking it because it made me feel unwell in other ways, but it helped me sleep so if the Amitryptaline isn’t causing the same congestion problems I may try it again.

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Re: scott (# 1)

First off, Trazodone is an antidepressant. They may have given it to you for coke withdrawals, but that’s not what it is.

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I took a 100mg Trazodone last night, and 20 mins later I felt drunk, (I quit drinking 4 months ago) and my heart rate went to 124 bpm. My nose stopped up to where I couldn’t breath thru either nostril, and I was scared s***less. Thought I was having a stroke. Finally did some breathing exercises and my heart slowed down, but restless leg kicked in. Dr prescribed it to me for sleep, but I’m not taking anymore.

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Re: robert (# 3)

The dose for Insomnia is 50 to 100mg. If one doesn’t work try taking 2 - 50mg tablets. It is recommended that you take Trazodone with or right after a meal. Eat a snack b/4 bed, then take Trazodone, if your doc told you to take it b/4 bed. Taking Trazodone with food or right after lessens dizziness and drowsiness!

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