Trazadone for sleep

Hey guys, I have a quick question about trazadone for insomnia. LLMD prescribed it for me b/c I literally do not sleep. This has been a lifelong problem, and at age 16 I tried trazadone for sleep & it didn't help at all- in fact I had a bad experience with it.

I was anxious about trying it again, but I did take 100mgs last night . I took it at 11:30 & slept from 2:30/3:00 am to 6:25 am ( which was awesome!) what wasn't so awesome was that I felt weird & laid back down & was basically paralyzed (but awake ) until a few minutes after 2 pm. Even after I was able to move again I felt stranger than usual.

Anybody have any thoughts or suggestions? Any experiences w/ using trazadone this way? Do you think the next day effects will gradually lessen? How long does it usually take to kick in? I'd really appreciate any ideas!

Thanks Rikki1! I'll try 50 mg tonight & see if that's any better. It's also good to know that your wife's next day side effects did wear off after a few days! Its a good reason to give my body a while longer to get used to it before I decide I can't take it.

The inability to move thing is really scary... but so is long term sleep deprivation...

I tried every thing Rx, over the counter, herbs, melatonin ect., yes everything mentioned on this forum.

What worked best for me was nightime liquid cough syrup and one advil PM. And magnessium glycinate helps some too. Dont need liquid flue or cold as that has actual meds in it you dont need.

YOu can try that for $7 at walmart, $12 at walgreens - yep it works.

This is a very small investment and I'm betting you will get some sleep from it.

When my adrenals were bad I took holy basil too ($10 adrenal adaptogen).

Prior to that I got 3 hrs a night -total zombie.

Hi everybody, thanks for all the responses!

decarte3, I totally know that lion waking from a tranquilizer felling !
astroman, I will definitely check out the liquid nighttime cough medicine, that's one thing I've not tried.!

Sorry to hear you also have sleep issues , The Dude. I haven't tried seeing a sleep doc /getting a sleep study, although maybe I should ! I can imagine the environment in a sleep lab wouldn't be very good for sleeping...

I don't have any experience with Trazodone in regards to Lyme, but I did take it in for a few years when I was having insomnia. I agree with what Rikky1 said 100mg is a lot to start with. I believe I started on either 50mg or it was maybe even 50 mg broken in half. It worked great for a while but I did end up increasing my dosage until one day my insomnia kind of went away on its own and I found I didn't need it anymore. My main side effect from it was grogginess the next day and dry mouth. I also found that my breath was worse than before (probably from the dry mouth) and that would last for quite a while into the next day despite numerous brushings. That being said Trazodone was a godsend for me back when I needed it.

Keep in mind Trazodone is an anti-depressant that is off-label prescribed for sleep. The way it was explained to me is that in smaller doses (I believe less than 150mg, but it was so long ago I don't quite remember) the anti-depressant effects don't kick in so you basically just get the sleep-aid part of it. That being said as with any anti-depressant please be sure to self monitor and if you start having any emotional disturbances that are new or unusual talk to your doctor! I don't mean to sound like a commercial, but have a bit of a background in psychology/ some first hand experiences so like to remind everyone to self monitor when taking a new psychiatric medication.

Another few things to add as general ideas that might help insomnia (this is based on a sleep psychology class I took in college) try not to do anything in bed except sleep. If you use your cell phone, laptop, read, anything but sleep your brain associates your bed with those other things and not a place to gain rest. It also can help to try going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time everyday (if possible for you, I know different people have to change depending on work and/or other commitments). I forget the exact times that are optimal but our body's circadian rhythms are based on sunlight so it's best to not oversleep in the morning or stay up too late at night. Good luck though and sorry if you are already aware of these things!

Post Edited (c009j) : 9/2/2017 10:40:30 AM (GMT-6)

Thanks everybody for sharing your experiences! Thanks for the warning Traveler! The doctor failed to mention the possibility of addiction.i will definitely try the tryptophan, what kind of dosage do you think I should try?

about the 4point cortisol test, I have the lab work order & am planning to go next week. You're right-I am sure there's something going on w/ my adrenals! Will also be getting the thyroid tests ( & a bunch of other tests too)

c009j, thanks for the tips & for the reminder to watch my mental state! That's actually the reason I was so nervous about this med. the bad experience I had with it ( and other antidepressants) before involved becoming very depressed & suicidal ( along with not helping me sleep). I explained this to the LLMD but she said maybe my body had changed . Obviously my body has changed since the trazadone made me sleep, but I'm still concerned about the side effects!

I'm also on the fence in general about this doc b/c of this. She says if the med makes me depressed & suicidal i should stop taking it...(NO KIDDING!) I understand how important sleep is for healing, but feel risking my mental health is an awfully big gamble! especially if there's other meds we could try first.

astroman, congratulations on sleeping 9 hours! I bet that feels great! Thanks for explaining the insomnia vs apnea thing. I think I've just got insomnia & the waking due to pain thing going on... wow, 6 grand for 2 unnecessary sleep studies... that's awful!

Girlie said...

The Dude Abides said...


Casa11: I'm sorry to hear that being unable to sleep has been a lifelong problem for you. It was 14 years ago that I realized I was no longer waking refreshed. The last time I can definitively recall sleeping well and waking refreshed was 20 years ago.

Have you seen a sleep doctor to rule-out Sleep Apnea? Getting a reliable sleep study can be a challenge, though, as the very environment of the sleep lab, ironically, is not conducive to sleep.

I did my Sleep Apnea test at home....they can give you the kit.

Cool- a home kit would be the way to go, cheaper and your own bed. But still........all the wires ha ha....

I'd like to do another test and see what it shows.

I didn't only have obstructive sleep apnea, I had some central as well.

But, my husband knew something was wrong...because he could hear me - he had to put ear plugs in because I was so noisy...and I was waking up every couple hours gasping for air, in a panic.

I don't do that anymore...but am still curious if I do have some apnea going on.

When it comes to any psychiatric medication I do usually also tell my friends to try and get these medications from someone trained in psychology (a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner) if possible. I personally feel they are better equipped to help people through side effects since they can also provide therapy (that being said I don't like psychiatrists very much personally but still feel they are better than a regular MD for psych meds).

Hi Casa11,

I have never tried Trazadone so I cannot weigh-in on that, but for my Lyme-related sleep disturbances, I religiously take a nighttime pain reliever / sleep aid (Tylenol PM) as well as L-Tryptophan, L-Theanine, and Ashwagandha. Within 45 minutes to an hour, I am completely knocked out and sleep uninterupted for 8-12 hours. The only downside to this is that it is easy to oversleep. I would definitely consult your Dr. before trying this, as I'm sure it is not a good idea to mix these with any kind of prescription sleep medication or sedative.

Post Edited (Intuition) : 9/3/2017 11:11:36 PM (GMT-6)

Thank you for the suggestions Intuition! The uninterrupted sleep for 8-12 hours sounds great! I will ask my doc first, definitely won't mix w/ with the trazadone, but it would be awfully nice to find an alternative to prescription medicines.

c009j , thanks! I appreciate you sharing your opinions... when you said you have no experience with LLMDs , is that because you aren't able to find one where you live ? Or by choice?

Ahhh... wow! That really puts things into perspective for me. Now I'm feeling like I'm very lucky to have an LLMD at all!