Should Trazodone and Paxil (or Lexapro) be taken together???
I've been on Paxil and Ambien for several months. I had to stop Ambien because the side effect of amnesia from things during the night before I went to sleep. My doctor changed me to Trazodone, but I see that Trazodone is also an antidepressant. Should I be taking two antidepressant type medicines at the same time????? I wouldn't think my doctor would make a mistake, but just want to be sure. She also wants to change my Paxil to Lexapro, but the Pharmacy didn't fill it because my insurance doesn't cover it. So for now until I get my dr. to chose a different antidepressant, I just took my dosage today of Paxil (what's left) and my new sleep aid (which is also an antidepressant) Trazodone. Anyone know if this is okay? Thanks.
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Re: Should Trazodone and Paxil (or Lexapro) be taken together???
Those drugs are fine together. They work in different ways. Trazodone is quite often rx'd as a sleeping aid for lots of things other than depression.
Ask your doc if you can get Celexa (citalopram) instead of Lexapro. Celexa is the older version of Lexapro. You might also call your insurance (or check their website) and ask them what they would recommend as a lower cost alternative. I had to do that with a bunch of the medications I take.
Also, if you have a Walmart or CVS where you live, get a copy of the $4 rx list for Walmart. CVS will honor Walmart's pricing but you have to ask them to check the list.
I started this journey in April of this year, after a very close call, that a friend rescued me from.
Lexapro was the first antidepressant that I was put on. After 2 weeks on that my pdoc added Trazodone to help me sleep. At that point I hadn't slept for more than an hour at a time for 3 months. She Rx'd 50mg but said to split it to 25mg to start, then up it if it wasn't working. My Rx is now for 100mg or split to 50mg. It made me feel a bit hungover in the mornings but at least my body was getting the rest it needed. I haven't used the Traz for awhile as I now use Restoril when I need it. (or .25mg Xanax which has been my preferred choice for the last few weeks. it only slows me down enough to let me fall asleep by myself.)
I'm currently on Celexa 40mg 1x/day, WellbutrinSR 100mg 2x/day. (and a truck load of other drugs for other problems.) I take the Celexa instead of Lexapro because the Lexapro costs too much and WellbutrinSR twice a day vs WellbutrinXL once a day for the same reason. My pdoc actually wanted to put me on Cymbalta but I said no because it costs too much. This mix seems to be working for me right now.
Make a fuss over the cost issue and make it clear to your doctor that if there are lower cost alternative that would work, that that is what you'd like to try first.
Sorry if I'm rambling, I'm falling asleep. Hope that helps you out a little.
Re: Should Trazodone and Paxil (or Lexapro) be taken together???
I took Prozac and Trazadone together one night and will never do it again. Since they both produce serotonin I found myself with serotonin syndrome. More of the popular anti depressants are SSRIs. There are many drug interaction websites that will tell you not to mix Lexapro with Trazadone.
Re: Should Trazodone and Paxil (or Lexapro) be taken together???
Trazodone does raise serotonin levels, so too much, from that an ssri could cause Serotonin Syndrome (too much of it) This just happened to me taking Zoloft in a.m. and traz. in p.m. Now I will cut back on the zoloft by 1/2 pill to get back to normal. I need both pills, Z for depression & traz for sleep.
Re: Should Trazodone and Paxil (or Lexapro) be taken together???
I wanted to add, the serotonin overload didn't hit me until about 2-3 weeks of taking both. Then I felt very very agitated. I feel better now after decreasing the Z. I take 50mg of the Traz.
Should Trazodone and Paxil (or Lexapro) be taken together??? 
