I take 50mg of Trazodone for sleep and that seems to help me a lot. It seems to take about a half hour to kick in for me. The only side effect I've had with Trazodone so far is a bit of drowsiness when I wake up but it goes away pretty quickly.
Learning how to work this message board, excuse me while I practice a bit. I had wanted to read post concerning Trazodone, its my 4 day taking 50mg at bedtime to help me stay asleep all night long. So, far I love the results, and must say the previous poster opinions are the same as mine, thus far. I would like to think this med is my answer, I am feeling alert, energetic, well rested. I can't know at such an early date if this is my answer long term, but its the nicest I've felt in a long time. Anyone wishing to add anything, enlighten me as I am a newbie to Trazadone and this board will always be welcomed.
QUOTE=Jessbear;2743695]I take 50mg of Trazodone for sleep and that seems to help me a lot. It seems to take about a half hour to kick in for me. The only side effect I've had with Trazodone so far is a bit of drowsiness when I wake up but it goes away pretty quickly.[/QUOTE]
Last edited by sandy61137; 07-27-2008 at 01:19 PM.
Reason: learning curve
Hi everyone!
I have 50mg. pills which I divide into 4 pieces. I only take one drug for sleep per night. For instance, I take Unisom every two nights, and Valium every 3 nights (10 mg.) in between I take the 1/4 tablet of Trazadone. My feeling is that if I take one drug too often, my body gets used to it, and I need to increase it, which is not good. Spacing them out lets me take one kind of sleeping medication per night. I keep a list of which I take which night. My doctor (not psychiatrist) said that this is a good idea. It might be worth a try.
I, of course, make myself think about pleasant things (memories or anything happy) and refuse to let my mind wander to worrisome things.
I learned to do this after I found that I had become dependent on Valium because I was taking 10 mg. each night and it stopped working; then when I tried to switch to something else I learned that I had become addicted to Valium - even just taking one tablet a night! I had withdrawal symptoms for almost a week and then switched to the Trazodone, etc. Hope this helps some.
Mabent
I recently began taking Trazodone for inablility to sleep through the night. I started out on 25 mg for 2 days and it did nothing for me. I went from 25 mg to 50 mg last night... and right now its 4:45 am, so its obviously not working for me. I take the pill around 1130 or 12 midnight, and i am awake again by about 3. Should i try another drug? How many days does it usually take for trazodone to work? Does it not work the night you take it, like most sleep aids?
I just took my first dose of Trazodone last night. I was given 50 mg, but was afraid and only took 25mg. I didn't notice much, just had nasal congestion, and still woke up every couple hours all night long. The only difference I noticed was that I was able to roll over and go back to sleep, where normally I may lay away feeling anxious for an hour or two. I thought it was difficult to get up in the morning and I had a slight headache. I feel like I'll need to take the 50 mg if I want to sleep better tonight. We'll see what happens. I'm taking this med for anxiety and insomnia.
That **** knocked me out faster than I can recall the other answers to your questions.. I personally hated it cuz I could never wake up - and feel awake.
I am currently taking 400 mg of Trazadone and have been on that dose for over 6 months. Along with the Trazadone, I take Xanax .5mg and 2mg of Ativan. I don't have trouble falling asleep, I can't seem to stay asleep. I wake up about every 45 minutes.
My shrink told me we can try Klonopin again, I really do not want to, that medication really makes you hung over.
I have tried all of the Lunesta etc. they do not work for me. Any suggestions.
By the way, I am in my mid 50's, not over weight, quit smoking several months ago.
So i was reading a bit above about sleeping issues. I have had sleeping problems lately. I was on a very messed up sleep schudule. But now i take gravol (dimenhydrinate) to help me sleep. It is the simplest solution and i find that it works. One to two gravols and a good sleep is in order. The only problem is waking up out of bed the next morning is a bit more difficult so plan to wake up 2-3 extra hours before work.
I also tried something called Sleep Aid (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) but hated it. I found it put me in an almost zombie like phase where i was completely shut off but still felt awake at the same time. Mind shut off but still awake. Hard to explain. Didnt really dream on it and if i did dream it was very brief. The next day after taking sleep aid would only feel like i got 1-2 hours of sleep. I wouldn't recommend it.
So try Gravol (dimenhydrinate) its an antihistamine for nausea, vomiting or dizziness/motion sickness, but it causes drowsiness which leads to sleep. Its an over the counter, so bought at any local market / pharmacist. And not that expensive. If you take 50 mg (1 pill) and feel that it works then stay at one. But like i said it is a bit more difficult to get out of bed in the morning.
Most sleep aids give me the opposite effect. Like Benadryll, or Tylenol PM, anything that says causes drowsiness, I get insomnia from it. I now take Klonopin every night and that's working ok for me. But thanks for the advice.
I have a sleep disorder and tried Trazadone as well as all the other options. All were unsatisfactory in some way. Trazadone gave me a painful priapism that actually awakened me and also lasted several hours after AI awoke. I don't think it is really indicated for straight insomnia although it did make me drowsy.
I recently tried a new drug on the market called Silenor and it has worked for me -- For anyone with bad insomnia and who is taking something for it and isn't satisfied, all I can say is give it a try. Post back here if you do and let me know if it worked. Sleep disorders don't seem like they should be debilitating but mine is very disruptive to my life. Sleepy when I'm awake and awake when I should be sleeping- miserable.
I have been on Trazadone 50mg for a few months. It definitely seems to help with sleep. At first it wasn't too good, but then Klonopin was added on top and it worked really well. Which was great because Ambien had quit working for me. Lunesta is expensive and really doesn't even work well. Any over-the-counters give me incredible hangovers.
I quit Trazadone as soon as I started Ritalin though. Those two combined had a very bad reaction in me. 15-20 mins after I took Trazadone when I started Ritalin, I got a very intense sensation of about to pass out. Vision blurred, and everything.
When it all comes down to it though, Ambien is my favorite. It works like a champ and doesn't give me any side effects (besides slight hallucination before I fall asleep). Problem is, I build up tolerence to Ambien too fast so I have to switch for a while.
I am interested in Silenor, I haven't heard of it before. Can anyone tell more?
I too, am a big proponent of trazadone. Started at 50 mgs. maybe 1.5 yrs. ago, and am now up to 300 mgs/night + 2 mgs. of Klonopin. Most of the time it works, however when it doesn't, IT DOESN'T, and those are the worst nights.
I was the one who initially did the research regarding anti-depressant/sleep aide, and presented it to my "shrink". He thought it was a pretty good drug to try for both. Have got to tell you though; doesn't do much for depression, even though 300 mgs. is considered a "therapeutic" dose.
Have got to check out Silenor -- always thinking that the grass is greener on the other side, ya know?
Sleepy_guy2, sleep disorder does not interfer with daily life? You need sleep in order to function.
I have asked you why you could not sleep but you did not answer me. It is ok, don't worry about it. Most people have no problem telling me cause we are on the "same boat".
I can tell you I did not sleep for 2 years in a row. I could function only by drinking coffee.
I made sure I did not drink too much. only 4 cups a day.
I am so sorry it took you 40 years to find the right sleeping medication for sleep.
I have this feeling you are not going to tell me why you cannot sleep naturally. It is ok, do not worry about it.
I wish you all the best. May one day you will be able to sleep naturally.
25 did put me to sleep, but only for the first few days. Tolerance developed quickly. And anything over 50mg gave me a BRUTAL headache the next day.
I did not take it with food and did not experience any stomach upset.
So it did what it was supposed to do, but I've never experienced a tolerance that quickly. And the headaches on higher doses made it impossible for me to take.
25 did put me to sleep, but only for the first few days. Tolerance developed quickly. And anything over 50mg gave me a BRUTAL headache the next day.
I did not take it with food and did not experience any stomach upset.
So it did what it was supposed to do, but I've never experienced a tolerance that quickly. And the headaches on higher doses made it impossible for me to take.
Good luck
I had a similar experience, took 25mg at 4:30 out of desperation, worked ok, took it the next night at 11pm, was tired all day, so I took a half of that (quarter tablet) the next night and was just as tired the next day. So the next night I took about an 1/8 and it did nothing, the next night I went back to a quarter and now it does nothing! Not sure what is going on, but I'm very frustrated as I can't sleep on my own. What was the next step for the people it didn't work for?
I had a similar experience, took 25mg at 4:30 out of desperation, worked ok, took it the next night at 11pm, was tired all day, so I took a half of that (quarter tablet) the next night and was just as tired the next day. So the next night I took about an 1/8 and it did nothing, the next night I went back to a quarter and now it does nothing! Not sure what is going on, but I'm very frustrated as I can't sleep on my own. What was the next step for the people it didn't work for?
Well, maybe it's not right for you then. Trazodone was not right for me. I've been playing this psych med game for many many years now and it wasn't until now that I figured out a COMBINATION might be the key for me (as advised by your dr, of course). So right now I'm on a strict schedule of:
9pm - 7.5mg Remeron for chronic insomnia
6am - 50mg Nuvigil (for wakefulness due to CFS and the Remeron hangover), as well as 1mg Klonopin (or more as needed for emergencies).
I have to take the Klonopin because I have OCD and the Nuvigil activates my scary thoughts. So in my case it's about finding a balance, what counters what to give you the results you want.
Re: Trazodone for sleep--quick questions! 
