Anyone here have experiences using trazodone for sleep?

[triron]

The last 4 yerars (at least) I have not had problems sleeping until an upcoming hernia surgery approached. for a few weeks before and for over 2 months afterward I have had pretty bad problems with anxiety especially as it relates now to sleeping at night.
Used trazodone for 17 days until a month ago and seemed to sleep ok but not entirely satisfactory. After stopping sleep problems returned again. So I started back on traz a few nights (3) ago ; so far it has not helped. I took it 2 out of 3 nights; best night sleeping was without it (but I was very tired that night). I am a former triathlete and my activity level is very curtailed due to a shoulder and more recently an injured SI joint (getting better). I was told by pharmacists it takes 3-7 days for traz to kick in. I got quite agitated last night but don't know why. Any responses I would appreciate very much.

[TexasTowelie]

1. I've taken trazodone for awhile.

Some information about what dosage (in milligrams) and approximate weight might clarify things. The dosage might be too low for you. You can PM if you prefer.

[irisblue]

2. what TT said.

[DoctorPepper]

3. It was prescribed for me once

When I was in early recovery for alcoholism. Don't recall whether it helped much. Nowadays I take 1350 mg of Valerian (3 capsules) half an hour to an hour before bedtime. Works much better than melatonin for me, and doesn't give me a drugged feeling. I've heard warnings about it possibly being habit-forming, but that hasn't proved true for me. Fair warning though, the capsules smell like dog poop.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. There's an herb combo that works better for me..

Hope, valerian, skullcap combo....been using it PRN for 20 years.

but...have to say..when facing stressful surgery last summer, I needed something stronger, and used Ambien, even tho I normally would avoid that stuff.

[triron]

7. I use melatonin and herbs as well.

That's maybe why never needed something like traz before. my doc did say the dose I was using was low. But he is really into more natural approaches like I use most of the time. I want to sleep so badly because I want to be so active but paradoxically maybe that's why it eludes me. Not sure what mental strategies I can use to overcome this. I figure my sympathetic nervous system is over driven right now.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. So that's why the traz did not work for me...

Among the many offerings of my GP, she gave me trazadone, but said nothing about it needing 3-4 nights to kick in.
I tried it for 2 nights...felt absolutely nothing.
Back to the herbs I use. ( valerian combo)

[gademocrat7]

6. I have been taking Trazodone for quite awhile.

It does take about a week to be effective.

[cyclonefence]

8. I echo what others have said

about needing time for the Traz to kick in. I also found that when I thought I could do without it and stopped taking it, after a couple of nights I was sleepless again. It helps me stay asleep more than anything; I'm tired and fall asleep easily but wake up during the night and can't get back to sleep. I really like trazadone.

[triron]

10. This is what frequently happens to me.

I meditate at night before going to bed which helps me go to sleep when I do.
However I wake up later sometimes just urinate and then cannot go back to sleep.
I love to sleep being an athlete so this insomnia is very bad on my mood.

[cyclonefence]

11. I hesitate to share this

because it seems a little wacky. Part of my problem with sleep is that my mind keeps running over things I need to do the next day. I need to hear someone else talking, like the news on tv, to fall asleep. The trazadone does help when I wake up during the night and can't get back to sleep, but just as crucial to me is having dull talking going on in my ears. Here is what I do. I have Netflix on my ipad mini. I download tv series that I've seen already (so I won't be interested enough in what's going on to wake up enough to pay attention) and listen via earbuds. All night long. I share a bed with my husband, who can't sleep with noise, so the earbuds are important. Podcasts like This American Life work, too, but since it has to play all night, a long-running series (I'm relistening to The Office these days) is better for me. Hope this helps.

[steve2470]

9. a bit of info here

Trazodone is an antidepressant medicine. It affects chemicals in the brain that may be unbalanced in people with depression.

Trazodone is used to treat major depressive disorder.

Trazodone may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

It may take up to 2 weeks before your symptoms improve. Keep using the medication as directed and tell your doctor if your symptoms do not improve.

https://www.drugs.com/trazodone.html

Of course not all cases of insomnia are caused by depression. Some are caused by anxiety and other causes. Anti-depressants always AFAIK take at least two weeks to really kick in, which is a real bummer for those needing quicker results.

[williesgirl]

12. My daughter took it for several years successfully.

[triron]

13. I will probably continue to use it

for awhile based on these responses. I will also use cognitive techniques and "natural" aids like melatonin, etc.

[triron]

15. well Friday nite it worked quite well

Last nite still worked but took a long time to go to sleep. Got out of bed twice to do something like read or meditate.
Hopefully I will have more consistent good sleep as time goes on.
Does anyone else sometimes feel like their brain is conspiring to keep them awake?
Does not really make much sense so why the thought?

[Rhiannon12866]

14. I took it when I gave up alcohol - and couldn't sleep at all - and it helped a great deal.

The key for me was to take it when I was prepared to go to sleep - within the next half hour or so. If I stayed up for any reason, i missed the window and I had trouble going to sleep. But if I took it and went to bed, I was able to sleep - and woke up feeling just fine. I took it on a regular basis for a couple of years. I don't remember now if there was "a loading period," but it worked well for me when I made it part of my routine, so I'd definitely recommend giving it a chance.

[Iris]

16. I've been taking it for about 6 months

When I asked my doctor for something to help me sleep, he asked if I had trouble going to sleep or staying to sleep. I said staying - I wake up at 3:00 a.m. every morning without medication.

Sometimes the trazadone works great; other times, not so much. But recently, I learned that the way Trazadone works for insomnia is that one of the side effects is drowsiness, which made me realize that when I take it, even if I wake up at 3:00 a.m., I'm drowsy and it's easier to go back to sleep.

This thread is helpful because I have gone through stages where I don't take it regularly because the instructions on my prescription say to take it "as needed." I think I'm better off when I take it consistently.