Thoughts on Trazadone for insomnia?

I was prescribed 50mg trazadone for insomnia.  I'm almost a year post-taper from xanax.  I sleep an hour or two at a time, 1 to 4 times a night.  I feel like I just need to sleep soundly for 7-8 hours for a few weeks and relearn how to do it.

 

I've read that Trazadone affects people in hugely different ways.  Some love it, some think it's the worst drug they ever took.  I've been feeling fairly good lately, other than the bad sleep.  I'm afraid the go through anything crappy again.

 

Any feedback from other post-benzo people that have tried it?

Have you tried melatonin?

I am curious also... 

 

I have taken 2 doses of 25 mg of Trazadone this week (not every night) and it DOES help alot!  I'm suffering from serious anxiety and am still having those crazy anxiety attacks when I sleep...and the antidepressant part of it seems to spill over a bit into my morning, which is usually the hardest time for me with anxiety and negative thoughts.

 

Not sure if I should take it every night or just when I have not slept well for several days. 

Have you tried melatonin?

Yes, it wasn't reliable or very effective for me.  Even at 10mg time-released.

I am on 50 mg of Trazodone as well as 6 mg of Melatonin a night. I was only getting 2 to 3 hours a night and everything felt worse than it was bc I had no sleep.  It is an SSRI so it can be helpful for anxiety and depression, but as you know, it has the sedating effect.  Before I was on it I would wake up in total fear and panic!  It was so horrible!  I know if I want off of it I will need to ween but my doctor said if I am on it long term that would be ok too.  For me, it has allowed this whole process to go smoother bc sleep is essential for everything!

I am on 50 mg of Trazodone as well as 6 mg of Melatonin a night. I was only getting 2 to 3 hours a night and everything felt worse than it was bc I had no sleep.  It is an SSRI so it can be helpful for anxiety and depression, but as you know, it has the sedating effect.  Before I was on it I would wake up in total fear and panic!  It was so horrible!  I know if I want off of it I will need to ween but my doctor said if I am on it long term that would be ok too.  For me, it has allowed this whole process to go smoother bc sleep is essential for everything!

I hate the idea of taking any more drugs and getting dependent on them.  But, I am willing to take this if it becomes absolutely necessary.

 

However, I have tried something new and so far, surprisingly effective:  I set my alarm clock to wake at 6am.  I can doze till 7, if I choose to.  The point is to wake up at that time every day regardless of what I have to do that day.  I've slept decent for two days so far.  Fingers crossed.

 

Have you tried melatonin?

Yes, it wasn't reliable or very effective for me.  Even at 10mg time-released.

 

I think I've read somewhere that melatonin is more effective at a small does (around 3mg).

I took Remeron for 2-3 days and it reset my sleep pattern. This was about 3 weeks after my cold turkey.

 

I was afraid of adding in another drug, so I stopped taking it. But after that, I was able to get around 6 hours of sleep a night, and then it improved from there.

 

However, I have tried something new and so far, surprisingly effective:  I set my alarm clock to wake at 6am.  I can doze till 7, if I choose to.  The point is to wake up at that time every day regardless of what I have to do that day.  I've slept decent for two days so far.  Fingers crossed.

Well, not surprisingly, the fixed time regimen wasn't very reliable.

 

But, I have good news:  I finally decided sleep was worth the risk and took 25mg.  That was 5 nights ago, and I've done it for the last 5 nights.  No side effects.  I'm more calm, and I actually sleep for 6+ hours/night.  I still wake up 2 or 3 times for water and to pee, but, I'm right back to sleep as soon as I lay down.

 

Also helpful was listening to YouTube guided sleep meditations when I'm ready to sleep.  I also tried wearing blue blocker glasses when I watch TV before bedtime.  But, that's not as important as taking the trazadone.  Some of the other head symptoms are less present now that I'm getting sleep.  I wonder if a side effect of benzo-damage is that lack of sleep manifests in some of our weird symptoms?