Trazodone for Withdrawal Induced Insomnia

This is the third time I try to quit benzos. The first time I failed to remain sober because of my severe insomnia. For six months I slept no more than 2-4 hours per night and sometimes I couldn't sleep at all. I was so desperate that I was willing to use anything just to get some sleep, even to go back to benzos, which I eventually did. Same problem during my second attempt last summer. This year I found a non narcotic solution for my insomnia in an antidepressant called Trazodone. While it does not seem to help with my withdrawal symptoms, I manage to sleep well night after night. I'm not a doctor so I cannot recommend it for you, but if you have similar problems maybe you should ask your doctor about this drug.

Trazodone has it's own "withdrawal" for some people.

 

Becky

Yes Becky it does, but I'll take that withdrawal instead of months of insomnia without any hesitation.

Trazadone is an old ( 30 years and one of the first SSRI antidepressants) drug which is considered a "mild" drug compared to the newer antidepressants. It has a very strong side effect of drowsiness. It is far more often  prescribed as a help for sleep than for depression. I googled a contrast for Lexapro and Trazadone yesterday and I believe that Trazadone was listed as an anti-anxiety agent wheras Lexapro is definitely an antidepressant.

Hi, I used it for my withdrawal and helped me a lot. I had two or three sleepless nights when I stoped it but that was all.

You're incorrect Super senior, it's an antidepressant that can be used as monotherapy for major depressive disorder. It's use as a sleeping aid is off label.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trazodone

I said that it was one of the first SSRIs  around 30 or 35 years ago. I remember . It was prescribed to me. But compared to the newer antidepressants, it is quite a bit less powerful and it is far more often prescribed as a help for sleep than as a first line RX for depression. I love it for sleep. I would love to quit taking my Lexapro and take it alone for both a sleep aid and for it's antidepressant properties. I am afraid that I may still be crying in public and all those other foolish symptoms. I am gonna talk to my neurologist about it and see what he thinks. Twenty seven more days till I am done with Lorazepam so it's a little early to stop another drug yet but I would sure like to.

The old IR version was not practical for depression because of it's short half life and powerful sedative effect. The current ER version it's designed to be taken once a day in the evening and is much more practical. It's popularity among psychiatrists is increasing fast. It's very similar to SSRI's but much kinder with your sleep and your libido. I used SSRI's for years but after I discovered Trazodone ER I will never go back.

I didn't know that there were two versions. Is the chemical formula any different other than extended release?

Recent double blind placebo controlled trials didn't found a statistically significant difference in term of efficacy between Trazodone ER and other antidepressants. The side effects profile differs a lot. Compared with the SSRI's, Trazodone ER has a positive effect on sleep and an earlier time of onset but is more likely to cause constipation and drowsiness than SSRI's. This are also dose dependent. The conclusion is this: If you feel fine on your current antidepressant, you have no reason to switch to Trazodone ER.