Prescription Drug Experience

[Zen]

If anyone here has ever taken Trazodone I'd like to know how your experience was, particularly regarding side effects.

This is a seratonin uptake inhibitor as opposed to a selective seratonin uptake inhibitor. I need to find out what that means-it's not picky? It will inhibit the uptake of other things as well? What other things?
It's prescribed for a number of things-depression and panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa, and cocaine dependency.

In my case it's to replace Ambien since Ambien is processed by the liver and this one isn't.

I'm concerned because at one time I was prescribed Paxil and absolutely hated it.

[salsabike]

I took a low dose of Trazodone for a while because of fibromyalgia-related sleep disruption. I don't remember any notable side effects.

PS Our responses to different drugs are all so idiosyncratic, though. They are now recommending Flexaril for fibromyalgia. I took that very early on in the fibromyalgia days and despised it--made me dizzy and blurred my vision. Blechh. So..try it, knowing if you don't like it, you just stop. For sleep, the dosage is so low that there's no tapering off required--at least, that's what I remember.

[elk]

My sister takes it...she has given it to me when I couldn't sleep ...and I got headaches from it. But that's me. I use Atavan for sleep when I need it.

Paxil can be a tough one...there are others. But Paxil and Ambien are 2 entirely different classes of drugs. Why would you use an SUI for insomnia?

IME, the people with the absolute BEST knowledge of psych drugs are the psychiatric nurse practitioners. If you need something for more than just insomnia..I'd seek one out. The subtle differences often go unacknowledged by GPs.

[Crankin]

SUIs are commonly given for sleep related disorders that are sometimes secondary to other conditions. They are given because they have less side effects than some of the other sleep meds that seem to be so trendy right now. I just stopped taking a 10 mg. dose of Elavil for sleep disturbance related to Fibromalgia. I didn't have to wean myself off of it because it was such a small dose. It also stopped all of the weird symptoms I had been having. As one of the doctors told me, "It tricks the nervous system into calming itself down."
I didn't have any issues and after 2 nights I am sleeping fine. The only side effect I noticed was a little weight gain, although this might just be my winter weight! That was my primary motivator for stopping.

[OakLeaf]

I haven't taken it myself, but I've represented a lot of clients who were on Trazodone, and they almost universally complained of somnolence. But a low dose as a sleep aid would be different from what my clients were on.

ETA - Robyn, years ago I was on Nortriptyline (another tricyclic related to Elavil). The side effects crept up on me so slowly I didn't attribute them to the drug. But when I stopped it I spontaneously lost 20 lbs (!) and my blood pressure dropped 10 mm on both ends.

[kmcmoobud]

I take it to help me sleep. It makes me thirsty and it takes a little longer than usual to get clear headed in the early morning.