Trazadone

Yes, I take Traz by itself for insomnia - I am so sensitive to it that I can take 12.5 mg (1/4 tab) & it STILL leaves me groggy & hung-over the next day... So I only take it when I absolutely must have a decent night's rest...

Trazadone alone should do the trick. Do not mix meds unless your Dr. knows about it. You want to wake up right??

are you sure that he wants you to take the 2 medications together? I would clarify with him, make sure that he wants you to take both. You can always just take the trazodone and see if it works on it's own.

Trazadone makes me the happiest sleepy person on the planet (aka totally high, and totally unable to sleep). And then I can't wake up the next day once I finally fall asleep (aka 12-20 hours of sleep once I finally fall asleep... which can be 24-36 hours later). So it doesn't work for me at all.

I know quite a few people who just take trazadone, though, and it works just fine for them. Out like a light, easy to wake, no worries.

DO clarify with your doctor that he wants you to take these together (instead of substituting), because I just flipped through my PDR, and there's a moderate interaction... which means combining the 2 is usually avoided... and only used under specific / special circumstance. The contraindication with these 2 being a neurological/respiratory suppression (aka stop breathing in your sleep), and is USUALLY only used in clinical setting where the patient can be monitored.

((Drug interactions are in 3 categories;
1) Severe - aka potentially or certainly lethal,
2) Moderate - used only in special circustance and typically avoided, and
3) Minor - aka not anything to worry about.
Of course, there's a 4th -aka no interaction-, but on the interaction scale, ambien and trazadone are a moderate interaction. ))

Doesn't mean he isn't rx'ing both to be taken together, but it's worth double checking that he wants them together, and not switched out or alternated on different nights.

Alternatively, your pharmacist I'm surprised didn't flag you down for a consultation. Pharmacists are constantly ringing up docs to see if they considered the contraindications and interactions between specific meds... and when the doctor is doing it on purpose, always always always consult the person picking them up... unless it was a tech who didn't know any better, instead of a pharmacist.

I personally wouldn't take them together. I really dislike the idea of taking two sleep meds together. When I was in the hospital for a diverticulitis attack, the GI doctor didn't want to give me my Trazadone for some weird reason. I don't want to sound kooky, but the Ambien didn't work well for me for reasons I'd rather not go into in addition to making me dizzy and not really sleepy. Then he tried giving me the Ambien and Trazadone in a combo. It made things even worse. I felt drunk and unable to even get up to use the bathroom during the night. It was a scary feeling.

The Trazadone on its own is perfect in my case. I've been on the same dose for a few years. Sometimes I'm a few days late getting a refill, and I see what it's like without it. I don't have any problems on Trazadone. It's also relatively easy to shake off the grogginess when I have to if one of my children wakes during the night, but then I can go right back to sleep. I don't have fog brain in the morning from it.

Is this your PCP? Or your therapist/psychiatrist or a neurologist?

Trazodone gave me terrible side effects. It did not help me at all. I had a laundry list of complaints for my doctor. I successfully took Ambien for two years (first the regular then the extended release). I cant imagine pairing the two. Good luck to you!

I was prescribed trazadone for a bout of insomnia. It didn't work for me but a lot of people say it knocks them out within 30 minutes.

Please call and clarify with your Dr. about which medication he wants you to take prior to starting the trazodone.

As you know, trazodone is an antidepressant, but it may be that he is giving you a subclinical dose (dosage less than what would be given if it were being prescribed for depression) as is sometimes the case when trazodone is used for insomnia.

As you see from your responses, people can have very different reactions to this (or any) medication. You just won't know how it will affect you until you try it.

Also, until you know how your body will respond to this medication, when you take it, go right to bed. In some people, drowsiness can kick in rather quickly. So, have the kids all tucked in, all tasks and nighttime routines done, and let this be the last thing you do before you go to bed.

Hope this helps and you get some rest!

I took it for a couple of months after I had some herniated disks in my back. It worked well for me, I never felt like a zombie or anything. I think its a pain relieving anti depressant if I remember correctly. I don't recall it making me tired but the script did say "take at night before bed". I dont do ambien, so I can't help you there.

I took Trazadone for years to help me sleep. It worked really well for my sister, she would take hers about 30 minutes before she was ready to lay down and she would be out right on time. I could take my 100 mg and not see any increase in sleepiness. But I would rest better, not toss and turn once I went to bed.

I think it might help. What did your pharmacist say? They are the ultimate expert on medications. Doc's are not. Pharmacists go to college lots of years to learn everything about meds.

It depends on the dosage of both of these medications. I had clients that were on both of these medications. It definetly helped with their insomnia.They can be taken together, but the dosage needs to be monitored. It is prescribed when someone has severe insomnia, and not able to sleep or function throughout the day. It should help in most instances. However, I would make sure to be be aware of side effects, and talk to your pharmacist about drug interactions.

Trazodone is also used as an anti-depressent.

It made me into a walking zombie...once I went to sleep I couldn't wake up for 12 hours or more...

It didn't always put me to sleep right away either...so when I did fall asleep, THEN I would be asleep for 12 to 16 to 18 hours...

I couldn't function in the morning...trying to get a kid off to school with my mind wrapped in cotton wool...

Some people it works like a wonder drug and my doctor was hoping it would help me...it just wasn't the right choice for me...

I am so sorry you are going through this insomnia totally SUCKS!!!

There is a new natural product called Rest that you mix with a little water and take 30 minutes before you want to go to bed. No side effects, but amazingly good things for your body instead. There is a money back guarantee if it doesn't help you, so there is no risk. Go to this site and read about it. click on Bode and then on Rest.
http://annnoblehealth.com
number there if questions.

After taking Trazadone one night, it knocked me out so bad that I wouldn't wake up when my then 10 year old burned herself with the flat iron and fainted. I felt like the world's worst mom! Never took them again after that!
My body reacted strongly to it, but I know that it works well for some....