Hi all. I have a terrible time sleeping. I have been taking Xanax .5 to sleep, which works great. I am concerned though because I need it every night so the doctor prescribed 50mg trazodone instead to see if that would work. I also take 10 mg Lexapro for depression/anxiety and 100mg topamax for migraines. I have taken it for two nights now and I do notice I wake up with a headache, which I read is common. My main concern is when I take it I feel very dizzy and like cannot take a deep breath. I can breath, I just feel like I cannot take a very deep one. Almost like I feel if I was having a mild panic attack? Its odd. Also my nose seems stuffy. All of this happens very quickly and lasts until I fall asleep. It does however seem to make me sleepy. That was the first night. I figured if I could sleep I could mb live with it. The second night however same thing, couldnt deep breathe, stuffy and then... I woke up about 2 hours after I had taken it to hear my 6 month old daughter crying for a bottle. ( I cannot take ambien and other things like this because I must be able to get up with her. The xanax let me do that) I got up a saw tracers/trailers behind everything, lights, etc. Like you would on LSD or something. It was scary. I wanted to know if any of this is common or anyone has experienced this. I am kind of scared to take it tonight. This morning I just felt groggy. Does anyone else have any other ideas on what works for them?
Thanks so much

I have taken Trazadone in the past and also currently prescribed it for when i need it. I experienced the same thing you have when taking this med. It kicks in pretty quickly (like 20 min).... my head and nose feels stuffy and almost like I have a mild headache, but then my eyes wanna close and I want to go right to sleep.... so it does work in making you tired.

This side effect tends to go away or decrease if you take it almost everynight (it did for me anyways). OR, what I did is just take half of the 50mg pill (25mg) and that was good enough to help me fall asleep and stay asleep and not feel groggy in the morning. So that might be a good option to try. Good Luck.

Thats a good idea. I might try taking 25mg instead tonight. Last I chickened out and didn't take one. But I am desperate to sleep!

It can increase your appetite and it most likely will make you VERY drowsy.

I actually started taking Trazodone two nights ago. I am a "severe insomniac" as my pdoc put it on Monday. I was on 10 mg Ambien with 1 mg Xanax - then increased to 20 mg Ambien (very uncommon) and 1 mg Xanax. It seems that they quickly quit working. My first night on Trazodone I felt high, giddy, laughing - then started getting tired. I felt like a spagetti noodle trying to get from the couch to the bed and almost fell over the coffee table. Last night I went to bed before the spagetti thing came into effect. It took me a little longer to fall asleep but it worked. So far I have not had any headaches in the morning, but I do feel very groggy.

Good luck!!

Trazodone can be a little rough when first starting. It's not really a "take as needed" drug for sleep. It should get better as time goes on. I'd give it a week or two and then reavaluate.

I am going to try to stick it out. The seeing tracer/lights thing and breathing thing is kinda scary, but I really want to sleep. I will keep you all posted on how it goes! It really does work fast. I have to take it and go straight for the bed=) Does anyone know if it is safe to take it with lexapro. I used a drug checker and it said Major Interaction due to a risk for Serotonin(sp) Syndrome. My doctor prescribed it so I am assuming it is fine, but I was kinda worried. I guess it is just the added effect of more Serotonin in the brain with two drugs instead of one, but how worried should I be that this syndrome could happen?

I don't think you need be too worried, if you're only on 10mg of Lexapro.

It's best to ask your psychiatrist about drug interactions. We're not professionals and cannot give you that advice. Talk to your pdoc about the side-effects you are having, especially if they become a major concern.


I took 200mg of Trazodone for years. There was a slight hangover in the morning for awhile. It did help with my horrible sleep patterns. It did allow me to wake up if the phone rang which is good for you with your baby. I'm now on a heavier-duty sleep aid that knocks my socks off. I wouldn't recommend it for you as nothing wakes me at night.
Sheepwoman

Hello Sheepwoman,

I'm on Remeron at night, but I need a more potent drug.
Trazodone might be an option.

Since my big problem is sleep, I became curious about your meds.
Quote: "I'm now on a heavier-duty sleep aid that knocks my socks off".

Which drug/drugs do you take for sleep?

Best regards,
X-ray

I just started this last night. The pharmacist told me to start low and work up, maybe even take just 50 mg to see what the effects would be like. I tried half a tab (50mg) and it didn't do squat so I took the other half and fell asleep for 4 hours. I'm going to try a whole one tonight, and bring it up to 200 mg as Rx'd if I need to.
I've got the plugged up sinus/stuffy nose this AM. No other side effects yet.
(knocking on wood, I'm a lightweight when it comes to taking meds )