Posted by Patient on December 9, 2003, at 14:29:31
In reply to Coming off Effexor, starting Trazodone, posted by LackREM on December 8, 2003, at 19:17:42
Hi,
I've never tried trazodone (Desyrel)as a sole antidepressant, but was prescribed it to help with sleep while taking an SSRI. I couldn't tolerate the nose stuffiness and dry mouth for the two hours after taking it when I took 50mg, and 25mg was only slightly less in these anticholinergic effects; 12.5mg worked the best for me.
The lightheadedness and headaches can be from Effexor withdrawal. Also, trazodone can cause a temporary drop in blood pressure, which can cause light-headedness and dizziness, so reducing trazodone dose may help.
Another very good REM sleep improver is nefazodone (Serzone). Nefazodone and trazodone both act as 5-HT2 antagonists, so they are both very helpful for improving REM sleep. Nefazodone is less likely to cause dry mouth and light headedness than trazodone, but is also less sedating than trazodone, so may not be as helpful at making you fall asleep. Both of these drugs should be started at a low dose, and if need be, gradually increased. Serzone has its own precautionary side effects, so be informed and read up about it. Some doctors do not prescribe it any longer.There is another drug that is also helpful for REM sleep, another 5-HT2 antagonist, called ritanserin (Tisterton), but it appears that it isn't prescribed for reasons I do not understand, as of yet.
Try drinking lots of quality water and take it slow when getting up.
poster:Patient
thread:287827
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031208/msgs/288052.html