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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by JadeKelly on January 11, 2009, at 17:17:35
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Justherself54 on January 11, 2009, at 16:47:30
> It pretty much did the same to me. Had the worse "hangover" the next day, minus the party the night before. I take 25 to 50 mg. of seroquel and 7.5 zopiclone for sleep and get 8 hours, unless the dog wakes me up earlier. As with any med, what works for some may not work for others.
Hi justherself,
Do you happen to recall the dosage of Trazadone you were taking when you had negative symptoms? Courtney is taking it as an A/D but started at a low dose of 50mg. Have you heard of others having that reaction to 50mg?
Thanks!
~Jade
Posted by Justherself54 on January 11, 2009, at 17:24:22
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff » Justherself54, posted by JadeKelly on January 11, 2009, at 17:17:35
No I don't recall what dose I took. It was some time ago. If there are others who had adverse reactions to trazadone, I'm sure they'll chime in.
Posted by Sissy35 on January 11, 2009, at 18:20:34
In reply to trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 16:13:15
I took trazadone for many years and it helped me greatly. I also am sensitive to meds. I only took 25mgs myself. Nausea is one side effect that does go with trazadone but does go away.
What I am wondering is why doc didn't give you serzone which is in the same class of meds but with fewer side effects. Plus trazadone is a very old drug while serzone is newer..
I have tried both and sezone diffinatley has fewer side effects. Also I would suggest because you are sencitive to try a lower dosebest of luck
Sissy35
Posted by Sissy35 on January 11, 2009, at 18:37:52
In reply to trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 16:13:15
A poster also mentioned seroquel which I have also used. It doesn;t have the side effects like trazadone.
I hate to mention this but I was nauseous every single nite I was on trazadone for 2yrs. It could have just been me. I was taking nothing else at the time except maybe valium.
Wish you well.
sissy35
Posted by bleauberry on January 11, 2009, at 19:01:32
In reply to trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 16:13:15
Trazodone - don't like this stuff?
Yeah well, me neither! We aren't alone, this has happened to others here and at other websites. I have a friend who does pretty lousy with it but he stays with it anyway. Geez.You could try 25mg, then 12.5mg, before ditching it.
The top sleep med on my list is Lunesta. Others would include 25mg Seroquel, 10mg Nortriptyline (give it 3 nights though), 10mg Amitriptyline, 7.5mg Remeron, low dose Klonopin.
Herbal options can work. They did for me. I tried these one at a time and then in combination:
Valerian, Skullcap, Passionflower. You just have to experiment for the right doses.A common sleep supplement that hundreds of thousands of people take every night is melatonin. You could take a regular release and a timed release at the same time. That should get you to sleep and keep you to sleep.
Prepping for a good night's sleep is real important:
*Avoid exertion or exercise after 4pm.
*Maybe a calming bath with 1/2 cup Epsom Salts in it (the magnesium will absorb and mellow you out).
*An hour before bed drink some milk.
*Another food that is pro-sleep is a baked potato with the skin...it has all the right stuff to turn the tryptophan circulating in your bloodstream to serotonin and calming stuff. The skin keeps it working longer and counteracts the immediate sugar dump of potato.
*Avoid high protein foods, sugars, fruit, fruit juices, sodas, etc in the 3 hours leading up to bedtime.*You want only complex carbohydrates during those hours leading up to bedtime. And the milk, potato.
*No caffeine after 2pm, preferably with an earlier cutoff time than that (its halflife is 7 hours...at 9pm there is still half a cup of caffeine in you that you drank at 2pm).
*If you can find something you like to read that doesn't get your adrenaline going (no thrillers, no mysteries), do that. Reading can make one feel sleepy, especially if the lights are dim. No joke, read the Bible and ask God to give you a good night's sleep and see what happens. Keep doing it until it does.
*Speaking of light, an hour before bed cut the lights way down. Make sure your room is very dark. If you have to staple a dark blanket to the window and turn the glare of the clock away, do it.
*Something else that can help a lot is background white noise. That is easily achieved with a fan, or a box fan. Just have it turned on the low speed somewhere in the room.
The right conditions, the right food, the right timing, and the right supplements or meds, you should be all set. Until then, just know you aren't alone in your opinion of trazodone.
Posted by psychobot5000 on January 11, 2009, at 21:58:07
In reply to trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 16:13:15
> O.K. Maybe I am being whiney, but......
>
> Just took 50 mgs for the last two nights and feel like sh*t!!! I can't imagine if I had taken the 100 mgs. Did not help sleep, but made me very sleepy. Just could never go to sleep. Have been up til 3:00 am both nights. When I finally do fade off, its very sporadic, keep waking up. Feel nauseous all day and like someone is sqeezing my head. Very dizzy and I swear someone has chained cement blocks to my arms and legs.
>
> Does this get better? Pharamacist says I should wait before going up to 100 mgs.
>
> Any advice would be appreciated!
>
> Thanks,
>
> CourtneyHi,
I don't personally care for Trazodone, and it sounds like you're having a rough time. That said, from my experience, my reading, and talking to others, one of Trazodone's signatures is making you feel worse for the first few days (maybe as much as a week or two). Often it goes on to help people somewhat after that. It never did me much good, personally, but the nastiness of the first few days did go away for me (took maybe 3-5 days...I'm sure that varies, though).
Possibly your doc didn't use nefazodone because there are safety issues concerning the liver. Trazodone is also supposed to be better for sleep.
All that said, it sounds like your time on this drug is worse than mine, so far. Maybe not the right one for you. But if you can, toughing it out a few days might change things for the better.
Posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 22:48:06
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by bleauberry on January 11, 2009, at 19:01:32
You guys are sooooo sweet!
Thanks for all of the info.. I'm sitting here looking at this pill and don't even want to put it in my mouth. My hubby is worried because I have been crying at the least little thing. And then I totally blew up at my 12 year old last night over nothing. I felt so awful. I apologized to him, but I felt so guilty because he is such a sweet kid. (I can't get the look of horror on his face out of my head)
You are correct as I am very sensitive to meds. I don't build up a resistance to meds. I have taken the same amount of zanax for 6 year and have never had to up the dose.(I wasn't combining the trazodone with anything else). I can tell pretty quickly if I'm going to have a positive or negative reaction. I keep zanax around for back-ups. Someone mentioned seroquel and I couldn't even take 25mgs without issues although the I tried to keep taking it for a couple of months.
Butttt.... I think I've come up with a better plan. I found a bottle of remeron that I used to take for sleep some time ago. It's a 100mg pill and I could split it into 4 pieces, and one piece along with 1 zanax would alway send me into a nice sleep. I started reading up on remeron more and I think I will try taking a small dose of it tomorrow to see how it manages the anxiety.
I'm not trying to whimp out on the trazadone, but I have to be able to funtion tomorrow, thats why I waited until this weekend to see how the trazodone was going to react to my body. Even if it did eventually help with the anxiety, I wouldn't be able to deal with the sluggishness or nausea everyday.
So I'm thinking, I don't go back to pdoc until around the first 5th of February. That would give me time to ween off of everything else and just be taking the remeron with zanax as back-up. I will also do a complete body detox for the next couple of weeks before I see him and see how I am feeling.
If everything seems better, then I might ask him to tack on some wellbutrin. I've read that it gives you alot of energy,(taking the remeron should keep me from possibility of manic or feeling edgy, which I've never been), and would help me to quit smoking and you lose weight while on this. (Big plus).
My biggest goal is to get back to being as active as I was before. I was reading on another site that you need to take something that targets the dopamine and serotin, with something that targets the epinephrine. This doc said that if you only take a ssri alone, then it will either not work very well with all the symptoms(might help anxiety and depression, but can make you feel tired and unmotivated) or it will poop out after a while. But when you take an ssri with something like wellbutrin sr,(doesn't work so well with the extended version) then they work together well.I've never asked my pdoc about wellbutrin sr (and on this particular drug, never take the generic). But, if I feel like the anxiety is under control with the remeron, then the added benefits of the wellbutrin would hopefully be a plus.
My husband had built us a whole gym in our basement and I used to work out religously. Haven't touched it in 6 months. Ridiculous!
It's kind of funny. My pdoc knows that I was in nursing school and that I research everything to the hilt, so he's pretty much gotten to the point where he will pretty much just go with whatever I say. LOL!!! He thinks its hilarious (in a good way) because I always come into him with tons of questions and lots of research as to whatever I think my course of action should be. I promise you if he ever thought one of my decisions was to extreme, he would let me know.
I'm still looking at this pill and I think I will opt for the remeron and zanax tonight instead. I NEED SOME FREAKIN rest.
Will see how this goes over the next couple of weeks and keep posted.
Namaste' to you all.
Courtney
Posted by Justherself54 on January 11, 2009, at 23:01:54
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 22:48:06
Hope the remeron gives you some good zzzzzzzzzzzz's!
Posted by Phillipa on January 12, 2009, at 0:31:06
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Justherself54 on January 11, 2009, at 23:01:54
Me too. Love Phillipa
Posted by yxibow on January 12, 2009, at 1:04:44
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Phillipa on January 12, 2009, at 0:31:06
I never really liked Trazodone but it was a choice at some points in time, I have a probable sleep disorder. I did get sub-clinical priapisms when I used it in college but they were rare and did go away.
I found that being awake while it worked made me both ravenously hungry and also dizzy that I had to get to bed fast or I would faint from low blood pressure.
Its not pleasant stuff in my opinion but is a popular choice of some doctors because it doesn't have the habituation potential of benzodiazepines (Restoril, e.g.) or pseudo-benzodiazepines (Ambien, e.g.). However you can get acclimated to it and find 50mg doesnt work and then 100 and 150 and have to backtrack to the start. At least in my experience.
One reason I was switched briefly to doxepin which at that point knocked me out cold for a weekend -- didnt try it again until recently.
Doxepin doesn't work for me now, I quickly become resistant to its antihistamine effect.
Amitriptyline was another TCA that did work, and at 10mg, its worth a try if you really can't get sleep. It is probably the most sedating of the TCAs, but everyone is different.
Can't take it now though because I am on Anafranil and the clash was bizarre -- shouldn't take two TCAs at the same time really.
So I'm down to doxylamine succinate (Unisom's second formulation). I have to take more than a normal dose, but then again I weigh more and tend to metabolize certain medications fast.
-- Jay
Posted by desolationrower on January 12, 2009, at 2:18:53
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by yxibow on January 12, 2009, at 1:04:44
I wouldn't get hung up on deciding you need the bupropion until you see how the ssri treats you...
-d/r
Posted by JadeKelly on January 12, 2009, at 9:33:41
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by desolationrower on January 12, 2009, at 2:18:53
Hi Courtney,
You're not whimping out on anything! If you know something is wrong, I think you should go with your gut. If you go with Wellbutrin, it will give you some energy, but when making your decision about what to take with it, just watch for irritability. I wouldn't even bring it up but I think its something of concern to you with your kids. Good Luck with your decision(s), let me know
what you end up doing!~Jade
Posted by Quintal on January 12, 2009, at 10:06:55
In reply to trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 16:13:15
>Did not help sleep, but made me very sleepy. Just could never go to sleep.
It did the same thing to me. I could never explain why something that made me so drowsy didn't help me sleep. It's awful because you're stuck in the twilight zone until you do finally fall asleep. In that sense it was useless because I would have fallen asleep eventually anyway if I lay in bed long enough. I was on 300mg years ago and this was always a problem. Do you ever feel as if you're being suffocated?
Posted by Cseagraves on January 12, 2009, at 12:02:11
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Quintal on January 12, 2009, at 10:06:55
Hey Quint -
Haven't felt suffocated, but you were on a much higher dose than me. (OMG, how did you function on 300mgs.)? I did feel like my head was in vice while someone was turning it tighter and tighter.
Today is much better, but I did not take the trazodone last night. Slept like a baby with just half a remeron and a zanax.
Will keep experimenting with the remeron and let you know!
Courtney
Posted by Cseagraves on January 12, 2009, at 12:04:20
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by desolationrower on January 12, 2009, at 2:18:53
D/R,
Yeah, I think I'll just stick to the remeron while I try to flush all the other stuff out of my system before I go back to pdoc.
Courtney :-))))
Posted by fayeroe on January 12, 2009, at 14:09:56
In reply to trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 16:13:15
Hi! I take traz for sleep. When I started on 50mg, it bothered me. I couldn't sleep through the night. After Pdoc thought sufficient time had passed, he had me take 100mg. It is working very well for me now. Good luck.
Posted by Maria3667 on January 12, 2009, at 15:13:53
In reply to trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 16:13:15
Hi Courtney,
Yes, you are just a little bit whiney... LOL. Please, I'm serious now. Have been taking Trazodone for a long time.
You don't need to go above the 50 mg. It helps me sleep, but it's takes a while to build up... It's a real AD you know and they take time. I'd say, give it a few weeks and then you'll know. No need to go as high as 100 mgs... it will only cause palpitations... Better stay low. Is also better for libido (for females that is), if you don't mind me speaking out loud (!).
Best wishes,
Maria> O.K. Maybe I am being whiney, but......
>
> Just took 50 mgs for the last two nights and feel like sh*t!!! I can't imagine if I had taken the 100 mgs. Did not help sleep, but made me very sleepy. Just could never go to sleep. Have been up til 3:00 am both nights. When I finally do fade off, its very sporadic, keep waking up. Feel nauseous all day and like someone is sqeezing my head. Very dizzy and I swear someone has chained cement blocks to my arms and legs.
>
> Does this get better? Pharamacist says I should wait before going up to 100 mgs.
>
> Any advice would be appreciated!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Courtney
Posted by yxibow on January 12, 2009, at 22:56:07
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Maria3667 on January 12, 2009, at 15:13:53
> Hi Courtney,
>
> Yes, you are just a little bit whiney... LOL. Please, I'm serious now. Have been taking Trazodone for a long time.
>
> You don't need to go above the 50 mg. It helps me sleep, but it's takes a while to build up... It's a real AD you know and they take time. I'd say, give it a few weeks and then you'll know. No need to go as high as 100 mgs... it will only cause palpitations... Better stay low. Is also better for libido (for females that is), if you don't mind me speaking out loud (!).
>
> Best wishes,
> MariaCurious -- priapisms are usually the risk for men, but hey, if this helps women in that way, no worries :)
One thing I should add -- my own experience but prudence anyhow, is that the only time I blacked out in my life as far as I know is when I thought I had cleared out my system of alcohol and took Trazodone, woke up on the floor of the bathroom after I went to the loo at night, probably fainted.
-- Jay
Posted by Cseagraves on January 13, 2009, at 12:29:46
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff » Cseagraves, posted by fayeroe on January 12, 2009, at 14:09:56
Dear Fayeroe,
Once you were on the trazodone for awhile, How were your energy levels during the day? Did the sluggishness ever where off? Did you feel like you had energy the following day or did you feel unmotivated? I've read on some post that although the trazodone helped with their anxiety or depression, they never felt very motivated.
Thanks for your response.
Courtney
Posted by Cseagraves on January 13, 2009, at 12:32:06
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Maria3667 on January 12, 2009, at 15:13:53
Dear Maria,
After you had been on the trazodone for awhile, did your energy and motivation come back during the following day?
Thanks,
Courtney
Posted by Maria3667 on January 13, 2009, at 15:03:13
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 13, 2009, at 12:32:06
Dear Courtney,
I never noticed any difference in energy. But then I'm already an energetic person, so... Motivation is a little improved. I also get the feeling Trazodone helps me be more up front than usual. But not as soon as the next day. More like after 3 weeks or so.
My best,
Maria> Dear Maria,
>
> After you had been on the trazodone for awhile, did your energy and motivation come back during the following day?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Courtney
Posted by Maria3667 on January 13, 2009, at 15:28:50
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff » Maria3667, posted by yxibow on January 12, 2009, at 22:56:07
Hey Jay,
Yes this is very curious stuff. But the longer I'm on AD, the more I realise they effect men and women differently. Especially concerning the weight gain & libido effect.
I've noticed an improved sex drive whilst being on Abilify and Trazodone... I never heard men claim this nor is it mentioned in the literature... (Obvious to me - these studies are often written by men and they don't think libido is important to females??? My shrinks NEVER informed about this, whilst impotence is a frequent side effect of many AD's. On the other hand, libido problems are under reported by females? Several causes here, I think).
As you probably know, a libido pill (a former AD) for females is in the pipeline, called Flibanserin. It mainly targets the 5-HT1a receptors as agonist and 5-HT2a receptors as antagonist. The latter is 'known' to be an important player in the field of libido. However, in some studies I've read, it mentions that female subjects were more stimulated than males... Thus the company is redirecting the pill as libido enhancer for women...
Following this line of thought, Abilify and Trazodone also target 5-HT2a (amongst others) and improved my libido. But in men it seems to work differently and it could cause - like you mention - priapism.
There is only one med I'm aware off which improves sex drive for both gender and that's Remeron. Besides 5-HT2a this also target's 5HT2c. I read a study a while back that 5HT2c might be beneficial for libido too. Maybe men are more responsive to the latter and that's why Remeron works?
I hope you can still make sense of this all. It's become quite a jungle!
Love to hear your thoughts on this!
Best wishes,
Maria> > Hi Courtney,
> >
> > Yes, you are just a little bit whiney... LOL. Please, I'm serious now. Have been taking Trazodone for a long time.
> >
> > You don't need to go above the 50 mg. It helps me sleep, but it's takes a while to build up... It's a real AD you know and they take time. I'd say, give it a few weeks and then you'll know. No need to go as high as 100 mgs... it will only cause palpitations... Better stay low. Is also better for libido (for females that is), if you don't mind me speaking out loud (!).
> >
> > Best wishes,
> > Maria
>
> Curious -- priapisms are usually the risk for men, but hey, if this helps women in that way, no worries :)
>
> One thing I should add -- my own experience but prudence anyhow, is that the only time I blacked out in my life as far as I know is when I thought I had cleared out my system of alcohol and took Trazodone, woke up on the floor of the bathroom after I went to the loo at night, probably fainted.
>
> -- Jay
Posted by theo on January 13, 2009, at 20:39:32
In reply to trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 11, 2009, at 16:13:15
Take 25mg. I'm 175 pounds, 6 feet tall and 25mg works fine for me.
Posted by Cseagraves on January 14, 2009, at 15:10:07
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff » Cseagraves, posted by theo on January 13, 2009, at 20:39:32
Talked to pdoc today. He agreed that I should not be feeling this bad (especially not vomiting) so I guess next route is parnate!!
Here we go!!!!!
Courtney :-)
Posted by JadeKelly on January 14, 2009, at 20:12:57
In reply to Re: trazodone - don't like this stuff, posted by Cseagraves on January 14, 2009, at 15:10:07
> Talked to pdoc today. He agreed that I should not be feeling this bad (especially not vomiting) so I guess next route is parnate!!
>
> Here we go!!!!!
>
> Courtney :-)I'm with ya whatever your decision!
(no vomiting, I pretty sure about that)Let me know what happens!!
~Jade
This is the end of the thread.
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