This effect may be one of the main reasons trazodone works as a sleep aid.
What You Need to Know Before Taking Trazodone for Sleep
Trazodone is an antidepressant that is sometimes prescribed as a sleep aid. It is not addictive and may offer additional benefits over other sleep aids for certain conditions, such as sleep apnea.
Insomnia is more than not being able to get a good night’s sleep. Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep can affect every aspect of your life, from work and play to your health. If you’re having trouble sleeping, your doctor may have discussed prescribing trazodone to help.
If you’re thinking of taking trazodone (Desyrel, Molipaxin, Oleptro, Trazorel, and Trittico), here’s important information for you to consider.
Trazodone is a prescription medication approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an antidepressant.
This medicine works in multiple ways in your body. One of its actions is to regulate the neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps brain cells communicate with each other and influences many activities such as sleep, thoughts, mood, appetite, and behavior.
Even at lower doses, trazodone can cause you to feel relaxed, tired, and sleepy. It does this by blocking chemicals in the brain that interact with serotonin and other neurotransmitters, such as, 5-HT2A, alpha1 adrenergic receptors, and H1 histamine receptors.
This effect may be one of the main reasons trazodone works as a sleep aid.
FDA Warning about trazodone
Like many antidepressants, trazodone has been issued a “Black Box Warning” by the FDA.
Taking trazodone has increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in pediatric and young adult patients. People taking this medication should be closely monitored for worsening symptoms and emergence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Trazodone is not approved for use in pediatric patients.
Though the FDA has approved trazodone for use as a treatment for depression in adults, for many years doctors have also prescribed it as a sleep aid.
The FDA approves medications to treat specific conditions based on clinical trials. When doctors prescribe the medicine for conditions other than what was approved by the FDA, it is known as off-label prescribing.
Off-label use of a medication is a widespread practice. Twenty percent of medications are prescribed off-label. Physicians can prescribe medications off-label based on their experience and judgment.
Trazodone is most often prescribed at doses between 25mg to 100mg as a sleep aid.
However, studies show lower dosages of trazodone are effective and may cause less daytime sleepiness and fewer side effects because the drug is short acting.
Can trazodone help with sleep?
Trazodone is an antidepressant that drug manufacturers developed to treat depression. Trazodone may also help treat sleep disorders, such as insomnia.
A person who has trouble sleeping may decide to talk to their doctor about the possibility of taking trazodone. However, trazodone may not be good for everyone and can have unwanted side effects.
Keep reading for more information on using trazodone to aid sleep.
Trazodone is an antidepressant that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved to treat depression in the United States.
It belongs to a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs act by blocking the absorption of serotonin in the brain.
SSRIs are the most common antidepressants that doctors prescribe.
However, according to a review of studies , some researchers suggest that the off-label use of trazodone to treat sleep disorders now surpasses its use as an antidepressant.
Trazodone can help certain people to fall asleep. However, similarly to other medications, it may work better for some people than for others.
According to the 2017 review mentioned above, trazodone in low doses is generally safe and effective for treating insomnia, although, currently, the FDA only approve trazodone for treating depression.
Doctors generally consider trazodone safe in small doses for sleep disorders, such as insomnia. But it may not be as effective as medications such as Ambien for these sleep disorders.
If a person is having trouble sleeping due to depression, they may require a higher dose of trazodone. If this is the case, a person increases their risk of developing side effects from the medication due to the higher dose.
Doctors do not consider trazodone to be habit forming, meaning a person is not likely to become addicted to it. However, trazodone and other SSRIs may still cause physical dependence when people use them long term.
This type of dependence occurs when a person becomes used to the drug being in their system. As a result, they may experience withdrawal when the drug is no longer there.
Physical dependence is a normal process that happens with many medications.
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Family Medicine
In 2024 our team of doctors and nurses provide a comprehensive range of family planning services. Our doctors have expertise in antenatal care, preconception planning, and STD checks. Contraceptive advice including Mirena and Implanon insertion is available.
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