Trazodone and Sertraline

[magarlick]

Dear all

I've had depression for donkey's years and I have been on Sertraline for about 8 years. It has been helping very well, but in recent months I've felt my mood slide significantly. I've also noticed an increase in my symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, and I also now have severe insomnia - it can take hours to fall asleep. I feel that the Sertraline is no longer helping with my depression, and that is has caused the other issues as well. (Side note: just started Gabapentin for RLS. Haven't yet found an effective dose.)

Spoke to a GP and asked for Trazodone, as it's pretty much the only antidepressant that doesn't augment RLS. He agreed to let me try 150mg, but asked me to taper off the Sertraline first. I know about serotonin syndrome so I understand why he doesn't want me on both meds. But I am scared that the Trazodone will be ineffective for my depression, as I have tried several ADs and only Sertraline and Citalopram have helped. The GP said he has NEVER prescribed it for depression, only insomnia.

Doing some digging, most websites I've found have said that, yes, there is a danger of serotonin syndrome if one combines Sertraline and Trazodone, yet they don't stipulate what doses. Another site (wish I could remember which one) reported on a trial that found improvements in mood and sleep when the two were combined.

Sorry, long winded. 😀

So my questions:

Does anyone here take Trazodone for depression? Does it work?

Is 100mg Sertraline and 150mg Trazodone likely to cause serotonin syndrome?

Thanks all, and be well.

Mark

[Rafibromylygia]

Hi can't comment on the depression part for Trazadone I'm bit suprised it's not been given along side another drug for the depression

I was told it's now more used at night for the insomnia

Trazadone very effective for the insomnia

Sometimes gp etc increase another drug as you taper another for less or no side effects

Gabapentin dose can go upto 2700

Pregablin Now getting Rolled out fast for anxiety now as well

[brodytexas in reply to Rafibromylygia]

gabapentin i would do in depth research and it caused me many problems

[Rafibromylygia in reply to brodytexas]

The op magerlick just started gabepentin I've came of it now on

Pregablin

Max dose

For anxiety and nerve pain

[blackcat64013]

Hi Magarlick,I am sorry that your meds aren't working so well.

I am not familiar with the combination you mention.

I gather your prescriber is a primary care provider. You may well benefit from a referral to psychiatrist for a specialist meds review.

My solution to the sleep issue was take Mirtazapine as the antidepressant at night to take advantage of its known sedating effects. The only problem is possible weight gain but that is manageable.

Be guided by the doctor but go with what feels right for you. 🐈‍⬛

[jonrogers930]

Sorry to hear you're suffering!

Everyone is different, but all my depressive phases (serious at times and lasting months) have ended only when I addressed the core issues in my life that were causing the symptoms in the first place.

Once it was kind of as simple as a one week vacation that cleared my head and gave me the energy to make some serious and pretty drastic changes (broke up with girlfriend, sold condo, moved to a different country!).

Another time, a new girl moved to our town and we quickly fell in love. I went on Monday from being completely lost to Tuesday, suddenly in a serious romance,

It only lasted a month, but it was a "boost" that helped me make some smaller changes, like I started going to a different co-working spot, met a new and completely different group of people, got into some new hobbies and sports - opportunities that had been there down the street, free of charge the whole time.

Not sure if that helps but hope in any case things improve for you!

[magarlick in reply to jonrogers930]

Thank you. Yeah, done lots of supposedly life-changing stuff and am now in a different (happy) relationship. Same old story though.

[RMHiker]

I haven't taken Trazadone or Sertraline, but I take Gabapentin for anxiety and it was the only thing that worked for me. For depression, I couldn't take anything that altered seratonin levels since that gave me very bad shaking. After trying several drugs, I finally found Auvelity which was a life saver. It acts on the glutamate system of the brain, similar to ketamine. It also acts quickly, in only a couple of weeks, versus traditional antidepressants. If you've tried several medications with no success, your insurance may cover it. It wouldn't cause seratonin syndrome since it doesn't act on seratonin levels. As far as sleep, magnesium has helped me a lot. There are several types of magnesium. I take magnesium threonate because it's the only one that crosses the blood-brain barrier and can help with mood and cognitive function as well.