Trazadone

[keiralee]

I have total insomnia from Buprenorphine. I have been taking 1 x 50mg Trazadone for 2 weeks. Initially it gave me 2 or 3 hours sleep now it has almost stopped working. I also feel in a very low mood. Whether it down to the Trazadone or sleep deprivation I don't know. I would welcome your experience on this.

[SueJohnson]

Joolsg found taking 25 mg pregabalin worked. Or ask for zopiclone..

[Doversoul]

I've been taking Trazadone nightly for several years in conjunction with 300mg of Pregabalin.

There is always a couple of hours before I fall asleep and I stay asleep.

I would point out that high sugar and energy drinks, alcohol, and caffeine taken before bed will reduce the sleep benefit that Trazadone can provide, and increase the severity of the RLS experienced.

I take both medicines with a glass of full-fat milk about 1hr before bed. Hope that helps. Good luck

[keiralee in reply to Doversoul]

Thank you for your reply

[Typicallygaslit]

Yes I have this problem, too and I’m really struggling as I can’t function at all on little or no sleep. I take both Zopiclone and Diazepam as my GP luckily didn’t take these off my prescription list when I started on Buprenorphine. I also have Tramadol which has a different action, it’s serotonin agonising so it can help me get to sleep, but I only take 1/3 or 1/2. In adddition I have quetiapine (I take just 1/4 of a tablet so very little) from my ‘previous’ life, this increases RLS so it’s very far from ideal but it seems to be the only thing that calms down some of the excitatory neurotransmitters that are keeping me awake. The opioids cover the RLS I would otherwise get from this.

I can substitute some of these medecines with low dose THC but only occasionally as I’m very sensitive to the side effects. My situation is messy and chaotic and I’ve tried to do without Tramadol and quetiapine but I end up just cleaning my house almost all night through until some of the excitement wears off, or shopping and that sort of thing. Then sleeping 6 or7 hrs until 2 pm. Sorry I can’t really help, just saying that it’s a very difficult situation and you may need more help. I don’t tolerate Trazodone as most serotonin agonists are pure hell for me. Same with Gabapentin. I’m sure behind the side effects is a complicated additional problem besides RLS that prevents me from getting normal sleep. you may have some similar issue which could be the reason Buprenorphine keeps us awake in the first place. If you’re interested, you could look up ‘serotonin syndrome’ which explains some of these issues.

[keiralee in reply to Typicallygaslit]

Thank you so much for your reply

[Ticki]

hi hon, I have been taking this medication for a little over 3 1/2 years now and unfortunately I don’t have terrific news. I know it took a few months to get used to the medication but then I started sleeping for a few months it was incredible and then like a cycle, which I seem to go through. I went back to getting two hours sleep together. I did start using trazodone, and that helped me to get a lot more hours of sleep, but after eight months add also discontinued working

, I have tried morphine and tramadol, oxycodone, and all the other medication and sadly sleep is still a top issue, heartbreaks for those of us who are so sick with chronic insomnia. ❤️‍🩹

[keiralee in reply to Ticki]

Thank you for replying

[berta456]

Hi, Keiralee—

It’s possible you just need a higher dose of trazodone. The range that is sedating for folks is 25-100mg, and sometimes even higher, though usually if 100mg is not sedating, you are likely one who does not react to the drug that way.

Is it possible for you to try 75mg? That might do the trick. There is really no danger of taking too much, since this old drug was originally designed as an antidepressant, with dosage range of 300-600mg/d. It was a bust as an antidepressant, though, because most people couldn’t tolerate it because it was too sedating. So it got a second life as a non-habit-forming sleep aid.

[keiralee in reply to berta456]

Thank you Berta456.Unfortunately I have capsules. I will try asking gp for tablets.