Sleep struggle because of Effexor

[Elocin303]

Hi I’m new here and I’m sure this question has been asked. But my doctor mentioned trazadone or amitriptyline to help me sleep. I wanted to reach out and see if anyone had anything to add about either of those drugs. Thank you.

[Patsy164]

Hi and welcome. My husband was prescribed amitriptyline to help with his migraines at the time and sleeping problems. He doesn’t take them all the time like he should but he does find them helpful. He finds it hard to switch off and has a big problem with sleep.

I hope you come to a decision with the tablets to help you sleep.

[MichelleHarris]

Do you have medical conditions?

GP is offering night sedation which will have a hangover effect or an old style antidepressant with sedative effects more recently used for Shingles pain, head injury pain or migrains. How old are you? You need to find the ‘route cause’.

Private blood testing can give you more of an idea than bloods your GP is willing to do. Lots of people having to turn to private health as govt. is undermining NHS by stealth.

Improve your vitamins of Magnesium for a start x

[BonnieSue Dream Team]

Hi Elocin,

Both drugs will make you sleepy but you never know how long they'll keep you asleep or if you'll have a hangover and for how long. Both can work, especially as you get used to one of them, the side effects will taper down or off. My only precaution is to say that on a high dose of trazodone it changed how it affected me and caused major problems...I wasn't even the same person. By high dose I mean 150mg at bedtime. Just 50 mg is often enough. I should note that any drug can change how it affects you, not just trazodone. I don't know the frequency which has possibly been documented for trazodone to change how it affects you.

Best of luck to you in making this decision.

Hugs, Love, and Blessings...

[Dolphin14]

I took amitriptaline for migraine. Didn't change my sleep.

I've been off and on trazadone over the last few years. Initially it did nothing. Recently I tried it again. I started with a 100 mg dose and I was wiped out all day. I went down to 25 mg, still the same reaction. So, I stopped it.

I wonder if it had anything to do with other meds I was on increasing it's affect.

The only way to know is try it.

[SusanSun]

I take Trazadone but I also take other pills also.

[Jax103]

Effexor is a Serotonin re uptake inhibitor. These medication carry the strongest black box warning than any other medication including opioid medications.

People react differently to the same drug. I have always had adverse reactions and worsting conditions and even been hospitalized on more than one occasion with serotonin syndrome. Doctors have tried me on about every drug in this class from Paxil, welbutrin, cymbalta and many others.

My last episode, I was prescribed amatriptyline and I had been on trans-dermal fentanyl for 2 years. I was near death when I arrived at the ER.

Always check drug interactions and side effects for insomnia. Without sufficient rest, the body cannot heal.