Trazodone or illness?

Hello All,

I was taking trazodone (100mg) to help me sleep during hypomania. Since I've been doing better my pdoc has suggested I stop taking the trazodone in order to feel less tired in the mornings.

He said it is not addictive and I could stop immediately, but it can help psychologically to taper off.

I stopped 'cold turkey' but had the most awful nights two nights in a row - almost no sleep, thrashing about in the bed involuntarily, weird frightening thoughts etc. I was not tired at all the next days.

I am wondering if this is 'withdrawal' from trazodone - if so, why would it only affect me at night?

Or is it maybe that I am still 'ill' in some way which the trazodone was masking before? Or maybe I just needed to persist for longer. I will try again, this time tapering off it.

I'm seeing my pdoc next week and will tell him this.

Just wondering if anyone had similar experiences coming off trazodone?

Thanks a lot,
Beebizzy

I took 450 mg of Trazodone, it just didn't work for me, tried it for about 2 months. So I really didn't have withdrawals, Talk to pdoc, maybe it wasn't right for you in the first place.

I've taken 400 mgs. Trazadone for years for sleep. Just lately I've been taking 300mgs. and sometimes 200mgs. It knocks me out for a good 8 hrs. with no hangover. Sleeping pills like Lunesta and Ambien didn't work for me. I'd sleep for 3 or 4 hours and I was up. P-doc tells me the most important factor in maintaining stabilization of BP is sleep. So it works for me and I'll keep taking it.

Trazodone knocked me out and kept me asleep for hours at a stretch- unusual for me- and gave me long, detailed dreams. It did make it difficult to get up in the morning. I'd wake up late no matter what time I went to sleep. I quite taking it within the last year and use ativan if I need to.

My PDoc started me on Trazadone for sleep and it did not work at all.

I did not have any withdrawals but I was only on it for two months.