Trazodone for Depression User Reviews (Page 2)

• robehou
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 8, 2018

"I am a Critical Care Nurse. I had a situational depression after beginning my career of taking care of AIDS patients and where 11 of my co workers died within a two year period. My room mate died and I was told to prepare to die. I didn't die but later I developed depression. Nothing worked except Trazadone. After a year taking it I was back to high functioning and went back to graduate school. For me, it was a life saver."

• emz
• June 28, 2007

"I have been on trazodone for 4 months now and it started to work within 4 weeks of me taking it. I was prescribed it for depression and insomnia. Since I noticed its full effects, I am sleeping throughout the night, and my moods seem a lot more stable."

• User
• January 30, 2015

"I've tried several SSRI-class medications over the years starting around age 15...(sertraline, Lexapro, Celexa). All of them gave me uncomfortable side effects...(anorgasmia, RLS, nightmares, inability to sleep). I was never able to take them long enough to get any antidepressant or anxiolytic effects due to the unbearable side effects. I finally went and got a prescription for Trazodone along with a prescription for Valium around 5 days ago. I started by taking 12.5mg for 4 days. Last night I upped my dose to 25mg. Today is the first time I've woken up and actually felt good. I can fall asleep quickly and easily and my mood has been greatly improved. I highly recommend this medicine to anyone who has not had good experiences with conventional SSRIs."

• Island...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 4, 2020

"My doctor prescribed this since Prozac and brintellix wiped me out sexually. Apart from the issue with libido, Prozac suited me perfectly, not so however this drug Trazodone. I was told to take 150mg..which in the light of these reviews seems extreme considering my sensitivity to drugs and my body weight, being petite. As instructed I took it five hours before bedtime. I then slept like a zombie for ten hours and woke feeling groggy with super spaced out eyes the next morning. I felt heavy, drugged and seemed to have lost my sense of balance. It took till lunchtime to feel vaguely normal again. While I do not doubt this would prevent the panic attacks as you would be too out of it to panic, whatever the issue, nuclear attack, invasion of the body snatchers, aliens abducting your children. I had no intention of suffering such extreme side effects. Consequently, I did not take again. The search goes on for the perfect drug. It most definitely is not this one."

• benhat
• March 1, 2018

"I was prescribed Trazodone for insomnia. I started by splitting a 50mg in two about a half hour before bed. I managed to get "good" sleep for about 3-4 hours before waking up in the middle of the night, so on the 3rd night I took a full tablet and slept like a champ. Within 7 days, I was not only sleeping better but feeling better than I had in years. I went back to my PCP and requested to be kept on Trazodone (I do still take Lamotrigine as well). I'm at 3 weeks (full effectiveness) and could not be happier. My anxiety, depression, paranoia, and exhaustion have all but vanished. Here are some of the side effects I experienced during the first two weeks of being on Trazodone: dizziness, confusion, and mild nausea. All of these have passed. I exercise daily and eat right. No coffee, no tea, and a limited amount of sugar. No pot. Going to bed at the same time every night is also a plus."

• Shaggin
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 15, 2020

"I've been taking trazadone for many years for depression, anxiety and it also helps to minimize or eliminate thought disturbances and of course it helps you sleep. So this medication does a lot and overall I will say that it has been working for me. However I do not like taking this med as it sedates you so much its hard to wake up out of it. This is the one medication I wish I could wean myself off of. Sometimes I skip a dose or two but cannot get too far from it as I will start having symptoms of depression and anxiety again. So I'm pretty much dependent on it."

• Ziggy
• March 21, 2009

"Trazodone has been a godsend for me. I tried all the 'new SSRIs' like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Lexapro, and they all made my symptoms worse. My doctor finally decided to try a couple of older, first-generation antidepressants. Elavil was okay, but Trazodone, when I finally got to it, really kicked all my symptoms. I didn't have the side effects of the newer SSRI type medications. Trazodone did not cause insomnia, but rather allowed me to get to sleep. The SSRIs all caused nervousness, agitation, and insomnia. Trazodone had no adverse effects other than mild heartburn at the beginning."

• iso
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 15, 2024

"This drug is freakishly potent when combined with SSRIs. 100-150 mg is commonly prescribed for sleep alongside an SSRI (in my case, fluoxetine/Prozac). I cut the pills into 25 mg chunks and took it because I'm sensitive. I became super happy, but also hyper and impulsive. I went down to 12.5 mg and suffered weeks of withdrawal symptoms. I've tried trazodone without any other drugs and it doesn't seem to cause this. It really works to improve my mood, though. Note that the pharmacology of the drug is super complex and the drug can be very potent. 10 mg will bind and antagonize >95% of the 5-HT2A serotonin receptors in the human brain, so it can have profound effects at very low dosages. At 50-100 mg, it starts binding other receptors, with unpredictable person-to-person effects. It's much more than a sleeping pill. Be careful with it. It can really help you, or it can make your life miserable. Start at a very low dosage, especially when taken in conjunction with other drugs."

• Lilfu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2016

"I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 2 months ago although I feel I've had it for 8 years .. For the past 8 years I've woken up miserably tired so tired that it's unbearable and has made my life very difficult.major brain fog..extremely sensitive...lots of anxiety.. This led to depression Although I knock out every night the doctor put me on trazodone to improve my quality of sleep. I started off at 25 mg was groggy for three days ALL day even with coffee so I decided to cut it and am now on 15 mg and today marks 14 days on it..I never wake up during the night..I wake up sleepy but ready to go! Unlike every other morning the past 8 years where I could barely function.. I'm less anxious I feel happier and am extremely thankful."

• angels
• November 21, 2013

"I had a near on full nervous breakdown, I had been months without sleep and suffered depression. What I do find is that if you are woken half way through the night then there is no going back to sleep. Having stayed away from home recently and forgetting to take tablets with me, I ended up staying awake all night long. Cannot sleep without taking trazodone."

• Natte...
• June 1, 2016

"I take trazodone to help balance the effects Cymbalta had on my sleep and to help with my depression. My experience has been wonderful, helps me fall asleep and sleep restfully. Together with Cymbalta, Trazodone has completely eradicated my depression."

• Retodd
• February 17, 2019

"After several years in Law Enforcement and having to save my or my fellow officers lives and killing a violator, I finally reached an all time low and definitely was close to doing something stupid. My family and friends talked me into getting help. I started with a psychologist who was against medicine and thought she could help me with exercises. After 4 months she said that I needed to go to a psychiatrist and see about meds. I did and was put on 2 different meds with one being Trazadone. I went on Venlafaxine and continued with 300 mg of trazadone. After a while on it I was having some issues with waking up. He reduces it to 200 mg and I have not looked back. I sleep through the night after years of getting up to clear the house several times. My nightmares continue but for the most part I do not remember. My wife says I still scream, jump, kick, punch, and cry at night but since I don't remember I am good."

• Dano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 17, 2018

"The first night I used trazodone it made me unbearably dizzy, lightheaded and nauseous. I actually ended up passing out in my kitchen. Every time I would sit up from a lying down position I felt like I was going to pass out, and honestly the whole experience really scared me. I let the fear take over for quite a while and the medication sat in my bedside table untouched for about four months, maybe longer. Until I reached a point where I felt like I had no choice but to give it another try. I have struggled with severe insomnia, depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember. I have refused to take medication out of fear of addiction and the lengthy list of side effects associated with most of them. I have been taking trazodone every other night to every night for about three weeks now and I have never slept better. I feel generally happier and my anxiety is better controlled. Definitely worth a try for those who can relate."

• jan
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 26, 2012

"I have been taking trazodone for 6 years now. The only side effect I get is a dry mouth so always take a drink to bed. It works so well because I don't have to lie in bed for hours with all the things going round and round my head. My dosage varies from 50 mg to 150 mg depending on how bad my depression is. I also have a friend who used to drink heavily who started taking trazodone and he hardly drinks at all now."

• Anonymous
• September 11, 2010

Oleptro (trazodone) "I started taking Oleptro, great for depression. Has been a lifesaver for me; if anything, it increased my sex drive and made sex more enjoyable, and I slept better. Very safe to use, this is a great medication."

• mi3kds
• September 5, 2008

Desyrel (trazodone) "I've taken trazodone for about 6 years after a brain injury caused severe depression and anxiety. I take 200mg (down from 300 mg) at night, and it really helps me sleep. I've had no unpleasant side effects."

• It...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2013

"Trazodone has worked fine for me so far. My doctor is treating me for anxiety, depression, and interrupted sleep. My experience is that after an hour of taking this medication I'm ready for bed and fall asleep throughout the night. I also sleep throughout the morning getting a total of 10-11 hours which is what concerns me, and also wake up a little disoriented but after 5-10 minutes (walking around thinking about breakfast/lunch) it goes away. I'm used to taking the medication around 11pm and be in bed by 12am which can be the reason of waking up late, so tonight I'm going to take it at 9am and hopefully go to bed by 10pm and I should be up by 8am and ready to eat and go for a swim."

• trazo...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 15, 2021

"I got prescribed trazodone 23 years ago for a sleeping aid. My doc thought I was depressed so gave me 300mg. I am still on 100mg every night and I am severely depressed I am in bed for around 16 hours a day. I have lost all interest in everything in life no motivation for anything. I am drained within 2 hours of getting up and have to go to bed again. I have tried a few times to get off trazodone but I get to around 55-60 hours awake and give up and take the trazodone again. My wife left me 10 years ago as she had enough of the way I was. Concentration and listening to people is difficult as you're not interested in what anyone's saying. I have been awake 33 hours so far (trying to get off trazodone again)and a bit teary thinking of the 20+ years I have slept in my bed for--its a bad drug for a lot of people"

• GinoF...
• February 8, 2016

"I was given this drug as a prescription for sleep issues that I was having. At the time I had no known indications of depression or anxiety. It was simply to help with my sleep patterns since I travelled extensively. After taking the drug for a few months I simply stopped because I was on a more regular sleep cycle. Within a week, I was completely incapacidated, diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety and exhaustion. I also became terrified of daily activities and was incapable of even showering myself. I have never experienced such a dark space in my life. It wasn't until later that my symptoms were tied to this medicine withdrawal. I am furious about that and now taking another med to recover from this one, and then weened off."

• Yooper
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 27, 2018

"I was prescribed trazodone for depression. I'm on 100 mg. Works for the depression and the bonus is that it helps me fall asleep fast. There is a slight "hangover" feeling in the morning but it disappears with my first cup of coffee."

• Thales
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2024

"I'm a 26-year-old man, a medical student, who has been fighting depression since adolescence. I've been on almost all SSRIs as a monotherapy, and none of them worked well, except for Paroxetine, which worked for 5 years. Then I switched to Escitalopram, which helped, but did not take away my depression and anxiety. Now, after all this struggle, my psychiatrist finally found a combination of drugs that worked great for me: Trazodone 100mg per day + Escitalopram 30mg per day. This combo has been a miracle. I'm very good, my thinking is clear, and I'm able to focus and learn more. Plus, the anxiety and depression are gone. I hope I stay this way for a very long time and hope that this combo keeps working for a very long time. Side effects of trazodone were only present in the first few weeks: sedation, somnolence, and weird dreams. I recommend taking it before sleep."

• Sarax...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 27, 2012

"Helps with my depression (started noticing improvement at 23 days) and also makes me sleep like a baby. MUST TAKE BEFORE BED! Otherwise I will have blurry vision and I will be incoherent within 10 minutes. Also, normally I'm a light sleeper but you could probably push me off my bed and I wouldn't wake up. Noted though that I take a higher dose of it than most people, 200mg."

• sleep...
• May 21, 2008

"I have had trouble sleeping since I was 18 years old. I was ignored by my doctor. 32 years later when I started going to a new doctor that would listen to me, she put me on 50mg trazodone. My life is so much better. I can get to sleep and stay asleep. There are no more disruptive repetitive thoughts and waking up screaming. I have been on it 4 years now and have no intention of going off of it. I suspect maybe a slight weight gain, but I am not absolutely sure it is the medicine causing it."

• pica
• March 28, 2010

"I was always depressed. Became addicted to painkillers and when I kicked it cold turkey, my doctor prescribed me 100mg of trazodone. Three weeks in, I felt amazing. I could sleep at night, no more panic attacks, and my moods are stable. Love it!"

• Pharm...
• April 30, 2017

"My husband and I went through a very rough patch after having kids and I suffered terrible post partum depression. He ended up leaving me for somebody else at the time and I was put on Trazodone because I was not able to shut my brain off at night and wasn't getting any sleep. I was prescribed a whole 100mg tab but only took a 1/4 tab before bed and it was enough to shut my mind off and take away those depressing thoughts. I haven't had to take it for almost a year now but it helped bring that old me back."