

The review concluded that trazodone is useful for treating both primary and secondary insomnia. In 2017, a systematic review of trazodone for insomnia identified 45 studies into the safety and efficacy of off-label use of the medication.

So, does taking an antidepressant really work if you’ve got insomnia? Does Trazodone Help You Sleep?

Many medications are used to address the issues that come with insomnia including Ambien and trazodone. Sleep onset insomnia: You’re suffering from onset insomnia if you find it tough to fall asleep when you climb into bed.Maintenance insomnia: An inability to stay asleep is known as maintenance insomnia and it’s characterized by waking during the night then finding it tough to get back to sleep.Late insomnia: Waking extremely early in the morning and being unable to sleep again.Debilitating back pain or conditions like arthritis can also make it hard to sleep. Conditions like anxiety and depression often precipitate sleeping problems. Comorbid insomnia: If insomnia occurs alongside another condition, it’s termed comorbid insomnia.There are many causes and treatment varies accordingly. Chronic insomnia: Insomnia is normally labelled chronic if you have problems falling asleep or staying asleep for at least 3 nights weekly over 3 months or more.Acute insomnia: Typically triggered by a stressful life event, acute insomnia is a brief, fleeting episode of sleep disturbance that often resolves with no need for treatment.There are multiple sub-types of insomnia: With secondary insomnia, the condition causing the insomnia needs to be dealt with alongside medical or behavioral treatment of the insomnia itself. Treatment of primary insomnia involves addressing and attacking the sleep problem itself. Secondary insomnia: Difficulties sleeping caused by either a medical condition or a mental health disorder is known as secondary insomnia.Primary insomnia: With primary insomnia, you have standalone problems with sleep not brought about by other physical or psychological disorders.There are many different types of insomnia, but it’s often assessed in two broad categories, primary and secondary. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can make it hard for people to fall asleep or stay asleep. The side effects of trazodone for sleep What Is Insomnia? It’s through this mechanism that trazodone can help with some cases of depression.īefore we move on to examine the side effects of using trazodone for sleep, what is insomnia? We’ll briefly highlight that right now. Oleptro is the only remaining brand name for trazodone. Categorized as a SARI ( serotonin antagonist reuptake inhibitor), trazodone stops neurons from reabsorbing serotonin once the neurotransmitter has been released into the CNS. So, although not designed as a sedative or hypnotic to address sleep disorders, doctors are now prescribing trazodone off-label to mitigate insomnia.įirst approved by the FDA in 1981 (under the brand name Desyrel), trazodone is now available as a generic medication produced by several leading drug companies. Many other antidepressants are more effective at treating depression while the chemical composition of trazodone gives it mild sedating properties, often unwanted if being used to treat depression. Because of it’s effects on serotonin, trazodone functions well as a sleep aid. These drugs work by moderating levels of serotonin – a neurotransmitter – in the brain and increasing its availability in the CNS (central nervous system). Trazodone belongs to a class of medications called serotonin modulators. Doctors may also prescribe trazodone for the treatment of anxiety, schizophrenia, and uncontrollable movements that crop up as a side effect of other meds. Trazodone was first developed to treat the symptoms of depression.
