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Treat Insomnia With Trazodone:

Insomnia:
Firstly, we have to know insomnia. According to the physician, insomnia
is the trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep for a long time to feel
refreshed for the next day. It is usually seen in elderly people.

People with insomnia may:

 Find it trouble to get sleep.


 Stay awake for a long time at night.
 Usually get up early in the morning and can’t go back to sleep
again
 Not feel refreshed for the next work
 Find it difficult for a nap during the day
 Have fatigue, low energy, mood disturbance and down
performance in work.

Trazodone insomnia:
Sleep disorder, sleep disturbance and depression are well connected. In
that case anti-depressant drugs are helpful to treat insomnia.

Trazodone is primarily an anti-depressant. Again drug used to treat


insomnia. It is a three-decade-old generic anti-depressant, successfully
applied to treat insomnia.

Research shows the drug to be very effective in treating sleeplessness


in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Trazodone improves night time sleep without affecting nerve or brain
function. But it’s not effective for a nap or daytime sleepiness.

Treating insomnia:
However, the Food and Drug Administration approved trazodone as an
anti-depressant. Based on this some physicians were against trazodone
to treat insomnia. Nowadays, the research recommends trazodone for
insomnia.
Insomnia appears in 3 particular types. Sleep aids are commonly
designed to treat one or two, but not all the three. Sleep onset
insomnia is trouble to get sleep. Middle insomnia is difficult staying
asleep. Late insomnia is waking up very early in the morning unable to
sleep again.

Trazodone is actually used as a treatment for a longer period of time


than many other popular sleeping aids. It is reported to improve sleep
in the first 2 weeks. Its half-life is 3-6 hours. So, it is mostly used for
onset or middle insomnia sufferers.

Think before taking trazodone:


Before taking any medicaments, you should make certain changes to
your lifestyle to help get rid of insomnia. You can avoid big meals,
alcohol, smoking, late night exercise or working or watching TV. If those
don’t work, then you should go for over-the-counter drug containing
anti-histamine like diphenhydramine or doxylamine only for a few
nights.
If your insomnia persists, then you should go for a doctor. Medication is
required for persistent insomnia when non-drug therapy is refused or
ineffective.
 Main consideration to treat insomnia with trazodone:

 Insomnia without depression:


Evidences are little here. Physicians usually recommend trazodone
when newer sleep drugs have failed. According to study, it may
improve sleep initially. But the effect may fade after a few weeks. For
this, daytime should avoid.
 Insomnia with depression:
Insomnia has a good connection with depression. But the best
treatment for both these issues together hasn’t yet determined. You
have both, tell your doctor about the nature of sleeplessness, severity
of depression, your previous medical history and personal appeal.

 Most important consideration is to manage the depression


with a good anti-depressant. And a separate drug like
trazodone can be prescribed to treat insomnia.

Precaution to be taken:

1. Sometimes trazodone is not able to work finely to treat the Insomnia after
a few of the weeks. That’s why you will have to talk with your doctor to
discuss about the trazodone and its working.

2. While having trouble to sleep, take it a few hours before you go to bed.
Take it at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

3. In case of abnormal heart rhythm or recovering from heart attack, liver or


kidney disease, inform your doctor. Be careful with it if you have heart
disease.
4. Avoid alcohol with trazodone. Be careful of taking other sedatives and
anti-hypertensive drugs.

5. Close monitoring may also be difficult if you take trazodone with another
anti-depressant.

Possible side effect:


The side effects trazodone may include:

 Nausea, vomiting
 Headache
 Diarrhea or constipation
 Muscle pain
 Joint pain
 Loss of appetite
 Mouth or eye dryness
 Confusion
 Nervousness
 Blurred vision or ringing in the ear
 Rashes
 Swelling
 Weakness

Some side effects may cause serious case. In that case taking
trazodone should be stopped and call your doctor immedietly.
 Attempt to suicide
 Severe depression
 Severe rash
 Chest pain
 Abnormal heart beat
 Difficult to breathe
 Swelling of the face and tongue

Maintain your daily work routine. Go to bed timely and lead a happy
life.

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