1. < Sleep Health

Sleep without trazadone

Posted by mommabird74 @mommabird74, Apr 17, 2019

I’ve been taking trazadone for 15 years for sleep at 50 mg. I have been following a diet of no sugar, gluten or diary to come off all medicine. Also run 3 miles a day. I have successfully come off lexapro 10 mg after a long taper and feel better than when I was on meds. My problem now is tapering the trazadone. I have been able to decrease to 25 mg but when I go lower, I can’t sleep. I’ve been taking CBD oil, 5htp, and another natural pill with melatonin called best rest (I think). Have any of you gone through a similar situation or successfully come off trazadone? I think it’s affecting my memory. Any tips would be great.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Sleep Health Support Group.

Kelly Amunrud | @kellyamunrud | Dec 27, 2021
In reply to @johnbishop "Hello Kelly @kellyamunrud, Welcome to Connect. Thank you for sharing tips on what helped you go..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hello Kelly @kellyamunrud, Welcome to Connect. Thank you for sharing tips on what helped you go off medications including the sleep med. Hopefully other members trying to taper off of trazadone and other sleep meds will benefit from your experience.

Do you mind sharing how you found Connect, what information you were searching for?

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i am an employee and someone had shared it with me. Originally I was looking for covid long hauler information when I joined.

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1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Dec 27, 2021
In reply to @kellyamunrud "i am an employee and someone had shared it with me. Originally I was looking for..." + (show)
@kellyamunrud

i am an employee and someone had shared it with me. Originally I was looking for covid long hauler information when I joined.

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Welcome, Kelly.
To stay up-to-date with research, tips and guidance about long haul COVID, follow the expert blog:
- Post-COVID Recovery https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/post-covid-recovery/

To connect with other long haulers, I invite you to join the discussions in this support group on Mayo Clinic Connect:
- Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/post-covid-recovery-covid-19/

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Dec 27, 2021
In reply to @hotfooted "I've taken Benadryl for years to help me sleep. Last year my brother told me that..." + (show)
@hotfooted

I've taken Benadryl for years to help me sleep. Last year my brother told me that Gabapenten helped him with the pain of neuropathy. My doctor had prescribed it for me in the past, but failed to mention that it would take a while before I felt any benefit so I stopped too soon apparently. After my brother told me his experience with it I began to use it for pain. My feet ache and burn at night after I go to bed, so I added it to the Benadryl and finally started getting a good nights sleep. Now I find it requires more than it did before and I'm getting concerned about over medicating. Last night I only took the Gabapenten and fell asleep within a half hour, but woke up 2 hours later and could not get to sleep again. I didn't take anything at that time, but finally just got up and stayed up.
I will be moving cross country in a couple of months and will have to find a new doctor. That means to me that I will need to have my meds covered here for several months and my doctor assured me that they will be. My quandary is what to do about my sleep meds now to get myself adapted to sleeping through the nights now. Naturally, the move is anxiety inducing enough already. Any suggestions for me? Many thanks for your help..

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@hotfooted, can you help me understand? You are weaning yourself off of Benadryl and continue with gabapentin and are working on better sleep throughout the night. With you upcoming move, you're concerned about sleeping through the night. Did I get that right?

Did you see @kellyamunrud's post with some helpful suggestions?

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Dec 27, 2021
In reply to @evelyncooks "Thank you! Melatonin does not work at all. Cbd was tried but made me feel energized...." + (show)
@evelyncooks

Thank you! Melatonin does not work at all. Cbd was tried but made me feel energized. Tried a herbal product with kava kava, valerian, passion fruit, araghanawista, no help, also amino acids for sleep. None of which have helped . I have many nights where I do not sleep at all. This has been going on for 7 mos. Kaiser permanente just keeps trying different meds. I am too old to take them have gone back on Trazadone x2and last week was trialed on Zoloft which was a Disaster. Ativan was somewhat helpful but only for 2 hrs of sedated ‘sleep” although the Ativan did calm me down and helped with leg tremors but was not long lasting. this is just another bad drug with side effects. I am hard of hearing white noise haven’t tried thinking of light therapy… anything proven effective that is not a Addictive.
Thank you
Evelyn

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@evelyncooks

I've been reading about your sleep problem and the different treatments that you have tried. I have used 25 mg of Trazodone at night for a number of years. For me, Trazodone helps with sleep and pain (pain will, of course, interfere with sleep). If my pain is very severe, I will add a small dose of Gabapentin (100 mg) in the mid-afternoon or early evening. If I take Gabapentin later I wake up with a foggy feeling.

You say that Melatonin has not helped. I'm wondering how long you tried it? Just a week or perhaps longer than that? It will often take a while for sleep meds or supplements to work.

I've read of members in Connect who have used time-released Melatonin when regular Melatonin has not worked.

Have you tried a time-released formula of Melatonin?

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lindasmith1222 | @lindasmith1222 | Dec 29, 2021

Yes, I have and was told it could take even a year to be able to fall sleep. I think you are doing great with exercise and everything you are taking. I am using a weighted blanket and aromatherapy, taking a bath instead of a shower in the evening . . . sometimes I fall asleep but wake up too early and unable to go back to sleep. I went back to the dose I could sleep on after literally staying awake for 3 days, and am tapering more slowly like shaving my pill using a file and taking that for 2 weeks, then shave some more for another 2 week taper . . . this is a most frustrating ordeal. I suffer from major depressive disorder as well so not sleeping is a big deal. I cannot keep my mind quiet. I never slept well, even as a child.

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1 reply
cila | @cila | Dec 29, 2021
In reply to @kellyamunrud "I have chronic fatigue and when I decided to go off all my medications, the sleep..." + (show)
@kellyamunrud

I have chronic fatigue and when I decided to go off all my medications, the sleep med was the last one and I cut it in half and then half again and one day when I knew I had a few days to be sleep deprived I went off it. I used essential oils and an app with calm music. I've never looked back! I sleep so much better now. I started using lavender oil but found I slept way too hard and would have weird dreams. I then changed to Valor which has been working for 8 years. When I've overdone it and don't get great sleep I will add in my oral CBD but just 1/4 of the dose. I rub the oils on the back of my neck and sometimes my ears as those are vitaflex points for your brain - helps mine shut off. The app I use is BetterSleep. Good luck!

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Where do you buy oils? Is it smells? Also, I bought CBD and it doesn’t do anything for me. I wake up 2or3 in the morning and can’t go back to sleep Thanks! Cila

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2 replies
nousername | @nousername | Dec 30, 2021
In reply to @lindasmith1222 "Yes, I have and was told it could take even a year to be able to..." + (show)
@lindasmith1222

Yes, I have and was told it could take even a year to be able to fall sleep. I think you are doing great with exercise and everything you are taking. I am using a weighted blanket and aromatherapy, taking a bath instead of a shower in the evening . . . sometimes I fall asleep but wake up too early and unable to go back to sleep. I went back to the dose I could sleep on after literally staying awake for 3 days, and am tapering more slowly like shaving my pill using a file and taking that for 2 weeks, then shave some more for another 2 week taper . . . this is a most frustrating ordeal. I suffer from major depressive disorder as well so not sleeping is a big deal. I cannot keep my mind quiet. I never slept well, even as a child.

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Same. The brain just won’t shut off. I do take Trazodone, with modest improvement. Best to you.

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Kelly Amunrud | @kellyamunrud | Dec 30, 2021
In reply to @cila "Where do you buy oils? Is it smells? Also, I bought CBD and it doesn’t do..." + (show)
@cila

Where do you buy oils? Is it smells? Also, I bought CBD and it doesn’t do anything for me. I wake up 2or3 in the morning and can’t go back to sleep Thanks! Cila

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I purchase them directly through the company, I am a member so get them at a discount. They are scents, but they are pure. I can't do any fake smells, it makes me so ill but I've been able to do these in small doses without any problems. I have only been able to use this brand of CBD as well, others don't work for me. I think it has to do with purity.

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1 reply
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Dec 30, 2021
In reply to @kellyamunrud "I purchase them directly through the company, I am a member so get them at a..." + (show)
@kellyamunrud

I purchase them directly through the company, I am a member so get them at a discount. They are scents, but they are pure. I can't do any fake smells, it makes me so ill but I've been able to do these in small doses without any problems. I have only been able to use this brand of CBD as well, others don't work for me. I think it has to do with purity.

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Hello Kelly @kellyamunrud, You will notice we removed your email address from your post. This was done to protect your privacy since Connect is a public forum and can be seen by anyone on the Internet. You can safely share contact information with @cila or other members using the private message function of Connect. For more information on How to Send a Private Message, see Get Started on Mayo Clinic Connect guide using the link at the bottom of every page in the footer section. Here's the direct link - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/get-started-on-connect/#send-private-message.

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lindasmith1222 | @lindasmith1222 | Dec 30, 2021
In reply to @cila "Where do you buy oils? Is it smells? Also, I bought CBD and it doesn’t do..." + (show)
@cila

Where do you buy oils? Is it smells? Also, I bought CBD and it doesn’t do anything for me. I wake up 2or3 in the morning and can’t go back to sleep Thanks! Cila

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You can get oils either online or a metaphysical shop. Yes it is smells like lavender helps me, but it could be psychological. I have tried most everything including CBD which didn't work for me either, but it does work for some people. Meditation helps, any type of meditation and listening to relaxing music or meditation CDs put me to sleep, but no napping during the day. I wake up 3 or 4 a.m. I get up and read, daydream about having a positive day. I hope that helps.

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