Trazadone use for insomnia for seniors

I am 59 years old and have been taking trazadone for several years. It helps to fall asleep but not to stay asleep

Wow!

Your post is right on point for me.

I have been titrating off of a pharmaceutical nightmare for four months now. The first to go were the sleep meds. Even the doctors acknowledged that “pharmaceutical” sleep is not sleep. They will no longer prescribe them even if I want them.

The science is clear, sleep is the time when humans (all animals really) heal. We heal body, mind and spirit during the seven to nine critical hours when our bodies reboot.

Years ago unnecessary medications together with lack of sleep lead to a breakdown that landed me in prison for two and a half years.

Yesterday I was driving home from seeing my friend and I was nodding off at the wheel. I was horrified! I will not be the cause of someone else suffering or death because I can not sleep.

I will stop driving first.

I'm only sixty and very fit by any measure other then lack of sleep.

I too have no trouble falling asleep, I'm out in minutes. I wake up every two hours. Last night I was in bed at 5:00pm and kept waking up and resetting and forcing myself back to bed every two hours until 7:00am. My sleep monitor on my watch indicates very little to no deep sleep, the most important of the of the three sleep states.

I do not know what to do.

Here is what I have been doing:

In bed at 8:00pm sleep and reset until 4:00.
Exercise two hours a day at varying degrees of intensity.
Limit my caffine consumption to no later than 3:00 pm and reducing that even further heading to zero.
I work no more than eight hours, usually far less.
I avoid refined sugar and simple carbohydrates wherever possible.
I have disengaged from modern life as much as possible. I watch very little television.
I do not use my computer, tablet or phone in the hour leading up to my bedtime.
I have a set routine at bedtime and during each reset.
Yesterday I began weekly massage therapy.

Lack of good sleep is at the core of virtually every health problem humans have. Not all, but again most, health conditions are improved by improving the quality and quantity of sleep.

I never had any problem with sleep until I was put in quantities of psyche meds fifteen years ago and who knows what ECT did to my brain. Now that everyone agrees that the psyche meds were and probably still are the proximate cause of my sleep problems what is lacking is a way to help my body recover its natural processes.

In the meantime I do not know what else to do.

I will not cause any more suffering to others. I know what is wrong. I just don't know how to fix it.

For now the actions I've outlined in this post are the only scientifically studied remidies for the kind of sleep disturbances I am having.

I guess I will begin looking at herbal remedies. What the hell pscyh meds and my embrace of societies values caused the problem, perhaps nature has a solution.

I wish you peaceful nights and days full of purpose and joy.

I couldn't agree more with you about the necessary health benefits of sleep! Beyond important for our physical and mental health! And you are absolutely right about "deep" sleep or REM sleep. So so necessary to achieve that level of sleep. Most beneficial. I am having a sleep apnea test in January, this will tell me if I ever go into REM sleep - that's where you are dreaming.
You outlined lots of proactive steps you are taking for yourself. I sincerely hope they are helping you.
I can not add anything to your program...I do use a sleep machine - nature sounds, quiet guitar - all night long...to help relax me upon awakenings basically all night.
What was recommended to me by neurology was a consultation with a "sleep" therapist (PhD.)
I am scheduled for this next month. I was already told it will be a 2 hour visit.
My sleep problems, I believe, are ALL rooted in the terrible anxiety, PTSD I have.
Perhaps a sleep consultation with an "expert??" will help me.
And perhaps this is something that can be recommended for you(?)
Take care, I hope you will improve and thank you for sharing your story.

Trazdon is the greatest all. I've taken it for at l see last 155 years. I sleep a full 8 hours. If I have to get up to use the bathroom when I get back in bed I fall asleep. I've never noticed any side effects. I'm not groggy when I wake up in the morning. You and your Dr. can adjust the amount to help. Don't give up! Once you start sleeping you'll feel so much better!

May I ask what dose you take and your age?

Thank you!

@dfb
I have on and off insomnia this past year- probably associated with stress from medical issues. At times falling asleep at 5:30 am or if I go to sleep early I will most likely wake up and stay awake for a couple of hours.
Ambien does not work now- used to years ago.
I tried Trazodone- did not help either. One side effect was low blood pressure.
If you haven’t already had a sleep study you should have one.

I've used my Apple Watch and the Heath Program to track my sleep. Supposedly it is eight five percent accurate, using breath rate and heart rate to track sleep patterns.

The absolute numbers don't actually concern me that much. I monitor to percentage of REM and deep sleep versus light sleep and core. So far the program seems to confirm my suspicions. I do not have any indications of sleep apnea, my total sleep is about the sixty five to seventy percent of my time in bed and worse of all, REM and deep sleep make up less then ten cent of my total sleep.

These biomarkers are better than when I first came off all the meds prescribed for me. I had hoped that the rate of change would be better.

Trazodone seems to help a lot of people, but having just come off of fourteen different medications I am loath to start another one.

For the most part I do not trust doctors, most seem woefully ignorant of the most current applicable science and often perform like a hammer looking for a nail. I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to mental health I am better off doing my own research and telling the provider what I want. Most seem relieved not to have to make a decision anyway.

The doctor that had referred me for a sleep study had already come to conclusion that I had sleep apnea, though I have none of the symptoms. After the X-rays and barium studies came back she had to retract her position. Blindly following the recommendations of doctors destroyed my life and came a trigger pull away from killing me.

Shame on me for not asking questions and doing my home work fifteen years ago.

I get far more help from the members of this board.

For now, I will continue to eat right, exercise, follow the best sleep hygiene practices known and hope my body adjust over time. It's only been a couple of weeks since completing my titration. I need to be patient, often tough to do at 2:00am.

I will continue to turn over stones looking for answers.

I used to say "no one dies from lack of sleep", how wrong I was.

I hope everyone finds the peaceful nights they deserve.

You raised a number of excellent points. I have an Apple Watch also and can monitor my sleep but I don't. Now I am wondering "why" and I think I am afraid to see the numbers. I feel they are horrible already...not sure if I want that verified. Silly me, right? You are right about your deficiency in REM sleep and deep sleep - quite harmful.
You just came off of 14 medications? Wow...that is unbelievable and so so difficult to do. Good for you you got through it. I hear you about starting a new medication now. And yes, doing your own medical research these days is an absolute must. And I agree with much of what you said about medical providers today. The times have certainly changed. And not in a good way.
I will be seeing a "Sleep Psychologist" next month for a 2 hour evaluation. It is going to be interesting in what he/she comes up with about me. What recommendations made or the "cause(s)" of my difficulty in sleeping.
I have pretty good insight about myself. Will I actually learn anything new? And will this evaluation actually HELP me in some way? Those are THE questions. I will try to report back to you after this evaluation if possible.
And you are so very right. Lack of sleep can take years off one's life. It can be a killer, causing so many serious health issues. How lucky are the folks who can easily sleep 7-8 hours per night, every night??
We are not alone in our quest for quality sleep...good luck to you.

I'm 82. I take gabapentin 300 mg 3 times a day, at night a CBD gummie, Trazadone and Melatonin I have to set an alarm sommetimes or I'll sleep too long. I feel great and get around well despite having neuropathy in my feet from chemo.

Wonderful for you!
Stay well! Hope I can same the same when I am 82 🙂