Trazadone use for insomnia for seniors

Posted by briarrose @briarrose, Nov 22, 2023

I am 68 years young and suffering from insomnia since age 53. Multiple life stressors/changes kicked it off. I had hoped once I retired, remarried and relocated to a lovely home it would finally stop but it has not. I can fall asleep fairly quickly, my issue is staying asleep & once I wake up can take up to 3 hours to fall back to sleep. 3 AM I am always awake to about 530...but always after just 3 1/2 hours of sleep I start my awakenings. Tried sleeping aids, ambien the best but suffered from the amnesia side effects...& belsomra same. Now looking at trazadone. I am also on Zoloft for a severe panic d/o, some depression & PTSD. Multiple health issues. Any thoughts on trazadone for a 68 y.o. woman?

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kawanhee | @kawanhee | Feb 6 9:38pm

I see a sleep therapist and she recommends trazadone, doxepin, or mirtazapine.
My sleep patterns were similar to yours. Trazadone affected my liver enzymes (which I’ve had issues with previously) and you can’t take doxepin if you have glaucoma. So I’ve been on a very low dose of mirtazapine and it’s been a life changer for me.
Good luck!