I've just been prescribed Trazodone for depression, but have never heard of it ... does anyone here have any experiences with it? I'd particularly like to know if it causes any weight gain, psychiatrist didn't say alot when I asked about that, but I have an eating disorder and don't want to put on any weight while on this med. Am scared stiff of taking it just in case. I've been put on 150 mg, seems a bit of a high number , is this normal?
Have you already picked up the prescription, because if so, look at the leaflet, they should enclose one.
I have no experiances with this med. I would say, in general, anti-depressants are unlikely to cause weight gain, its older antipsychotics that are notorious for that.
Bearing in mind the internet is not always accurate, maybe have a look for a factsheet on this drug.
Remember the theraputic dosage may sound a lot, but what is theraputically useful varies so much from drug to drug.
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Ah ok, thanks, I read the info leaflet but it doesn't mention weight gain, only weight loss, but when i saw the psychiatrist who prescribed them (was from crisis team), he said they may or may not, couldn't be sure. He was going to give me Mirtizapine (sp?) but when i asked about weight gain he said i would on that so changed it to this but couldnt be sure. I really don't want to take this. I was on Duloxetine (Cymbalta), but stopped taking it 2 months ago because it was making me have mood swings and GP said it was the strongest so if it didn't work others weren't likely to, so I'm confused, if they won't work, why do I have to take them? I hate taking meds. I can't see my GP til next week because of work times etc, but does anyone also know how long I may have to take them for? I don't want to be on them forever.
Hi, i was on trazadone for a short while whilst i was in hospital.
I think 150mg was the dose i was on too. I know its one of the older types of anti depressants, Its also VERY sedating so good if you have problems sleeping, it is sometimes used to treat insomnia (which it realy helped me with phraps a bit too much!) - for these reasons its recomeded to be taken at night.
I also have an eating disorder, so had similar concerns about weight gain for going on it, however my consultant told me it wasnt one of the major side effects.
Personally i wasnt on it long enough to find out if it was effective, i was only on it for a week. For me it heavily sedated me to the point i could not walk when i got up in the morning, i had to co-ordination and it made me very sick. not a pleasnt time - espicialy as it was my 16th birthday =/ lol
Anyway, all medication effect people differently and im sure youre doctor knows what hes doing putting you on it. Hopefully it will help you! its got a good reputation.
take care
xxx
After all this has passed, i still will remain
After i've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain
If its a sedating type of med, its best taken every evening, unless directed otherwise. The sedative effect will wear down a bit because to start with your body will be heavily effected by it as far as drowsiness is concerned but that should ease over the next few days as your body gets used to it.
Antidepressants are usually given for a few months to a couple of years or sometimes longer. After a few months many people can come off them and be fine. Some people may need to go back onto them though.
Im not sure what your Dr meant by telling you the Duloxetine (Cymbalta) was 'the strongest' because all antidepressants are slightly different, some are very different and therefore each will have its own unique effect.
Trying meds out is the only way to know what works for you, and since you have been prescribed this, your dr must believe you will benefit from it, or at least have a high chance of finding it useful.
Once you have started your anti-depressant, it takes a couple of weeks or more for the drug to start having the desired effect, so be patient and stick with it.
xx
L_M_G is my mummy :) inkerman and razorbladedarling are my two non-identical twin sprogs (concieved on same day) Scabette< cos she has the cutest puppy dog eyes and i cant resist!feeling-afraid< my bottle of glitter!! which i just have to have :Pmidnight stars< my gorgeous sister, whom i love to bits ;) Dance With The Fairy< *star*gazing*buddie :] Broken-Fairy is my partner in crime ;) little_miss is my real life saviour PaperClip is my stationary queen
I work at 7am most mornings, I don't sleep that well, but if I can't get up in the mornings it's going to be a problem, maybe I shouldn't take it? I am really scared to take it lol, I feel so pathetic.
I have been on this for about 8 months and im on 300mg at the moment. If you take your meds at about 8pm night before then in the morning you should be ok . I got up at 5am most days for work when I was on these meds. If you don't want to take it you need to tell your doctor about this and he can change meds over , if you dont tell him he will never know and it will take longer to change the medication. I would give yourself about an hour to wake up as its hard to concentrate and coordinate when you first wake up. This gets better after the first couple of weeks though
With Trazadone I had no weight gain but everyone is different it is suppose to be one of the ones that doesn't effect weight very much. Its also unsure how long you will need to be on them. 6 weeks is recommended to see if they work properly.
150mg is the general starting dose so it's not too high no. They say 300 mg is the highest outside hospital and 450mg in hospital. Im on 300mg of Trazadone and 30mg Mirtazapine so I wouldn't worry about the doseage.
But I being poor have only my dreams, I have spread my dreams under your feet ; tread softly as you tread on my dreams.
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Ooh I'm glad you posted this Amy because I've been told I'm going to be prescribed Trazodone too (currently on Lofepramine which is doing nothing for me apart from the stuff tasting of fruit rather than that horrid tablet taste lol.) I was wondering what the effects of it would be too.
I used to take Lofepramine a few years back too, did nothing for me either, tasted nice though. Lol. Thanks for everyone posting, I really appreciate it. Took it about half hour ago, and am tiredish now ... my eyes are going fuzzy lol. Are there any other side effects anyone had? I know everyone's different, but it'd be good to know.
Thanks very much for the replies again, I'll post a bit more tomorrow, for now I think i'll cuddle up in bed lol before I fall down.
I took trazadone for a few weeks whilst I was in hospital, it was prescribed to me to help sleep, with the added bonus that it is an antidepressant!
The first couple of nights I took it, I did feel snoozy and groggy the next day but this wore off in literally a couple of days and I was back to not getting all that much sleep. Maybe start it on a weekend or when you dont have anything vital the next day, but as your body gets used to the drug you will get less of the 'hangover effect'.
I had no other side effects I dont think, but wasn't on it that long since my sleep went back to normal and it was a bit unescessary since i was already on antidepressants. I wouldn't have any worries about going on it again though!
You are not pathetic at allllll, i have freaked out about EVERY new med I have had to take and have needed a lot of convincing. In the end, you need to try it to see for sure what effect it will have for you since it varies a fair amount between people, but I have always found it helpful to hear people's real experiences so I hope this helps you!
Trazodone is basically a first generation antidepressant that isn't prescribed that much due to its sedative effects. I take 25-75 MG at night for insomnia, and for the most part I'm doing okay with it. The downside is that I feel really groggy in the morning, and it's difficult for me to get out of bed. I've also noticed that my dreams/nightmares are extremely vivid, and sometimes I'm lucid during them. I also experience hallucinations at night, and the Trazodone hasn't done much for those (they're coming back.)
As far as weight gain goes, I haven't gained any weight, maybe lost a few pounds...though I'm taking Effexor too, and that seems to supress my appetite quite a bit.
I couldn't take it last night because I kept choking on it for some reason, just could not swallow it at all. I took it again tonight though, and not feeling tired yet, but I know it's coming after last time i took it. I felt wrecked the next day though , like i'd had no sleep and I'd had loads. I also was very thirsty the next day, and had a dry mouth, constantly for hours, that was horrible. I hate taking meds, I really don't know how long I can handle taking them for, I'm telling myself it'll be worth it in the long run though so maybe Ill take them for a while, Ill see.
Thanks everyone for all your replies, i really appreciate it, I'll let you all know how it goes after tonight again now.
I was sick the night before last after taking them, and they make me so dizzy, don't know how much more of this I can take, they make me so groggy, and dizzy and stuff. But if I don't take them it looks like I'm not making an effort to get better to my psychologist. I just don't know what to do. I'm considering asking for my dose to be lowered for a while. Just so I get used to it or something. I'm like something off night of the living dead at the moment, just so exhausted all the time.
I've only been on trazodone for a few days but i havent noticed any increase in appetite; only a decrease. i know its used in treatment for bulimia nervosa; im going to assume because it decreases appetite and willingness to binge. then again, on most meds ive been on save for risperdal, if there are side effects for increase OR decrease in appetite, i always fall on the decrease side. i havent really eaten since ive been on the med, im afraid im going to go from being bulimic to going back to being anorexic again.
anyway, i highly doubt its a drug that causes weight gain, the little bit ive read about it has only talked about weight loss.
I take a low dose (50mg) for insomnia, and it definitely works for that, at least for me. I know someone who was on the higher dose for depression (150mg, like you, I think) who said it seemed to work well but made her very sleepy. I think it's usually only prescribed for depression nowadays when doctors think that SSRIs or SNRIs aren't having much effect.
I've also been noticing a slight decrease in appetite, which to be honest I'm glad of, stops me needing to purge after eating something extra etc. I went to see my GP today and she cut me down to 100mg instead of the 150 to see how that goes because I told her they make me too tired etc for work. She also commented that GP's rarely every prescribe Trazodone because of how strong they are, and that they were probably given to me to help me sleep. Will 100mg still work for the depression though, or is that too low? She also gave me 2 prescriptions for the next month, but I can't take the one in until 2 weeks time, there's a note on there saying not to give it to me until that date. Do these types of anti depressants take around 2 weeks to work too?
Not sleeping as well on only 100mg of Trazodone, do you think my GP will increase it again for me, or will I have to see crisis team again? Took me ages to fall asleep last night :( I hate this.
