Is it OK to take trazodone long term?

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asked Jun 9, 2022 in Mental Health by thegoat (1,010 points)
Is it OK to take trazodone long term?

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answered Jun 11, 2022 by Ifallasleepatwork (14,780 points)
It is OK to take trazodone long term as trazodone has been shown to be safe for people to take long term without any bad health effects.

Normally, prescription sleeping pills are used for no more than two weeks.

Trazodone can be safely used for longer than this.

The three to six-hour half-life of trazodone makes it most suitable for treating sleep onset insomnia or maintenance insomnia.

Trazodone does help with dementia.

Trazodone has been shown to help with dementia as it has been shown to have a positive effect on dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by slowing the rate of cognitive decline.

Fluvoxamine is also used to treat dementia in some dementia patients.

The cholinesterase inhibitors most commonly prescribed for treating dementia and Alzheimer's are: Donepezil (Aricept®): approved to treat all stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Rivastigmine (Exelon®): approved for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's as well as mild-to-moderate dementia associated with Parkinson's disease.

Fluvoxamine is an SSRI.

Fluvoxamine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

Taking trazodone and fluvoxamine together is not recommended as it can cause some serious side effects and also affect the way the trazodone works in your body.

Taking trazodone and fluvoxamine together can lead to a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision.

The side effects of trazodone include.

Nausea.
Vomiting.
Diarrhea.
Constipation.
Changes in appetite or weight.
Weakness or tiredness.
Nervousness.
Dizziness or lightheadedness.

Commonly reported side effects of trazodone include: blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, nausea, vomiting, and xerostomia.

Other side effects of trazodone include: syncope, edema, ataxia, confusion, diarrhea, hypotension, insomnia, sedated state, and tachycardia.

The Trazodone medication is used to treat depression.

It may help to improve your mood, appetite, and energy level as well as decrease anxiety and insomnia related to depression.

Trazodone works by helping to restore the balance of a certain natural chemical (serotonin) in the brain.

While not recommended the first line of treatment against insomnia, trazodone can be a highly effective sleep aid.

If you haven't had much luck with behavioral therapy or other types of medication from Ambien to Valium, you could find some benefit from trying trazodone.

Although trazodone was designed to treat depression and anxiety disorders, the medication is now widely prescribed as a nighttime sleep aid for patients who suffer from acute insomnia.

Trazadone works to promote sleep in a few different ways.

It is an antidepressant that makes people tired.

It increases serotonin levels to improve your mood and acts as an antihistamine similar to Benadryl, making you drowsy.

Trazodone can be a good sleeping pill to help with insomnia and improve sleep if taken at a high dose as an antidepressant but you should speak with your doctor before taking a higher dose of the Trazodone.

Normally Trazodone is taken along with another medicine for insomnia.

Speak with your doctor before increasing the dose of Trazodone or any other medicine.

Try taking some over the counter sleep aids or other herbs to help cure your insomnia first though.

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