Trazodone is safe to take long term for sleep, although it can cause some side effects in some people so taking Trazodone requires ongoing medical supervision to monitor for these possible side effects.
I've been taking Trazodone for 2 years now for sleep and I have so far not experienced any side effects and it has helped me sleep much better.
And while the Trazodone is not officially FDA approved for insomnia, Trazodone is frequently prescribed for long term management of chronic insomnia often at lower doses.
Your doctor may start you on 50mg of Trazodone at first to see how good it works and see if any side effects occur and then later your doctor might increase your dose of Trazodone to 100mg.
My doctor started me on 50mg of Trazodone, which started helping and I didn't experience any side effects, but then a few weeks later my doctor then later increased my dose of Trazodone to 100mg which has helped much better.
I've been on the 100mg dose of Trazodone for a few years now and still haven't experienced any bad side effects.
Although you just have to be aware that Trazodone, especially when used long term could cause daytime drowsiness, dizziness and low blood pressure and it could lead to tolerance and dependency and less commonly Trazodone could cause other side effects like weight changes or sexual dysfunction.
When taking Trazodone, long term residual morning grogginess or fatigue can persist and potentially affect your daily focus and coordination.
You can also experience orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure upon standing), when taking Trazodone long term, can also increase your risk of falls, especially in older adults.
And while Trazodone is often not addictive, your body can also develop a physical reliance on the Trazodone medication, which could potentially lead to withdrawal or rebound insomnia if you stop taking the Trazodone suddenly.
When taking Trazodone, it's important to have periodic evaluations with your prescribing doctor to ensure that the lowest effective amount of Trazodone is used.
If you plan to stop taking Trazodone, a slow reduction plan is recommended so that you avoid withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and increased insomnia.
And it's also often recommended to combine the Trazodone medication with non drug approaches to improve your sleep, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, which is also known as CBT-I.