Trazodone?

[Worried776]

I've been taking trazodone. Does anyone know if trazodone makes you gain weight? If so, is it because of increase appetite or the pill itself that makes you gain weight?

[Paxiled]

The first rule of medicine is, first, do no harm.  I only argue caution, because while many are helped many are thrown into intractable insomnia that becomes even harder to treat.  Peace.

[persephonedemeter]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  

You'll be glad to know that I rarely see it give as a forever or longterm prescription, and evaluations are not  neglected, Not many sleep aids are. I had to take it nightly because I went weeks with only 2 to 3 hours of interrupted sleep, if I did get any sleep at all. It was a big problem. I hope you do know that getting decent sleep is important for any kind of recovery. When I finally had good sleep for awhile and the psych meds were working, then, I didn't need them.and he stopped the prescription, The psychiatrist was very happy when I didn't need any kind of meds, and I was happy about that also. I'm sorry that you are not open to utilizing a beneficial effect of a drug that is not what it is primarily used for.

[Paxiled]

Just a comment that's a personal opinion of mine, and that is, using drugs because they have an unintended side effect of making you drowsy for sleep isn't going to be a good idea for the long term anyway.  This drug as with so many used for sleep just has this as an unwanted side effect, so naturally the companies that sell these drugs make lemonade out of lemons, but insomnia often is made worse in the long run by taking strong drugs to help you sleep and especially taking powerful brain-affecting drugs intended for other purposes.  Again, just my opinion.

[persephonedemeter]

Geez Trazodone.

[persephonedemeter]

Trazadone. Typing error above. I also meant not a good idea to take dosages out of the prescription range. If you feel or plan to take above or below prescription, it is a good idea to let your doctor who prescribed it, know Otherwise, he/ she is working in the dark, and you are using his/her license to prescribe for your own self prescribing and your own supervision When you do that, you are taking responsibility to be your own doctor. you should, at least, have the decency to give the doctor a choice whether or not he wants to be your drug supplier.

[persephonedemeter]

For about 6 months. I was taking it nightly. I hope when you take 4-5 pills , it is within the prescription range in dose and schedule, and your doctor knows about it I have no idea what pill dose you are using, and if they are 25 mg, if you are taking over your prescription, your doctor needs to know about it. Also, it is generally not a good idea to decide your own dosage. Otherwise, it is rely you self prescribing and dosing, and considering your questions about trazadone, you really don't know the drug. The dose up to 50 mg is primarily for insomnia...for an adult.

[Worried776]

DR prescribed 50mg for sleep and insomnia with some depression. I take it when I need it. Sometimes I take like 4-5 pills. Question, for how long have you been on it before ditching it?

[persephonedemeter]

It isn't known to cause weight gain or increase appetite. It is a decades old antidepressant commonly used as  sleep aid for insomnia, off label, like benadryl, an antihistamine, at low dosages, at bedtime, when necessary or nightly, depending how it is prescribed. It is a good idea to take it with a small snack, to keep you from getting dizzy. I never got dizzy on it. Other meds I did.

I was prescribed it for insomnia and depression early on, and was on it for a while until it didn't help with my insomnia. By that time, I was on max dose for depression, then we ditched it. I know lots of people on it for both depression and for insomnia, and no one had an appetite on it. If it does cause weight gain on anyone, it is a very rare thing. Personally, it didn't do anything to my appetite, and actually, I was losing weight back then because I wasn't interested in eating more than what I needed and had a lack of appetite because of the depression.

[Worried776]

Ok thanks. But does it crave your appetite. That's why it makes you gain weight?

[Paxiled]

You won't know in advance, since the side effects we get from meds differ from person to person.  When weight gain is a side effect, the reasons can be complex or simple -- the simple is the increased sedation and decreased metabolism.  The complex can be anything from the alteration in the natural way the body utilizes neurotransmitters to appetite increase (especially for simple carbs) to affected magnesium absorption, etc.  But again, we don't all get the same side effects, so only time will tell.