Help! My xanex is no longer working for sleep. I am in desperate need to sleep but in such excruciating pain that it is impossible. I tried trazadone once before and I don't think it was effective. I tried so many I can't remember. Anyway - I still have it from last year and am trying it again. I took 150 mg. last night and finally fell asleep after about 3 hours. I got about 4 hours of sleep.
Now my friend who is a nurse claims that it takes several days or weeks to build up to trazadone being effective for sleep. It does not necessarily work in the first few days. Does anyone know anythng about this ? Is this how it works for those of you who use it?
Please let me know as I must sleep tonight to get out of this pain. I'll try it a few more days if that is what is necessary for it to work.
Thanks,
Sydney

Sydney,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time sleeping.

From my own experience with Trazodone, I believe that it works right away as a sleep medication. The "4-6 weeks to start working" is for when Trazodone is used as an antidepressant. It takes 4-6 weeks for antidepressants to start working in the body.

But the reason Trazodone is used as a sleep aid is because one of the "side effects" of using it as an antidepressant is that it makes people sleepy right after they take it. That is why it is not used as an antidepressant anymore, but instead it is used as a sleep aid.

The thing that has me very concerned right now though is the fact that you have left-over trazodone from a year ago and are taking it again without the doctors knowledge. You should always call your doctor to discuss these things... it's dangerous from a medical standpoint to take old left-over medications without your doctors knowledge.


In regards to the Xanax - how long have you been taking Xanax?

I ask because I used Ativan for years as a sleep aid, and it eventually (after 6+ years) stopped being as effective as it had been. At that point I switched to Klonopin and the Klonopin has worked well ever since (about 2 years now).

Xanax, Ativan, and Klonopin are all in the same family of medications called benzo's. Usually, when one becomes ineffective (or less effective) the doctor is willing to switch the patient to a different one.

I know a few people who use Ativan for a few months as a sleep aid, then switch to Klonopin for a few months, then switch to Xanax for a few months.... and they keep switching every few months to ensure that the medication remains effective as a sleep aid.

Does your doctor know that the Xanax isn't working very well anymore? Can you ask your doctor to switch you to a different medication?

I hope that helps,
Take care,
liz

Hello Wittesea,
You are so kind to reply to my post. I am in pain 24/7 from FM and RSD throughout my body and NO pain meds hav worked in the past 5 years. Actually I have had this since 1984 and no pain meds have really worked earlier either. However, the pain is more excruciating and widespread than it was in the earlier years.
Meds for sleep are so hard for me because of my metabolizing problem. I metabolize NO pain meds and quickly build of a tolerance to sleep meds.
I have numerous sleep meds but they must keep increasing the dose and then in a short time they no longer work. I started on 0.25 xanex and now am up to 6 mg. I can't go any higher - I know that. Already that is a whopping dose all at once.
You are correct about the trazadone. I should check with the Dr. I just hate to keep calling him. I thought would just try this again. Also, you are correct - now I remember - anti - depr. take a while to kick in - but not sleep meds.
I do have seroquel - but I use it sparingly because it really helps when I am desperate and also I build up a tolerance to it very easily.
Thanks for the info.
I will check with the Dr. In the meantime - I'll use the seroquel which the Dr. prescribed to be used with the xanex as needed.
Klonopin gave me restless leg syndrome and also didn't help much with sleep.
You are a very kind and helpful person.
Thank you
Sydney

Sydney, you have the same problem I do with meds. They work but only for short spurts and then its a mega-doses. I call it having the constitution of a governmen mule! I also cannot take pain meds because they don't work well or only work for a very short time and I have to take again the mega-dose.
I am on trazadone and take a 100 mgs a night and it seems to work for me for now. I have been on it for about 6 months or so.
As for keeping around meds, it is a good temporary idea but you really need to see your doc and talk things over with him/her. Taking random meds like that could cause issues with other meds you may be taking.

Sydney ~

I hope you have been able to talk to your Doctor ~ and that he has given you something that will help.

Not getting sleep just makes the pain worse!

I use 100mgs. of Trazadone every night and have been for at least ten years now. I'm amazed that it still works for me! Although there are times even that doesn't work ~ so I get a few Ambien every month ~ just for those times.

Good luck to you ~ keep us posted as to how you are doing ~

Love,
Sue

trazadone is a sleep aid . Might be something else you are taking . Check all your side effects from other meds. And Trazadone usually works right away .

After a long and very complete sleep study, my sleep doctor tried me on something that finally worked. I take 1 Lunesta and 2 Rozerem's. I was taking trazadone and had the same problem of only sleeping for 3 hrs.

Good Luck!
nancyh

Hi there..

I have RSD and last May I was taken off amitriptyline (was makin me gain too much weight) and put on trazadone at 100 mg and it did not work for the first 3-4 days at that dosage it was increased to 150 mg and it worked thank goodnes, I find the pain gets so much worse at night.

I hope you have seen your doctor Sydney and have some relief by now, I myself prefer the trazadone but find if I do not lay down to try sleep within an hr or so of taking it it won't do its job and let you sleep when you try later.

Sweet dreams and lotsa peaceful rest wishes,
Sandra

Hi Sydney,

Thought I'd throw in my two cents. I have been diagnosed with both RSD (both upper & now lower extremeties) and FM.

Have they ever tried you on Neurontin, or the newer version, Lyrica? I've been on Lyrica I think about a year now. I keep going off of it or lower my dose whenever flare ups subside, then go back up, just in case they discover some horri ble side affect. But it REALLY helps with my pain AND sleep.

I also take a muscle relaxer at night, Soma usually. But they changaed me to Baclofen and I was up for hours. So now, I only take it about once a week. Of course, at the same time I started the Baclofen I found out I may not have a place to live past e end of January. That would keep ANYONE from sleeping! (I'm still working on THAT problem).

Take care,

Denise