Trazodone for PLMD

ChicagoGranny wrote:

cyclist56 wrote:I'm not feeling any better when I wake in the a.m. My events per hour have been between 5 and 13 the last week. Not what I hoped, but I suspect that some of the "events" are not actually apneas but some nasal congestion that interferes with my breathing through the nasal pillow mask from time to time, some when I'm still awake.

I feel good and have a lot of energy. But, if my AHI is over 3.0, I don't feel good and the energy is gone.

If my AHI was between 5 and 13 - ouch!!

Be careful not to try covering up a mediocre CPAP therapy with drugs.

cyclist56 wrote: I suspect that some of the "events" are not actually apneas

Best to start studying the SleepyHead detailed reports and not make assumptions where data is available. Look at the breath waveforms leading up to, during and after the events that are suspect in your mind.

Don't get discouraged. It is normal to take some time to get your CPAP therapy optimized.

Thanks for the response. I've seen references to Sleepyhead. Guess I'll have to download it.

cyclist56 wrote:Thanks for the response. I've seen references to Sleepyhead. Guess I'll have to download it.

It would be good if you filled out your equipment profile in the User Control Panel. Then someone can tell you what information is available from your machine.

For the brief time I tried Trazadone a few years ago I found two things:
One. It did tend to lose its sedating effect with prolonged usage as short as a month. I also found it sedating for only the first hour and a half... after that I was drugged and tired but not enough to knock me out. The temptation is to use other drugs in combination with Trazadone - but that is a dangerous path, IMO.

Two. For the first time in my life I experienced super violent nightmares that would jolt me awake in the middle of the night. I would be rattled for most of the next morning which was scary. My PCP mentioned that nightmares are an uncommon but possible reaction for some people. I also didn't notice any AD effects one way or the other, not that I was looking for any.

Obviously, this is just my subjective experience and one should be aware that other people have used it long term and have no problem with this AD med.

Sorry Julie but the definition of addiction is when you have to take more medication at higher doses and more often to get the same affects as you did when you were taking the medication at a lower dose.

Trazodone is the type of medication that your body builds up an immunity too therefore, you cannot get addicted Trazadone. Like I said in my previous post, I was on Trazodone for several years. Me and my Physician had many, many discussions about Trazodone.

Sometimes it takes reading a discussion like this to realize what a blessing it is to be able to fall asleep easily.
I was resenting my struggle to stay awake this afternoon, and finally gave in to a two hour nap,
slightly miffed that I missed a few things that I had originally planned to do.
But five hours is just not enough sleep for me after just ten days post-surgery.
Hopefully, science will soon be able to help everyone to naturally sleep like a baby (or frog) whenever they need to.

LadyK wrote:Sorry Julie but the definition of addiction is when you have to take more medication at higher doses and more often to get the same affects as you did when you were taking the medication at a lower dose.

uh, no:
addiction
noun ad·dic·tion \ə-ˈdik-shən, a-\

: a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)

addiction has nothing to do with building up tolerance and requiring more.

kaiasgram wrote:Cyclist56 is correct about trazodone. It is commonly prescribed for sleep for a number of reasons. Respiratory depression is not a common side effect of trazodone, and used in doses appropriate for sleep it is not overly sedating. Long-term use of trazodone is not a concern inasmuch as it does not have dependence/addiction properties.

My experience is similar to Cyclist56. I've been taking trazodone for close to a year with good results. I fall asleep calmly and I'm usually asleep within 20 minutes. I talked with my doctor about trazodone before taking it and she said the same things Cyclist56 and Kaiasgram have said. I have no need to up the dose and in fact, have skipped taking it for 2/3 nites without any problem. It's clear to me that I don't have a dependence on the drug if I can skip it for a few nights and feel fine. Of course we're all different; this is just my experience.

Maybe there is a semantic argument here - what I called 'addiction' (more and more being needed to achieve the same effect) was the process, but if you want to say that addiction means you can't quit (because of that process) that's up to you. I understand that you can stop taking Traz without going through the kind of withdrawal you would for heroin, etc., but the process has effectively made it ineffective as a drug without more and more being needed... which is what feeds addiction in most cases.

And Kaiasgram - I was told you were a psychiatrist (though I did wonder at the time), so sorry if I misspoke, but I hope you weren't referring to a remark that I made as snotty - wouldn't think so and you probably meant whoever I was responding to.

Cyclist,

CG has given some excellent advice which I would definitely follow before resorting to Trazadone. But if you still feel this is your best option, be aware that if you have to get off of it after a certain period of time and hopefully you won't, it may need to be tapered slowly to avoid discontinuation syndrome symptoms that can be debilitating. Not trying to be an alarmist since not everyone experiences this but because many people do, it is definitely something you need to be aware since sadly, many medical professionals aren't.

Getting caught in semantics as to whether a drug should be called addictive or not minimizes these issues and that is why I am bringing it to your attention. Again, this not an issue of being pro meds vs. anti meds but simply being fully informed about all the issues.

49er

Julie wrote:Maybe there is a semantic argument here - what I called 'addiction' (more and more being needed to achieve the same effect) was the process, but if you want to say that addiction means you can't quit (because of that process) that's up to you. I understand that you can stop taking Traz without going through the kind of withdrawal you would for heroin, etc., but the process has effectively made it ineffective as a drug without more and more being needed... which is what feeds addiction in most cases.

This makes no sense whatsoever. Mere babble.

http://www.asam.org/for-the-public/defi ... -addiction

ChicagoGranny wrote:

cyclist56 wrote:Thanks for the response. I've seen references to Sleepyhead. Guess I'll have to download it.

It would be good if you filled out your equipment profile in the User Control Panel. Then someone can tell you what information is available from your machine.

I have done so. Also, last night I had better results by using the chin strap - very little leakage and 4.8 events per hour.