Anxiety, Depression, Insommnia, night sweats, Trazadone

[Joannesing]

On march 7th I was put on Effexor for anxiety, depression and trouble sleeping.  I was also put on Restoril to help with sleeping.  It worked for a couple weeks, but the prescription ran out.  Total insomnia happended where i just could not sleep all night and just stayed up, the whole night.  I flet like I was going crazy.  I was put on trazadone 50 mg for sleep.  I have taken it for 2 nights now, and I sleep but both nights woke up soaked with night sweat.  I also feel very drugged in the morning.  Has anyone used trazadone and had night sweats?  

[JulianaClare]

Physical dependence does not equal addiction. The treatment for  each is different.
That said, Benzodiazepine use for more then two weeks is contrary to the standard of care and for good reason.

[artemesia2]

I think it's strange your dr. didn't put you on Effexor in the morning since taking it at night can cause insomnia.  I know since I'm prescribed Effexor for major depression.   SpecialMom.  Concerned you wrote Effexor is addictive.  The psychiatric nurse practitioner never told me that.

[specialmom]

Hi. The thing with these medications, all psychiatric medications, is that they should be titrated up and down. I'm trying to follow the sequence of events. You were put on Effexor. Was this a starting dose? And with that, you became wired and couldn't sleep? They do often have you first try switching the time of day you take it (if you took at night before, switch to morning, etc.) and they may back the dose down and start you on it more slowly. All have start up side effects but if they are too uncomfortable they will discontinue it and try another. But you actually say it was working but the script ran out, correct? So there was no titrating off. Effexor is hard to stop taking. Could you call the doctor for a refill? And when we had trouble with timing and the script indeed ran out before the doctor could get another in the system (over a long weekend type of thing), the pharmacy gave us 5 pills to hold us over and subtracted that from the script when it was filled for real. So, they do try to keep you from having no medication available. Restoril is a different situation. That will likely not be considered a chronic medication. Meant to get you going on the effexor? yes, it's addictive, that's the issue. But short term it works. I don't know if you were on it long enough to have issues when you stop cold turkey but it sounds like it. I'm sorry about that. You should not feel drugged or wired, ,either one, with your medication though it seems you definitely need a drug modification again. Do you work with a psychiatrist?

[JulianaClare]

Your symptoms are those of Benzodiazepine withdrawal. Your antidepressants have a role in your experience of benzo-withdrawal.
You are drug dependent; you are NOT an addict. You are a victim of improper prescribing.  
No drug will reverse this condition, but consistent and carefully decreasing your dosage will, .over time ,reverse the dependence.
Caution the internet is saturated with inaccurate science posing as help.
I can't actually help you to taper dosage here, but I can and must say" Do not abruptly stop using any Benzodiazepine. "cold turkey".  The result can be fatal.

Oh yes, Restoril is a brand name for one Benzodiazepine. Read and be carefull!

[AnnieBrooke]

Is there some reason they didn't just continue with the Restoril?

[Joannesing]

Yes, because it is addictive.

[AnnieBrooke]

Sounds like a good reason not to continue it, then. Talk to your doc about getting something else for sleep. Have you ever tried melatonin?