Trazodone works for me also, but it makes me fairly drowsy the next morning, and it is very cheap to buy with my prescription plan, however, I find that taking a couple of melatonins before bed works almost as well.

Pilot223,
My psychiatrist has been prescribing me trazodone since January of 1997 (12 1/2 yrs). This anti-depressant was released in the early to mid 1980's as "Desyrel" by Mead Johnston Pharmaceutical in 50 and 100 mg. tablets, and in the
innovative "Desyrel Dividose Tablets" 150 mg. with easily scored lines for breaking them apart in 50 mg pieces. The med was not a hot seller on the anti-depressant market, as SSRI's
boomed in the late 1980's with "Prozac" & its many chemical cousins to soon follow. However, by the mid-1990's, it actually became a increasingly popular medication, for M.D.'s to prescribe for insomnia. The last professional data I read on pharmaceutical stats, showed it only followed Sanofi's "Ambien" around 1999, as a medication of choice, by psychiatrists, as, they discovered it helped their patients a lot more for insomnia, than for depression. Although the med became overshadowed by the immensely popularity of "Ambien", it still holds its own, and appears to have replaced another, long standing sedative, "Restoril", in terms of long-term (annual use) for chronic insomnia. It is not a controlled substance, either, not even a C-V. Low potential for addiction.
I do not particularly like the med personally. It gets the job done, it always puts me to sleep, (150 mg. dose at bedtime), and I consistently get 8 hours of rest, without any middle of the night awakenings. My subjective experience with trazodone, is that it just makes me very, very tired, usually within one hour after ingestion, and "sleepy" and, although the "next day hangovers are very pronounced 1st several weeks or so" (this is dose dependent, less milligrams, less of a hangover), but I still "always feel droggy, and head for the coffee maker, even 12.5 yrs later" I need at least 30 minutes minimum, dose dependent, to 1 hour, to really wake up!
I also take a once a day dose of C-II Dexedrine Spansule 15 mg. and 1/2 pot of Gevalia coffee, to cope/ survive the 1st hour of the morning. (Dexedrine for A.D.D. Diagnois code 314.00) & Adderall 10 mg. in mid-afternoon. I admit I may be biased with a bit of a negative attitude on trazodone, technically, it is very predictable, and "it works" allowing me to rest uninterrupted. I got spoiled in the 1970's and 1980's with "other sedatives" that made you sleep, but, I always enjoyed the "30 minute to 60 minute buzz I received before I crawled in bed with the lights out" on old school sedative-hypnotics, like "Quaalude 300 mg." and, later, "Doriden 500 mg", and the next morning "minimal lack of a hangover". My last Doriden was in 1992. (used Tofranil a/k/a imipramine a brief while, then, alprazolam a/k/a Xanax, but tolerance set in, thus my psychiatrist's placed me on trazodone. I have never built up a tolerance to trazodone....and my stimulant use (since 1994) is 50% less than the dose I started out on 15 yrs ago. My psychiatrist's also has been writing me scripts for once per night Ambien 10 mg. (zolpidem) since 2001, in addition to the trazodone, that I take about 1 hour in advance of the trazodone to "get the warm fuzzies" (my choice of words) but that is my transition medication to feel some positive relaxation, from a stressful day, before I take the trazodone.
If you are just beginning this med, I would follow my M.D.'s advice, usually starting out with a smaller dose, and to allow "extra time" in the morning to "wake up" and have time to get ready for work so you don't get into trouble with your employer for tardiness. Just my 2 cents worth.

Hello to all.....Well now, you see, I am afraid again because of what Ballerina said - her experience sounds almost just like mine on Zoloft - and I NEVER want to go through that again. I've decided to go ahead and fill the dam*ed script, and I'll give the grogginess a chance to subside. BUT - if it affects me as it does Balerina after a week (or less) the balance of the pills are going down the toilet!! I will keep you guys posted, and please - more comments would still be much appreciated ....Pilot

Yeah I sure it is a good anti-depressent. It turns me into a zombie. I have never heard of a depressed zombie.


"I want to eat your BRAINS" maybe it cures cotton mouth. LOL

hottie..you said that you take the ambien one hour before you take the trazodone..well i think i will try that tonite..how long does it usually take for you to fall asleep after the traz..thanks angel..