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Re: AD Insomnia: Xanax or Trazadone?????

Posted by super on January 17, 2001, at 14:11:48

In reply to AD Insomnia: Xanax or Trazadone?????, posted by Joy on January 16, 2001, at 18:45:41

Hi Joy,

I don't know anything about Trazadone, so I can't speak to that, but I do have experience with Xanax. I was put on it initially as a "bridge medication" to ease the anxiety of starting Paxil. Well, Paxil didn't work out and I went through a series of other meds but the one med that stayed constant was Xanax and before I knew it (five months later), I felt dependent on it. I never took more than .5 mg and usually took .25. I took it every night for one and a half years and then decided to try to stop. To my surprise, I had no problem stopping. Minor withdrawal: increased anxiety, wierd dreams, headaches. Withdrawal ended in less than two weeks. I had worse side effects from Paxil and Serzone than I did from stopping Xanax.

However, I didn't throw the bottle (or the extra prescription) away and I still took the Xanax occassionally (once every couple weeks, like if my girlfriend and I argued or I felt anxious about something). All of a sudden (a month or two ago), .25 didn't do any good anymore and one particularly bad night I think I had to take 1mg to conk myself out. However, this new tolerance might not be addiction (why would that happen now, and not earlier?) as much as the result of my crazy moods recently. Currently, I am taking a higher dose of my mood stabilizer combined with .5 mg Xanax nightly and this combination works great for me. When I feel more stable, I will try to wean myself off the Xanax again, but right now it is a nice reprieve to restless nights.

I guess based on my experience right now, I would say that Xanax is addictive but it won't control you unless you let it and you can always get off (taper!) it if you don't need it anymore. But if its working for you and you are not abusing it (like using it to get high) then there's nothing wrong with that.

There's also nothing wrong with trying a new med, so I like your idea of trying the Trazadone while continuing the Xanax. I'd be interested to know how you like the Trazadone.

> I take 20 mg of Prozac now which works well for depression/irritation, etc. I also take .5 Xanax for the last few months about 30 or 40 minutes before bedtime for insomnia. My pdoc wants me to take Trazadone; he says it's not addicting like Xanax. My fdoc gave me Ambien [5 mg doesn't do it; 10 mg I wake up in 4 hours; I don't like it.]. Also, I understand some prople use a small dose of Remeron. My question: Are docs over-exaggerating addiction of Xanax? What's .5 once at nighttime? Would Trazadone really be better? Remeron? Or should I insist of my Xanax which works very well for me??? Thanks. I'm confused.
> Joy


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