Yes, this is a great one for sleep! I took it for a few years and did not build up a tolerance with it as I did several other medications for insomnia.
If it wasn't for my tendency for weight-gain, I'd wean off Ambien and go back to Mirtazapine.
I took 15 mg of mirtazapine in the evening, but with the ability to take an additional 15 mg if I needed it.
It was so nice! It gave me that soft fuzzy calmed and cozy relaxed feeling. Unfortunately it also made me very hungry like I had the munchies, but everything else about it was good. Would have me in a good mood. Mood I would sleep soundly after and I would wake up slightly tired but still able to get done everything I needed to.
Nice! Maybe my dose is too small - it does help for sleep but I don't really get the mood boost you are referring to. Did you withdraw when you stopped? Or did you taper first?
While it did give me a slight boost in my mood, and was magic for my anxiety, it wasn't anything like the euphoric feeling a lot of people get (or try to get) from Ambien, but wasn't my goal.
I ended up stopping it suddenly after about 2 years because it is an SSRI, and my doctor prescribed me another SSRI for depression and I ended up hospitalized with serotonin toxicity syndrome. Apparently it's an extremely rare side effect, but since then I've been extremely sensitive to any kind of SSRI.
I could be wrong, but I think it's a bit different than SSRI and falls under tatracylic (spelling?) antidepressant.
In any case, sorry to hear you got toxicity syndrome. That's serious stuff! Glad you are ok. Thanks for sharing it was helpful.
Thank you!
I just looked it up (after all these years 🤦♀️), and while it's is not an SSRI like I thought it was, it does have a drug interaction warning with Celexa, which is what my previous doctor had prescribed me for depression.
But before that, Mirtazapine was wonderful for my anxiety, sleep, and mood! Now that I'm not on an antidepressant and I'm dealing with the tolerance issues of Ambien, I am seriously considering talking to my current doctor about going back on Mirtazapine. I had completely forgotten about it until your comment!
You should halve your dose of trazodone, you're taking a dose which would be used for treating major depressive disorder and more likely in an inpatient setting.
Medications like this which have an off-label use as a sleeping aid almost always start to have contradictory effects at higher doses because high-affinity binding sites become saturated and it starts working at other sites, so the drowsiness you feel in the morning is likely because your body has eliminated enough trazodone so that the amount that's still effective is at a level that you want to achieve in order to initiate sleep, not a level you really want upon awakening.
Melatonin works for me as long as I get in bed. Lyrica is another option. You can try Benadryl as well but beware of morning grogginess with antihistamines (Doxylamine and Hydroxyzine are much worse in this regard though ime). There is also a heartburn medication called Tagamet which lightly potentiates Ambien and can be found over the counter in your local drugstore, usually that, Melatonin and Ambien are my go to.
Lol yeah I took 300mg once thinking it was a lower dose and had an unexpected experience, still felt it well into the next day! Thank you for your advice :)
Mirtazapine
Yes, this is a great one for sleep! I took it for a few years and did not build up a tolerance with it as I did several other medications for insomnia. If it wasn't for my tendency for weight-gain, I'd wean off Ambien and go back to Mirtazapine.
What was your dose & frequency? I take 1.87mg maybe twice a week but scared of doing it more for tolerance.
I took 15 mg of mirtazapine in the evening, but with the ability to take an additional 15 mg if I needed it. It was so nice! It gave me that soft fuzzy calmed and cozy relaxed feeling. Unfortunately it also made me very hungry like I had the munchies, but everything else about it was good. Would have me in a good mood. Mood I would sleep soundly after and I would wake up slightly tired but still able to get done everything I needed to.
Nice! Maybe my dose is too small - it does help for sleep but I don't really get the mood boost you are referring to. Did you withdraw when you stopped? Or did you taper first?
While it did give me a slight boost in my mood, and was magic for my anxiety, it wasn't anything like the euphoric feeling a lot of people get (or try to get) from Ambien, but wasn't my goal. I ended up stopping it suddenly after about 2 years because it is an SSRI, and my doctor prescribed me another SSRI for depression and I ended up hospitalized with serotonin toxicity syndrome. Apparently it's an extremely rare side effect, but since then I've been extremely sensitive to any kind of SSRI.
I could be wrong, but I think it's a bit different than SSRI and falls under tatracylic (spelling?) antidepressant. In any case, sorry to hear you got toxicity syndrome. That's serious stuff! Glad you are ok. Thanks for sharing it was helpful.
Thank you! I just looked it up (after all these years 🤦♀️), and while it's is not an SSRI like I thought it was, it does have a drug interaction warning with Celexa, which is what my previous doctor had prescribed me for depression. But before that, Mirtazapine was wonderful for my anxiety, sleep, and mood! Now that I'm not on an antidepressant and I'm dealing with the tolerance issues of Ambien, I am seriously considering talking to my current doctor about going back on Mirtazapine. I had completely forgotten about it until your comment!
Hydroxyzine with mine has helped a ton
I take 300mg of trazodone and 6.25mg of ambien and it knocks me out, i am groggy in the morning tho because of the trazodone
You should halve your dose of trazodone, you're taking a dose which would be used for treating major depressive disorder and more likely in an inpatient setting. Medications like this which have an off-label use as a sleeping aid almost always start to have contradictory effects at higher doses because high-affinity binding sites become saturated and it starts working at other sites, so the drowsiness you feel in the morning is likely because your body has eliminated enough trazodone so that the amount that's still effective is at a level that you want to achieve in order to initiate sleep, not a level you really want upon awakening.
Melatonin works for me as long as I get in bed. Lyrica is another option. You can try Benadryl as well but beware of morning grogginess with antihistamines (Doxylamine and Hydroxyzine are much worse in this regard though ime). There is also a heartburn medication called Tagamet which lightly potentiates Ambien and can be found over the counter in your local drugstore, usually that, Melatonin and Ambien are my go to.
Pregabalin just knocks me out, you should give it a try
How much do you take for this?
I take 300mg but that might be quite a lot, I suggest a lower dose
Lol yeah I took 300mg once thinking it was a lower dose and had an unexpected experience, still felt it well into the next day! Thank you for your advice :)
Melatonin. I like the quick dissolve tablets.
Diphenhydramine
i also take adrenaline blockers with my ambien (doctor recommended) and they work so well
I have added: Gabapentin Hydroxyzine Lorazipam GABA L theanine Water
I take unisom with my ambien works great but too much feel groggy after doing it too many days. Same with Benadryl.
Seroquel
If you don't want a benzos habitat, then mirtazapine. Pregabalin Zopiclone Ativan Xanax Phenobarbital Temazepan The list is endless
Magnesium Glycerinate.