If you have ever suffered from depression or known someone that has, you know that insomnia often comes with it as package deal.
It can go either way, the insomnia can cause the depression or the depression can cause the insomnia.
Either way, many people are prescribed antidepressants to help with this problem.
Antidepressants have not been approved by the FDA as a treatment for insomnia, but some doctors are prescribing them to patients who are not depressed anyway.
One of the most popular of these is called trazodone.
Prescribed in low doses, its sedative properties can help insomniacs get to sleep.
Doctors have found some problems with this drug, however.
One of them is that unlike drugs that are simply for insomnia, the sedative affects can last into the next day with trazodone.
This is a particular problem for the elderly.
When waking up groggy and disoriented, they are more likely to fall and injure themselves.
Also, everyone using this drug should be careful when driving or doing anything else that requires alertness.
Some side effects this drug can have are confusion, fainting, muscle tremors, heart arrhythmias, and a dry mouth.
Trazodone also cannot be taken by expectant mothers.
Sean Graham, 53, has taken sleeping pills for years.
Now that he is battling cancer, sleep apnea and insomnia all at once, his doctor prescribed him trazodone instead of Ambien.
Noticing a difference, Graham can testify to the lasting drowsiness that accompanies a good night's sleep on trazodone.
"With trazodone, it's hard to wake up.
I'm always groggy for a few hours, and at work I'm totally out of it, can't focus," said Graham.
There is one major advantage, however, of taking antidepressants rather than sleeping pills to treat insomnia.
This is that unlike sleeping pills, you can take antidepressants for an extended period of time without fear of addiction.
Another antidepressant that has been used to treat insomnia is doxepin.
This may be the better choice of antidepressants because so far, it doesn't seem to have the lasting effect of sleepiness that trazodone does.
In sharp contrast to trazodone, there are more popular antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft.
These have the opposite affect and can sometimes induce insomnia.
When a patient has insomnia caused by depression however, curing that depression with one of these drugs can still improve their quality of sleep.
It can go either way, the insomnia can cause the depression or the depression can cause the insomnia.
Either way, many people are prescribed antidepressants to help with this problem.
Antidepressants have not been approved by the FDA as a treatment for insomnia, but some doctors are prescribing them to patients who are not depressed anyway.
One of the most popular of these is called trazodone.
Prescribed in low doses, its sedative properties can help insomniacs get to sleep.
Doctors have found some problems with this drug, however.
One of them is that unlike drugs that are simply for insomnia, the sedative affects can last into the next day with trazodone.
This is a particular problem for the elderly.
When waking up groggy and disoriented, they are more likely to fall and injure themselves.
Also, everyone using this drug should be careful when driving or doing anything else that requires alertness.
Some side effects this drug can have are confusion, fainting, muscle tremors, heart arrhythmias, and a dry mouth.
Trazodone also cannot be taken by expectant mothers.
Sean Graham, 53, has taken sleeping pills for years.
Now that he is battling cancer, sleep apnea and insomnia all at once, his doctor prescribed him trazodone instead of Ambien.
Noticing a difference, Graham can testify to the lasting drowsiness that accompanies a good night's sleep on trazodone.
"With trazodone, it's hard to wake up.
I'm always groggy for a few hours, and at work I'm totally out of it, can't focus," said Graham.
There is one major advantage, however, of taking antidepressants rather than sleeping pills to treat insomnia.
This is that unlike sleeping pills, you can take antidepressants for an extended period of time without fear of addiction.
Another antidepressant that has been used to treat insomnia is doxepin.
This may be the better choice of antidepressants because so far, it doesn't seem to have the lasting effect of sleepiness that trazodone does.
In sharp contrast to trazodone, there are more popular antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft.
These have the opposite affect and can sometimes induce insomnia.
When a patient has insomnia caused by depression however, curing that depression with one of these drugs can still improve their quality of sleep.
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