Trazodone is the most commonly prescription medication for anxiety and sleeping disorders. If you or a loved one is struggling contact us for help today.
Trazodone is an antidepressant used in the treatment of depression, anxiety and insomnia. It is the most popular member of a class of medications called serotonin antagonist and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SARIs. Its effectiveness as an antidepressant is comparable to other medications in different antidepressant classes. Such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Prozac or the selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor Cymbalta.
Despite its identity and effectiveness as an FDA-approved antidepressant, you are probably more familiar with trazodone as a medication to treat insomnia. With 26 million prescriptions filled in 2014 alone.1 It is the most commonly prescribed insomnia medication. As well as the second most common overall behind diphenhydramine. Which is available over-the-counter in several types of preparations. Due to its unique effects on the body’s serotonin regulation system, the dosage of trazodone required to treat insomnia is much lower than most prescription drugs required to treat depression.
Trazodone has two particularly common side effects: sedation and orthostatic hypotension. Which is the inability of the body to maintain adequate blood pressure when changing positions. It is also infamous for the rare, but alarming, side effect of priapism. The presence of a penile erection lasting for several hours despite the lack of sexual arousal.
Nevertheless, it is considered a safer alternative to benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants or other medications from the sedative/hypnotic class. Those other medications are known to be habit-forming, and tolerance to them builds after just a few weeks of use.
Trazodone is not generally habit-forming. It does not produce euphoria and does not create physical dependence. However, its sedative effect can lead to trazodone addiction. For some, trazodone’s sleep-inducing effect helps them avoid undesirable responsibilities. For others, trazodone is useful in reducing unwanted stimulant effects from other drugs.
Overdoses of trazodone do occur, though they are usually not fatal if trazodone is the only drug involved. When combined in overdose with central nervous system depressants or prescription drugs, the fatality rate is considerably higher. Cardiac arrhythmias, or disturbances to the heart’s normal beating pattern, and severely low blood pressure are significant potential outcomes of a trazodone overdose.
Have you been prescribed trazodone? What does your relationship with it look like? Transformations Treatment Center can help you better understand your connection to your prescription antidepressant. Additionally, we offer healthy alternatives and substance abuse treatment if that connection has been harmful.
Like many antidepressant prescription drugs, the primary target for the action of trazodone is serotonin. Which is a nerve cell messenger widely distributed throughout your body. Serotonin in the brain is, among other functions, responsible for the regulation of mood and for treating anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder. And your body has many different control levers for it.
Trazodone blocks nerve cell receptors from binding up serotonin using a few of these levers. Trazodone also blocks nerve cells from absorbing serotonin out of the area that two or more nerve cells use to communicate. The effect is to create higher levels of serotonin for nerve cell communication. Which in turn leads to better mood and reduced anxiety. This effect, combined with trazodone’s mild antihistamine effect and reversal of the “fight-or-flight” response system, is why trazodone is so effective at treating insomnia.
While problematic trazodone usage does not produce many physical signs and symptoms, certain indicators are helpful for you or your family and friends to identify if the behavior will turn into drug abuse.
Taking more trazodone than what is the valid prescription, without your provider’s permission, strongly suggests problem use. Similarly, non-prescribed ingestion of a medication like trazodone points to problem use. The refusal or inability to stop taking trazodone despite suffering negative consequences from its use is a clear indicator that a problem is present; this is a hallmark symptom of addiction, no matter the substance.
Other signs and symptoms of misuse trazodone might include:
Many antidepressants, including trazodone, are thought to remodel the brain’s serotonin regulation system. In these cases, it is often best to begin addiction recovery with medical detoxification to avoid trazodone withdrawal symptoms from abruptly removing medications that act on serotonin. Especially in cases where more trazodone is being taken than prescribed, it will be important to monitor vital signs and to safely taper off of the prescription medication.
When the problematic use of trazodone is identified and detox has been administered, Florida addiction treatment centers offer continuous substance abuse rehab through an inpatient treatment program or an intensive outpatient program to prevent relapse.
The main choice of psychotherapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) through individual therapy or group therapy sessions. The primary goal of CBT is to show you how to change unhealthy behaviors by re-examining and challenging the thought processes that lead to them. CBT is a mainstay of the treatment of addictive disorders, and a specialized form of it has been adapted and utilized to treat insomnia without the use of medications. Participation in a 12-step program will ensure that you receive support, develop new skills and establish accountability with others. Motivational interviewing may also be used in a treatment program.
At Transformations Treatment Center, we will help you face the problematic use of trazodone and other prescription drugs in a nonjudgmental, non-confrontational way. Our professional staff is highly trained in the best evidence-based practice, and we will create a comprehensive substance abuse rehab program to meet your specific needs.
If you or a loved one need trazodone rehab in Delray Beach, FL, contact us today at 877-518-6691.
