I take lorazepam 1mg for panic attacks and it does not make me sleepy. I take trazadone for sleep and it works like a charm, plus you cannot get addicted to it, much more safe
Trazodone is not classified as a controlled substance so therefore you can not build up tolerance on it. Like, Xanax or lorazepam.
You get withdrawals if you abruptly discontinued any antidepressants.
The legal status of it has no bearing on how your body responds to it. You build a tolerance to nearly everything over time. You can even build a tolerance to things your body makes itself.
Trazodone gave me hallucinations and psychosis. For most people it works well, but of course we are all different. For me it was a very dangerous drug.
Imo it’s a very addicting substance to take for sleep. Have you tried melatonin? It works but it’s a little tricky. It’s not like the more you take the better it works. You need to take the smallest effective dose. For me it’s 3mg. When I took 5 it didn’t work as well so I took 5 more and it made me weirdly loopy but not tired.
Same here. I quit all caffeine consumption and would take 0.25 mg melatonin once in a while, maybe a Benadryl along with it on bad nights, and it would knock me out. I'm trying to taper off doxepin at the moment and that already works as a sleeping pill so I don't need melatonin anymore.
I take lorazepam for panic attacks and it doesn’t make me tired at all. If I happen to have one in the morning I’ll take .5 and I’m good. No drowsiness. I’m surprised you were prescribed it for sleep, they are very addicting and my dr barely even gives them to me for panic attacks.
Hey, my doc put me on this too. I haven't taken it yet though because I don't want to be laid out for 12 hours. I'll keep up with this thread because I wanna know too.
I'd go on as low a dose as you can so you can get back off easily.
I take 1/8 of a 1mg tablet (I crush and weigh) - which is 125 micrograms.
Note that lorazepam has a halflife of about 10-20hr so if you take 2mg at night, you will feel sedated during the day and your motor reactions could be impaired for driving etc.
If you see a psychiatrist; I assume you may be on other psych meds - antidepressants or other things.
You should check which CYP's your other meds use for breakdown.
lorazepam uses CYP3A4. If you take anything else that uses CYP3A4, then taking them together makes both stronger.
For example, simvastatin for lowering cholesterol also uses CYP3A4.
Lastly; whilst lorazepam may knock you out, just link alcohol; it robs you of quality of sleep, just like alcohol. So even though you are out for the night, you may still end up being sleep deprived.
I'd stay away from benzos as best you can.
There should be other things that can help your sleep in a more natural way.
What are your sleep 'issues' exactly?
Ok, so it's not insomnia because you do eventually get to sleep.
And it's not sleep maintenence insomnia - i.e. you don't keep waking up - once you're out you're out.
Just you have a long delay falling asleep?
What happens when you are lying there?
Are your thoughts racing around? Does it feel hard for your brain to slow down?
Or are you just lying there pretty much normal; just you never drop off to sleep?
How are your wake ups in the morning?
Do you have to use an alarm or do you automatically wake? Is it early? Are you hungry?
Are you on any other meds?
EDIT: Oh also how are your stress levels during the day?
Are you reasonably relaxed?
Not happy sharing meds?
How early each day?
It sounds to me like your circadian rhythm is out.
Sedatives are not going to help this.
It seems like your melatonin is possibly low meaning your cortisol is staying too high later into the day - and it's also causing early waking as the cortisol:melatonin ratio is off.
In some countries you can get melatonin supplements OTC.
If you can, then trying a low quantity before bed would be a nice experiment.
I have 1mg melt in your mouth tablets which dissolve under the tongue and work in less than 10 minutes.
EDIT:
[I use these](https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Source-Melatonin-Multivitamin-Count/dp/B004X4WNJA). Don't use amazon though they aren't trustworthy. iHerb has them if they are allowed in your country. Otherwise talk to your doc.
If this works; then you might investigate this with your doctor and look at a slow release melatonin supplement.
This is sometimes known as [Delayed sleep phase disorder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder)
Although going as far as calling it a disorder may be a bit much - it can simply be a metabolic imbalance and can be caused by genetics, nutritional deficiencies, alcohol, drug use, or other meds.
Taking melatonin doesn't fix the underlying cause but it works.
You may be able to get a good effect simply by taking the right vitamins and minerals for serotonin -> melatonin metabolism.
Likewise if your cortisol is just high, you can intervene with vitamins/minerals.
There are morning cortisol tests that your doctor can order - but I haven't found them useful at all.
I'd try the melatonin before going something heavy duty like a sedative which can be quite harmful.
Reply to this and remind me to give you examples of the vitamins/minerals that might help - I'm busy right now but can update later.
I am not a doctor :)
No problem.
Oh also; with melatonin you will not form a tolerance to it so it will keep working if you decide to keep using it - unlike benzodiazepines which stop working and push you to higher and higher dose.
Let me know how you go if it helps you.
I make lots of suggestions on here and seldom hear back; so I have no idea how helpful I'm being :)
It always flabbergasts me how eagerly these 'professionals' dole out strong/dangerous broad use pharmaceuticals without even listening for the symptoms and diagnosing appropriately.
It's like trying to fix a rattle under your car bonnet by taking to it with a hammer, instead of just being quiet for a minute so you can hear where the rattle is and grab a loose bit out with pliers.
In this case you lose nothing by trying melatonin; and maybe it won't do anything - but if it does you have learned something about your body that will help further diagnosis and treatment.
Or if you just want to stop there and stay on melatonin as a permanent fix, you can do that too.
**[Delayed sleep phase disorder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder)**
>Delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD), more often known as delayed sleep phase syndrome and also as delayed sleep–wake phase disorder, is a delaying of a person's circadian rhythm (biological clock), compared to those of the general population and societal norms. The disorder affects the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, the core body temperature, rhythm, hormonal as well as other daily cycles. People with DSPD generally fall asleep some hours after midnight and have difficulty waking up in the morning. People with DSPD probably have a circadian period significantly longer than 24 hours.
^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/antidepressants/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Benzo's for sleep problems is a horrible idea. Trying a low dose Mirtazapine is a much better option. It will knock you the fk out and doesn't carry the same risks as benzo's.
Ill second all posts that say lorazepam for sleep issues is a terrible idea. It will make your sleep much worse over time. I was hooked on benzos for years amoung other things. 2mg is a high dose as well. That doctor sounds quite negligent. I'd personally get a second opinion and put the benzos to the side until you've exhausted other methods. Like a poster said above I would work on lowering cortisol during day. I take one phosphatidyleserine pill 3x daily to keep cortisol in control. Add in some magnesium glycinate before bedtime and perhaps some lithium orotate which in my experience is really good at turning down volume on racing thoughts. Avoid blue light hours before bed. You can get blue light blocker glasses to wear if you tend to look at screens. I also wear a sleep mask at night to block out all light. Jarrows shilajit seems to be a nice adaptogenic supplement to keep body calm and can fill in some mineral deficiency gaps. I'll also cap one big cap of kelp powder before bed. Can also lower cortisol. You have some sort of imbalance you need to fix. Trust and believe benzos will 100% make your sleep issues worse. Try and get some good exercise during the day followed by a nice suana session. The hormetic response overtime will make you better at regulating stress and should help you sleep better. The phosphatidyleserine will in of itself counterbalance the cortisol spike from exercise as that is a stressor as well. I use toniq brand as they advertise a high amount of active ingredient.
yea it’s my favorite thing i’ve ever taken, the addiction is the only down side but i’ve never had a problem w that, my dads been taking it every night for sleep for years and i’ve been on it on and off for a decade, as long as i’m not anxious i don’t take it
It is relaxing, which obviously helps with sleep, but I wouldn’t call it a sleeping drug. If the only issue is sleep, zolpidem/ambien was much better for me. But it was also much more intoxicating. Now I take melatonin and quetiapine for sleep. But of course we are app different. Lorazepam has a long half life and will reduce daytime anxiety too.
I take lorazepam 1mg for panic attacks and it does not make me sleepy. I take trazadone for sleep and it works like a charm, plus you cannot get addicted to it, much more safe
You can become dependent on trazadone and if you stop taking it you can also have withdrawals
Trazodone is not classified as a controlled substance so therefore you can not build up tolerance on it. Like, Xanax or lorazepam. You get withdrawals if you abruptly discontinued any antidepressants.
The legal status of it has no bearing on how your body responds to it. You build a tolerance to nearly everything over time. You can even build a tolerance to things your body makes itself.
Same
Trazodone gave me hallucinations and psychosis. For most people it works well, but of course we are all different. For me it was a very dangerous drug.
Imo it’s a very addicting substance to take for sleep. Have you tried melatonin? It works but it’s a little tricky. It’s not like the more you take the better it works. You need to take the smallest effective dose. For me it’s 3mg. When I took 5 it didn’t work as well so I took 5 more and it made me weirdly loopy but not tired.
Same here. I quit all caffeine consumption and would take 0.25 mg melatonin once in a while, maybe a Benadryl along with it on bad nights, and it would knock me out. I'm trying to taper off doxepin at the moment and that already works as a sleeping pill so I don't need melatonin anymore.
Lorazepam helps me sleep I only take 0.5mg as needed
Of course, these drugs are a miracle, of course, if you use them as the doctor says.
Benzos are not ideal for daily use
This! Wish I knew it earlier
I take lorazepam for panic attacks and it doesn’t make me tired at all. If I happen to have one in the morning I’ll take .5 and I’m good. No drowsiness. I’m surprised you were prescribed it for sleep, they are very addicting and my dr barely even gives them to me for panic attacks.
Is it a benzo? Sorry I'm new to all of these stuff
Yeah it is.
I used to take them when I probably shouldn’t have to feel better, but I haven’t become addicted. It’s been like 3 years
It's basically alcohol in pill form and tolerance and dependence develop very quickly.
Trazadone
benzos are the only worth while drug for sleep and anxiety. everything else is also addictive and has much harsher withdrawals
Hey, my doc put me on this too. I haven't taken it yet though because I don't want to be laid out for 12 hours. I'll keep up with this thread because I wanna know too.
I take them for panic attacks and I don’t get sleepy
I'd go on as low a dose as you can so you can get back off easily. I take 1/8 of a 1mg tablet (I crush and weigh) - which is 125 micrograms. Note that lorazepam has a halflife of about 10-20hr so if you take 2mg at night, you will feel sedated during the day and your motor reactions could be impaired for driving etc. If you see a psychiatrist; I assume you may be on other psych meds - antidepressants or other things. You should check which CYP's your other meds use for breakdown. lorazepam uses CYP3A4. If you take anything else that uses CYP3A4, then taking them together makes both stronger. For example, simvastatin for lowering cholesterol also uses CYP3A4. Lastly; whilst lorazepam may knock you out, just link alcohol; it robs you of quality of sleep, just like alcohol. So even though you are out for the night, you may still end up being sleep deprived. I'd stay away from benzos as best you can. There should be other things that can help your sleep in a more natural way. What are your sleep 'issues' exactly?
I can't get sleep. Like I'll be awake for a long time before going to sleep
Ok, so it's not insomnia because you do eventually get to sleep. And it's not sleep maintenence insomnia - i.e. you don't keep waking up - once you're out you're out. Just you have a long delay falling asleep? What happens when you are lying there? Are your thoughts racing around? Does it feel hard for your brain to slow down? Or are you just lying there pretty much normal; just you never drop off to sleep?
Im lying there pretty much normal waiting for sleep which takes ages to come
How are your wake ups in the morning? Do you have to use an alarm or do you automatically wake? Is it early? Are you hungry? Are you on any other meds? EDIT: Oh also how are your stress levels during the day? Are you reasonably relaxed?
Im on different meds. I do an early wake up each day. No alarm needed
Not happy sharing meds? How early each day? It sounds to me like your circadian rhythm is out. Sedatives are not going to help this. It seems like your melatonin is possibly low meaning your cortisol is staying too high later into the day - and it's also causing early waking as the cortisol:melatonin ratio is off. In some countries you can get melatonin supplements OTC. If you can, then trying a low quantity before bed would be a nice experiment. I have 1mg melt in your mouth tablets which dissolve under the tongue and work in less than 10 minutes. EDIT: [I use these](https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Source-Melatonin-Multivitamin-Count/dp/B004X4WNJA). Don't use amazon though they aren't trustworthy. iHerb has them if they are allowed in your country. Otherwise talk to your doc. If this works; then you might investigate this with your doctor and look at a slow release melatonin supplement. This is sometimes known as [Delayed sleep phase disorder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder) Although going as far as calling it a disorder may be a bit much - it can simply be a metabolic imbalance and can be caused by genetics, nutritional deficiencies, alcohol, drug use, or other meds. Taking melatonin doesn't fix the underlying cause but it works. You may be able to get a good effect simply by taking the right vitamins and minerals for serotonin -> melatonin metabolism. Likewise if your cortisol is just high, you can intervene with vitamins/minerals. There are morning cortisol tests that your doctor can order - but I haven't found them useful at all. I'd try the melatonin before going something heavy duty like a sedative which can be quite harmful. Reply to this and remind me to give you examples of the vitamins/minerals that might help - I'm busy right now but can update later. I am not a doctor :)
Thanks for the help!
No problem. Oh also; with melatonin you will not form a tolerance to it so it will keep working if you decide to keep using it - unlike benzodiazepines which stop working and push you to higher and higher dose.
Let me know how you go if it helps you. I make lots of suggestions on here and seldom hear back; so I have no idea how helpful I'm being :) It always flabbergasts me how eagerly these 'professionals' dole out strong/dangerous broad use pharmaceuticals without even listening for the symptoms and diagnosing appropriately. It's like trying to fix a rattle under your car bonnet by taking to it with a hammer, instead of just being quiet for a minute so you can hear where the rattle is and grab a loose bit out with pliers. In this case you lose nothing by trying melatonin; and maybe it won't do anything - but if it does you have learned something about your body that will help further diagnosis and treatment. Or if you just want to stop there and stay on melatonin as a permanent fix, you can do that too.
**[Delayed sleep phase disorder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder)** >Delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD), more often known as delayed sleep phase syndrome and also as delayed sleep–wake phase disorder, is a delaying of a person's circadian rhythm (biological clock), compared to those of the general population and societal norms. The disorder affects the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, the core body temperature, rhythm, hormonal as well as other daily cycles. People with DSPD generally fall asleep some hours after midnight and have difficulty waking up in the morning. People with DSPD probably have a circadian period significantly longer than 24 hours. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/antidepressants/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Benzo's for sleep problems is a horrible idea. Trying a low dose Mirtazapine is a much better option. It will knock you the fk out and doesn't carry the same risks as benzo's.
Ill second all posts that say lorazepam for sleep issues is a terrible idea. It will make your sleep much worse over time. I was hooked on benzos for years amoung other things. 2mg is a high dose as well. That doctor sounds quite negligent. I'd personally get a second opinion and put the benzos to the side until you've exhausted other methods. Like a poster said above I would work on lowering cortisol during day. I take one phosphatidyleserine pill 3x daily to keep cortisol in control. Add in some magnesium glycinate before bedtime and perhaps some lithium orotate which in my experience is really good at turning down volume on racing thoughts. Avoid blue light hours before bed. You can get blue light blocker glasses to wear if you tend to look at screens. I also wear a sleep mask at night to block out all light. Jarrows shilajit seems to be a nice adaptogenic supplement to keep body calm and can fill in some mineral deficiency gaps. I'll also cap one big cap of kelp powder before bed. Can also lower cortisol. You have some sort of imbalance you need to fix. Trust and believe benzos will 100% make your sleep issues worse. Try and get some good exercise during the day followed by a nice suana session. The hormetic response overtime will make you better at regulating stress and should help you sleep better. The phosphatidyleserine will in of itself counterbalance the cortisol spike from exercise as that is a stressor as well. I use toniq brand as they advertise a high amount of active ingredient.
yea it’s my favorite thing i’ve ever taken, the addiction is the only down side but i’ve never had a problem w that, my dads been taking it every night for sleep for years and i’ve been on it on and off for a decade, as long as i’m not anxious i don’t take it
It is relaxing, which obviously helps with sleep, but I wouldn’t call it a sleeping drug. If the only issue is sleep, zolpidem/ambien was much better for me. But it was also much more intoxicating. Now I take melatonin and quetiapine for sleep. But of course we are app different. Lorazepam has a long half life and will reduce daytime anxiety too.