Suggest Alternate Medication For Trazodone

Posted on Wed, 14 Feb 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 Answered on

Sun, 21 Oct 2018 Last reviewed on

Question : Our Dr. retired and the new Dr. replaced my Ambien (generic) with Trazodone. I took it at 11:30 last night and was still attempting to sleep at 2:45 am. Miserable!! I took 1/2 of an Ambien (my usual dosage) and went right to sleep. Depression is not an issue for me and am thinking the Trazodone is no better XXXXXXX an over the counter Melatonin. So upset! YYYY@YYYY

Answered by Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary (22 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I do not see any reason for discontinuation of Ambient.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

First of all, I do not think ambient is a bad option provided there are no side effects and it is effective. In fact, this is one of the most commonly preferred sedatives among the elderly population as it is non-addictive and have negligible cognitive impairments.

In case there are some important reasons as per your new doctor I feel following could be an option for you which are safe and effective.

1. Low dose Quetiapine
2. Zopiclone
3. Trazodone followed by slow discontinuation of Zolpidem
4. Ramelteon

Hope I have answered your query.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Ashok Kumar,
Psychiatrist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar