Trazodone and Dry Mouth: What Users Say (Page 3)

• qui...
• February 10, 2012

For Insomnia "Too strong! I was prescribed 50 mg trazodone for insomnia and, at even half the prescribed dose (25 mg), found the medicine TOO sedating. Found myself unable to keep my eyes open after it kicks in, but not particularly sleepy--lying awake and wishing the heavy effects would quickly wear off. Side effects were bad, especially dry mouth, vivid dreams, and a pounding headache the next day."

• Anonymous
• July 30, 2009

For Insomnia "Insomnia due to fibromyalgia! I have been prescribed trazodone for the past 6 years. Limited drowsiness in the AM (a cup of coffee helps alleviate this problem). Yes, bad breath in the morning and dry mouth, but I sleep! I am at a low dose and it still works great (75 mg). I take it with a low dose of Savella to manage my pain. Working well."

• Lol...
• February 2, 2012

For Insomnia "Took trazodone for the first time last night at 200 mg because nothing else worked, such as Ambien and Xanax. It was absolutely miserable, my mouth was extremely dry, my nose was stuffed up, and I had nausea. I couldn't even get out of bed the next day and missed work. It's 5 pm, and I am still out of it and groggy. I am having to cancel all plans tonight."

• Kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2018

For Insomnia "Be very careful with this medication. I was given it for insomnia, but after 10 minutes, I became very dizzy, with palpitations, dry mouth, and a stuffed-up nose. Within 30 minutes, I had extreme diarrhea, vomiting, and had to lay down on the bathroom floor to stop me from fainting. Later, looking on the internet, I read that it shouldn't really be mixed with other antidepressants - I take escitalopram. Let's just say the throwing up and diarrhea, etc., didn't help me sleep."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2016

For Insomnia "First two days taking 50 mg. First day taking, I took relatively earlier so it would have time to kick in, without leaving me groggy. I felt it within an hour, and it increased my libido! After two hours, the drowsiness wore off, however, I felt great and took a third of another to boost me back into a sedated sleep. Normally, I have extremely long-lasting visual dreams, but I never felt energized like I've slept. This first morning, I couldn't recall having a single dream and woke up relatively early, sleeping 8 hours. My side effects were feeling lightly hungover and numb until standing. Yes, I couldn't breathe out of my nose, and yes, my mouth became dry no matter the amount of water. 2nd night, bad headache, no sleep. Will try 25 mg tomorrow. Not looking promising."

• Jun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 21, 2021

For Insomnia "I’ve been on this med since around October 2020. It has its good and bad sides. Really bad dry mouth is like a default you need to agree to. It doesn’t get better, lol. However, it’s the only thing that has helped me achieve a natural-like sleep that doesn’t induce heavy sedation. You might feel groggy or tired throughout the day at first, but it gets better. Other than dry mouth and some tiredness, it’s pretty decent."

• Fed...
• June 10, 2016

For Depression "I have taken 50 mg of Trazodone on two non-consecutive nights and have had very severe side effects. Both nights, I recall having an extremely high heart rate, a massive headache caused by sinus pressure, it caused extreme post-nasal drip, and I had trouble swallowing because of the dry mouth. By 4:30 a.m. on the second night that I tried taking Trazodone, I took an Ativan because I was panicking because I could not sleep. Afterwards, I felt incredibly dizzy because the two medications don't mix well together. Tonight I decided I would skip the medication and see if I could sleep without it. It is 12:47 a.m., and I'm still awake. I spent a night last week in a sleep disorder lab, but I was unable to sleep there either."

• Tir...
• September 8, 2016

For Insomnia "Like so many who have posted here. Have been on Ambien for quite a while, not every night but at least 3-4 times per week. I was eventually up to 2 10 mg tabs to be able to get to sleep but only for about 2-3 hours. Doc put me on Trazodone because I requested something different. Took one 50 mg when lying in bed and ready for sleep. After about 2 hours, I finally fell asleep without its help. Slept for about 4 hours total. Strong, vivid, unpleasant dream, cotton mouth, and a hangover headache the next morning. Going back to the doc today to give him the bottle with 29 of the 30 left."

• Bar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 27, 2019

For Insomnia "I took trazodone for the 1st time last year when I got sick and developed insomnia. It worked okay. I got about 3-4 hrs of sleep, which was better than none. Dry mouth was my main side effect. I didn't have to stay on it too long as I went back to sleeping without needing meds. I'm once again sick and have developed insomnia again. I tried 50 mg last night and slept an hour. Going to try again tonight and see what happens. Don't like drugs and definitely don't want to use benzos."

• tim...
• April 13, 2010

For Insomnia "I started taking trazodone 4 weeks ago for insomnia, and now I sleep like an angel. One time I doubled up my prescription, and I woke up with a dry mouth in the night, walked upstairs to get a drink, and I dropped and smashed the glass. Without getting any water, I walked back down the stairs and went back to bed. I woke up and saw the smashed glass on the floor without having any recollection of it. But I love trazodone."

• Ash...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 30, 2021

For Insomnia "I was prescribed 50 mg once daily before bed for insomnia. The first night I took it 30 minutes before bed, but I did not last 30 minutes, as I was sedated on my bed and could hardly lift my arms. I was extremely dizzy and off-balance when I tried to stand up. I experienced one large heart palpitation when the effects kicked in. I fell asleep right after that and stayed asleep the whole night. The next night I did not experience any aid in getting to sleep when taken 30 minutes prior to bed. I moved the dosing to 2 hours before bed after that and it did regain its effectiveness, however, I woke up many times early the next morning. Some mornings after dosing I experience extreme fatigue, and some mornings I don't. It can take longer to feel fully awake while on trazodone. I was then prescribed 100 mg nightly so I could take it 30 minutes before bed again and to not wake up multiple times too early. 100 mg seems to work best for me. Dry mouth is the most prevalent unwanted side effect."

• ric...
• March 2, 2011

For Insomnia "I have been on trazodone for 3 years now in 300 mg tabs from the very start. It makes me nauseated but I am unable to do a hernia repair that was done. I also suffer from dry mouth. The medication has worked great for some time. I find it better to take it without food because it starts working within an hour. If you take it with a meal or a light snack, it takes about 2 hours to start working. So depending on when you take it, it may cause some of that groggy feeling in the morning. Recently, I have noticed it doesn't have the same effect on me. Now I have nights I can't sleep."

• Nop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2021

For Insomnia "I was prescribed Trazodone for sleep since my current Mirtazapine was causing me to gain a ton of weight. My very first dose of Trazodone gave me the experience of never taking them again. I became extremely panicky, like I was going to have a panic attack. Anxiety all night long. It definitely did not help me sleep at all. Dry mouth galore, made me extremely thirsty. I don’t like the feeling I had on this med, so I have stopped at one dose. Not worth it to continue. I’ll go back to Mirtazapine and just deal with the weight gain."

• Gub...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 9, 2021

For Sedation "I tried trazodone to help with sleep. It stuffed up my nose to the point I couldn't breathe through my nose, making sleep more difficult. When I did sleep, I woke up with a dry mouth and throat multiple times, and I woke up 3 times with my eyes so dry they hurt and ended up using eye moisturizing drops in the middle of the night multiple times. Trazodone, for me, helped get me less sleep...not more."

• Gub...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 9, 2021

For Sedation "I tried trazodone to help with sleep. It stuffed up my nose to the point I couldn't breathe through my nose, making sleep more difficult. When I did sleep, I woke up with a dry mouth and throat multiple times, and I woke up 3 times with my eyes so dry they hurt and ended up using eye moisturizing drops in the middle of the night multiple times. Trazodone, for me, helped get me less sleep...not more."

• pud...
• July 19, 2010

For Insomnia "This medication at 50 mg wasn't working well for my insomnia. It worked sometimes, but was that just fatigue from a sleepless night before? My MD increased it to 100 mg, and I started to get mean and sometimes violent with my spouse. I did not take it on a regular basis because it gave me really bad dry mouth. I do not take it anymore because of the hostility. I have read through all the threads, and only one other person had that effect. Maybe it is because I am on Lexapro for depression. He switched me to Xanax, which works, but I do not like it because it is easily addicting."

• Ebe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2016

For Insomnia "After taking 1 50 gm pill, I was awake all night with my toes and fingers burning, diarrhea, light-headed and dizzy, dry mouth, and generally a bad feeling all over. I am very sensitive to narcotics, and even after surgery, I can't tolerate them. The only meds I take are Tylenol, so there shouldn't be any interaction. This was worse than any experience I've had. This was the first time, and it will be my last. My doctor has prescribed Rameron (Auro-Mirtazapine 15 mg) as an alternative, but I am afraid to do what that will do. I know I won't try Teva-Trazodone again, no matter if I can never sleep again!"

• Mia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2021

For Insomnia "I experienced insomnia because of bad anxiety recently. I started taking Cipralex for my anxiety, the anxiety got better, but the insomnia got worse. My doctor prescribed 25-50 mg trazodone as needed, but that wasn’t enough for me. The first few nights it took me hours to fall asleep. I would take 50 mg, wait 2 hours, and then take another 50 mg and finally fall asleep. That went on for 4 nights before my doctor said I should just take the 100 mg right away, and that worked well. I’m still waking up about 4 hours after falling asleep, and then I take another 25 mg, and I’m out till morning with not too much drowsiness. I did have dry mouth, dizziness, and a stuffed nose the first night, but nothing after that. I do have vivid dreams, but I’ve always had them, so it’s nothing new or scary for me. Overall, happy with it so far, but it can be tricky finding the right dosage in my experience."

• Jas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 12, 2021

For Depression "I have been taking 50 mg of Trazodone for a couple of weeks now and had to raise it tonight to 100 mg. After around 30 minutes, my mouth is so dry and my nose feels totally blocked, so I'm breathing with my mouth open. Is this a side effect and will it go away once I take these for another few days, or should I drop back to 50 mg for a while? Anyone help?"

• JCa...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 31, 2021

For Insomnia "I've been taking trazodone for over 5 years, and it hits me the same way as when I first started taking it. I had issues staying asleep, so my doc prescribed this. I love the fact that it's not addictive. I've had my share of addiction, so my doc felt this was the safest for me. It still puts me to sleep, and I have a restful one too. I also think everyone is different, and, for some, this might not be the best resolution. At least try it, if the side effects are too much, maybe lower the dose. I was on 300 mg, now only 100 mg does the job. It's definitely been a game changer for me. My only side effect that's bothersome is dry mouth."

• Val...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2020

For Insomnia "My mouth is extremely dry, my voice is hoarse, my right fingers are numb on awakening, I already had a pinched nerve in my neck, now I get spasms in my right shoulder. I’m 70 years old and already have several ailments without adding more. I have blurred vision, which is very bad."

• sky...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 21, 2017

For Anxiety "I had been using lorazepam "as needed" to deal with early morning anxiety/insomnia for about 3 years but worried about tolerance, so I wanted to try trazodone, hoping also for help with erections (I’m 68). First night, 25 mg did not help with insomnia (in fact, made it worse) and caused brief nausea, but ZERO morning anxiety and 2 good erections. The next night, insomnia returned to baseline, no nausea or other side effects, and no anxiety, but no more erections. Continued like this for 5 more nights. Then I tried 50 mg for 3 nights. The first night, insomnia was worse but otherwise the same effects. The next 2 nights, I saw next day anxiety return, plus dry mouth, lightheadedness, weakness, and incoordination. Thinking of bailing."

• Eds...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2016

For Insomnia "My physician wanted me to try trazodone as what I was taking before for sleep (Apo-Hydroxyzine) some new studies indicated cognitive impairment over the long term. I began with a half dose (25 mg). That didn't do anything. Last night I took the full dose of 50 mg. My sleep, which was fairly decent but not as restful as when I take hydroxyzine, was LOADED with awful, disturbing dreams. I dreamt depression, sadness, violence, and at some point was crying in my sleep. I have never had this type of reaction before regarding dreams, so I'm not too impressed. Reading the side effects, I didn't have any dry mouth or anything other than that. Hydroxyzine (10 mg) provides me with a better longer overall sleep, no bad dreams."

• Jin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2021

For Insomnia "I have had sleep issues since my late 20s - I’m now 54. I had been doing well with a combination of clonidine and Xanax for years - suddenly - like overnight - insomnia was back. My doctor and I agreed this was the safest med to try for the insomnia. Knowing I’m sensitive to medication, I cut the 50 mg pill into quarters and started with 1/4 tablet. Waited about an hour and was still awake, took the other 1/4 and fell asleep. Woke a few times with very dry mouth and stomach cramps late in the night. The next morning I could not wake up even after coffee and my morning Adderall. I was “hungover” and dizzy the entire next day. While it certainly made me sleep, I was unable to do much of anything the following day until about 4 pm. Needless to say, I won’t take it again."

• 36C...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2025

For Insomnia "When I used trazodone, it worked extremely well in putting me straight to sleep. It worked fast and strong, and I felt the effects very well even when I was up and moving (as opposed to other meds that require you to be in bed). Ultimately, though, I did have a side effect that caused me to switch to something else, which is that when I took it, my nose would get really constricted (it felt like my nose hole was very small, not that there was a blockage), so it forced me to breathe through my mouth, causing my mouth to be extremely dry in the mornings. This side effect is apparently very rare, as my doctor didn't even know about it until she looked it up. I will also say that from my experience, trazodone does not mix well at all with cannabis."