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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Budgie on September 24, 2003, at 1:29:44
Can anyone give me the relative merits of Trazadone versus Ambien? From what I hear, the former can leave you with a bit of a hangover the next day, but I'm also kind of disturbed by what I hear about people HALLUCINATING on Ambien.
Seriously, I did enough pot and psychedelics back in college to convince myself that I never want to break from reality again. I'd be scared to death if I were to take LSD again. Now obviously Ambien is not LSD. So what's the deal with these hallucinations? How strong are they? How commonly do they occur? Is it freaky? Should one be concerned about these things?
Or if anyone can recommend a nice clean, little sleep med, that'd be great.
Thanks!
Posted by Ramon Paz on September 24, 2003, at 1:32:02
In reply to Need a sleep med!, posted by Budgie on September 24, 2003, at 1:29:44
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on September 24, 2003, at 2:26:31
In reply to Need a sleep med!, posted by Budgie on September 24, 2003, at 1:29:44
During the short period of time that any of the hypnotic drugs worked for me (i.e. Elavil, Remeron, trazodone, Ambien, Sonata) I always would have the weird, disassociated, hallucinogenic experiences at first. I never found them uncomfortable at all, as I'm still very big into psychedelics (mostly the legal ones the DEA hasn't gotten ahold of yet though, and I use them primarily for therapeutic/religious reasons). The hallucinations aren't strong at all... just "strange"... like if you've ever taken a bunch of Benadryl or Dramamine and then stayed awake only to watch the floor start to melt on you? lol Kind of like that, but surprisingly relaxing.
Posted by mattdds on September 24, 2003, at 13:01:25
In reply to Need a sleep med!, posted by Budgie on September 24, 2003, at 1:29:44
Hey Chris,
How's school?
Relative benefits of Ambien vs. Trazodone?
I could try. A small disclaimer. I'm very biased toward Ambien. I feel it's a terrific drug. OTOH, I was very disillusioned with trazodone.
Ambien (benefits)
1. Very rapidly acting (10-15 mins)
2. Very effective
3. Relaxing
4. Absolutely no hangover (for me)
5. Studies have shown no evidence of tolerance or dependence
6. Short acting (so, again, no hangover)
7. No risk of priapism, as in trazodone
8. Hey, I really enjoy the weird hallucinations, they are mild and very pleasant (you feel very relaxed), but they go away after a couple days use, anyway. This is nothing to worry about. I hated pot and LSD. These "hallucinations" are really mild and pleasant. I remember being so scared about this, but they are so mild it's ridiculous how hyped they are.
9. Studies show that it actually does normalize sleep patternsAmbien (drawbacks)
1. High cost (if it's not covered on your plan)
2. More difficult to get a doctor to prescribe (some misinformed doctors associate them with benzos)
3. Better for problems with sleep initiation, but less effective for maintaining sleep (short acting). The major indication for Ambien is if you have trouble initiating sleep, but sleep fine once you get there.Trazodone (benefits)
1. Effective for some, perhaps many
2. Cheap
3. No dependence issues
4. Doctors prescribe as if they were candy
5. Longer acting (too long for me!)Trazodone (drawbacks)
1. Risk of priapism, although this is rare. Still it's scary to risk permanent damage to that organ. Priapism is an intense penile erection that does not go away for many hours, and can rupture the corpus cavernosum of the penis! Scary, but again, rare and treatable (if you get your butt to an ER, FAST!).
2. More associated with a hangover.
3. More side effects (dry mouth, speeded heart - anticholinergic stuff)
4. Many people rapidly become accustomed to the sedative effect and it stops working.That's about all I can think of. You can see my bias is pretty apparent, but I did my best to be fair. Trazodone is really good for many people. My mom loves it!
Best,
Matt
P.s. My doctor denied my request for Nardil. Bummer. Oh well, I'm feeling great anyway these days, and he gives me lots of Klonopin and Ambien!
Posted by Budgie on September 24, 2003, at 22:04:38
In reply to Ambien vs. Trazodone » Budgie, posted by mattdds on September 24, 2003, at 13:01:25
That was exactly what I was looking for. I was hoping to hear that the hallucination thing was way overblown.
Good to hear from you again Matt. You must be as busy as I am with school. But it's all going well for me. How 'bout you?
This is the end of the thread.
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