Scared to take meds

[dodo]

I have had an awful few weeks and the dr has persuaded me to take some meds. 50mg of trazodone at night. She said it was a mild type and was given to old ladies so I should be ok and it would be calming.

However I have had bad times with anti d in the past and one if the side effects listed was cardiac arrest!!!! What the heck.

I'm now terrified to take it. Especially as I have a fear of there being something wrong with my heart.

[Geoff2301]

never read the side effects..... don't people ever learn!! If you believed all of them, you'd never take anything...... there's no way anything would be prescribed with that sort of side effect...... it must have been if the patient had a really dodgy ticker to start with surely?

[mabel]

Ive taken it. No side effects at all. The best I've taken for no side effects. The only side effect I had was that it makes you sleep!!!! So take it at night and its fab!!!! No side effects at all other than that! And I've been on all sorts of meds! I remember being nervous about taking it cos I dont like changing meds, but I had no problems what so ever with it! It sorted my sleep out!

They have to list all those side effects to cover their backs. The chances of anything going wrong are really slim! You have more chance of winning the lottery!!

[PokerFace]

Side effect lists on meds arn't a case of what's definatley going to happen. It's what could very unlikely happen, one person in the whole world could have had one symptom due to a medicine but they still have to put it on there I think.

If they prescribe it to elderly people I don't think it actually causes people to have heart attacks because they just wouldn't give it out if it was dangerous hun. There's nothing wrong with your heart anyway, you've had all the tests and have all come back perfect so you've got nothing to worry about! xx

[dodo]

Thanks for your reply. Does it make you feel out of it the next day like everyone seems to be suggesting as I gave got a child to look after and I need to be with it.

Are you still taking it? I just don't want to bed on meds forever. I presume once you stop taking it you'd problems would resurface.

[B123]

I'm taking trazodone and got freeked out by the same thing - bit i also read up on it in the BNF handbook and it says that this is referring to people Pre-existing cardiac disease.

You will be fine xxx

[dodo]

What are your experiences of it? Has it worked? How long does it take to work? Does it make you groggy?

[rooby]

hi
You will be fine, I am taking it, started on 50mg like you. It will make you sleep wonderfully and you might find it a bit hard to wake up but you will wake up and be ok through the next day.
50mg is the lowest dose you can get and if you start on this then the drowsiness will not be so bad. Eat something small when you take the pill, this helps.
I am now up to 150mg at night after a couple of months and still sleep deeply which is brilliant.
It's not just given to old ladies! I am not old, just hyper-sensitive to the ssri's like you. After having bad experiences with other meds this one is much more tolerable. I'm sure you will be ok with it and if you find you are not feeling better in a couple of weeks don't be afraid to up the dose as it really only kicks in as an antidepressant on a higher dose.
Many people who are not depressed or anxious take a low dose as a sleep aid.
The first night go to bed earlyish, set an alarm, eat a biscuit or something take your pill and lie down to sleep.
All the best

[dodo]

So I should take it when I go to bed not a few hours before? It'll be that fast acting? Is a couple of biscuits enough or a banana or something? Do they make you feel less anxious straight away or does it take a couple of weeks like the ssri? I'm not depressed so hopefully I won't need a massive dose in time. And I also font want to be on them forever as I'd like a baby. But presumibly if you stop taking them your anxiety etc comes back?

[B123]

What are your experiences of it? Has it worked? How long does it take to work? Does it make you groggy?

To be honest i feel alot happier than i did, my anxiety hasnt really calmed but i reckon thats cause i'm tiered and stressed due to my exams being just round the corner.

It has worked for sleeping purpose as soon as they set in which depends on how much you have eaten i usually take it when i'm thinking about going to bed cause i usually get really tiered from it.

The first few days I was really spaced out but this is only when i took it at night in the morning I was okay only had a slight headache.

I've been on 150mg for a month now and im feelng ... 70% better than i did, but i am also taking the beating the blues programme which is a type of CBT thearpy - which i think has also helped.

Anyways we are all different i think you should give a shot though particulary is SSRI's didnt work - they didnt for me they made me worse.

Keep us informed on your progress and any more questions just ask xxx