doxepin or trazodone

[MrFussbudget]

I didn't like trazodone when I first tried it last fall, but I'm liking it more now. It definitely helps me sleep through the night. I'm experiencing less side effects this time.

[anxietyguy]

I didn't like trazodone when I first tried it last fall, but I'm liking it more now.  It definitely helps me sleep through the night.  I'm experiencing less side effects this time.

Can I ask you how much are you taking and if you take it every night ? 
thanks !

[MrFussbudget]

I didn't like trazodone when I first tried it last fall, but I'm liking it more now.  It definitely helps me sleep through the night.  I'm experiencing less side effects this time.

Can I ask you how much are you taking and if you take it every night ? 
thanks !

[anxietyguy]

I didn't like trazodone when I first tried it last fall, but I'm liking it more now.  It definitely helps me sleep through the night.  I'm experiencing less side effects this time.

Can I ask you how much are you taking and if you take it every night ? 
thanks !

Thanks a lot for your answer.
More I read, more doubt I have. Now I found that doxepin decrease REM sleep while Trazodone increase REM sleep ! .
Also, read about that increase libido ( trazodone ) , interesting, both, in males and females.

[G.Elias]

The trazadone makes me drink a bit more water as well, take a half pint glass to bed and nearly always finish it.
I am also supposed to take 150mg but i try take 50mg at night,on a bad night 100mg, my doc wants me to take one 50mg tab late morning/early afternoon but i never have, i might try cos it might help me taper a little more off the 10mg diaz i take a day, btw, i know what those side effects are, alas i never get them, maybe its my age lol ?

[invisiblejungle]

thanks for that invisiblejungle, i can get that now, and i always thought histamines made you drowsy,maybe i thought of anti histamines ?.Now what is  5HT2C-antagonist?We could be here a long time if more terms like that are posted lol, but hey, you just taught me something new which aint no bad thing,thanks again.

lol no problem. I don't have any formal training in science. I had to learn all this stuff on my own due to dealing with health issues.

Oops, I meant to say 5HT2A-antagonists, not 5HT2C. 5HT2A antagonists are anything that block the 5HT2A receptor. It's a type of serotonin receptor (another name for serotonin is 5HT, short for 5-hydroxytryptamine). I don't know much about what 5HT2A receptors do, but blocking them is one way of inducing sleep. The only reason I know this is because the Wikipedia article for sleep medicines lists the various biochemical mechanisms that can induce sleep:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnotic   
Scroll down to the very bottom to the box that says "Hypnotics/sedatives"and click [show]

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I dont understand terms like H1-antagonist , it would be better if things were explained in a bit more simple lay mans terms, no offence as your trying to help, just no idea what things like that mean.

Antagonist = blocker.
H1 is a receptor for histamine.
Histamine is the main neurotransmitter that causes us to stay awake. So a histamine receptor blocker (H1-antagonist) blocks the effects of histamine, making us sleepy.

Thank you ! . Really well explain it.  So all the antihistamines are the same ? or doxepin is something else ?
Thanks

Well, all antihistamines "are the same" in the sense that they all block the H1-receptor. (There are several types of histamine receptors, but the word "antihistamine" usually refers to H1-receptor blockers. H2-receptor blockers are used to reduce stomach acid.)

Benadryl is probably the most well-known antihistamine, at least in the USA. Histamines cause allergic reactions, which is why anithistamines are used for allergies.


As for doxepin, it's technically classified as a tricyclic antidepresssant. But most chemical compounds have multiple effects. Check out the Wikipedia article for doxepin:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxepin#Pharmacology

The box on the right shows you all of the different types of receptors that doxepin is known to affect. It's a lot!

But... in small doses, doxepin is pretty selective for the H1-receptor. Which means that even though doxepin affects so many different types receptors, if you only take a small amount, it mostly functions as a H1-receptor blocker.

[anxietyguy]

Thanks invisiblejungle for all the information