Trazedone

[tpotter]

Our LLMD wants my son to use it, and I am wary. I didn't start him on it last month, and got "talked" to . My understanding is that it's supposed to calm him down, but I was told there aren't any major side effects. My son freqently reacts to medication opposite the normal way (Benedryl makes him hyper.)

[Worried_Dad]

This is desyrel, right? Our DAN doc prescribed it "off label" for our ds's severe insomnia. It did seem to help for a while, but we had to keep upping the dose and side effects became an issue, so we stopped. When we tried it again during the next exacerbation, our ds said it made him feel extremely suicidal and we quit for good.

 

Might be worth trying at a very low dose... but, like your ds, ours always seemed to react to traditional psych meds in a way opposite to what was intended.

[kmom]

Yeah, the Dr. we share Rx'd it for me. He was gung ho about it and I was weary as I never have taken anything remotely like this. I was told stress from kids being sick is horrendously bad for my own immune system health and that along w/ the flu shot is probably what help bring out my LD symptoms. He was also concerned by how little sleep I have been living on. I used to get like 5 hrs./nt. He said I needed more rest and this was going to level off seretonin and do the trick. I decided to put the bottle to the back of the cabinet b/c I didn't want to confuse any herxing w/ Trazedone side effects. He warned me to start off slow...1/2 pill 3 days, up it to 1 for 3 days and so on till 2 full pills/nt. I started the Rx about 10 days after starting Doxy. It does make me fall asleep easily and I sleep like a log. I don't even move in the night. Dr. warned of one side effect...feeling groggy in the AM for about 30 min. Hasn't been the case so far. I actually wake up right when my little guy comes to wake me up. I usually lay there for a little but haven't felt too groggy. But, I have read other side effect. One that doesn't thrill me is that it's an appetite enhancer...not what I need now that I haven't played tennis or been running due to joint pain and low energy. I'm still super skeptical and thinking I'll switch to melatonin, valerian root or something my nutritionist mentioned. She didn't like the fact that it was a prescription drug. Me neither. I'd love to know if other LLMDs are prescribing this or just our Dr.

[tpotter]

Did he keep telling you how there are "no" really side effects? We use 5-HTP, and up the dose when needed. 5-HTP is tryptophan, which I would think does the same for the seratonin effect. Also, when my DS 15 was going into rages (he actually hasn't needed it since getting IVIG last month), we always gave him a handful or 2 of peanuts (which he HATES, and we had to fight to get him to take it.) It always stopped the rages. Peanuts are full of tryptophan, and fat which goes straight to the brain (my theory.) It has always stopped his rages within minutes!

 

I bought the trazedone, but really, really don't want to give it to him. My DS has been suicidal in the past (I suspect it was PANDAS, because it started with a really bad case of OCD), and we don't need to trigger anything now. But, I also know he's going to get on my case when we go back if we haven't tried it.

 

Do any other docs recommend it?