Conclusion: Overall, eszopiclone and lemborexant had a favorable profile, but eszopiclone might cause substantial adverse events and safety data on lemborexant were inconclusive. Doxepin, seltorexant, and zaleplon were well tolerated, but data on efficacy and other important outcomes were scarce and do not allow firm conclusions. Many licensed drugs (including benzodiazepines, daridorexant, suvorexant, and trazodone) can be effective in the acute treatment of insomnia but are associated with poor tolerability, or information about long-term effects is not available. Melatonin, ramelteon, and non-licensed
Trazodone side effects
Across 93 first-hand reports, people mentioned a side effect 21 times (about 23 per 100 reports). The most common: drowsiness, brain fog, fatigue. User reports show what people notice — they can't tell you whether Trazodone is safe for you.
Reported side effects
drowsiness10
brain fog4
fatigue2
pssd1
emotional blunting1
weight gain1
acetyl cholinergic1
vivid dreams1
In their own words
“nothing really beats trazodone so far. Even half of one knocks me out.”
“I have taken trazadone, diphenhydramine, ambien, (which holy shit works, but has massive side effects and not a long term solution)”
“I was prescribed Trazodone for sleep and it gave me wildly vivid dreams (not fun, mostly nightmares).”
“Trazadone works for me too... the hangover/groginess is much worse for me than z drugs.”
“The brainfog turned out to be the sleeping pill I was taking (trazodone). That went away when I stopped it.”
“Things that I have tried that initially worked but now do not: 1) Trazodone”
Is Trazodone safe? What the research covers
AResearch: Strong105 meta-analyses · 165 randomized trials on PubMed
Lancet · 2022
Comparative effects of pharmacological interventions for the acute and long-term management of insomnia disorder in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysisCNS Drugs · 2024
Effects of Trazodone on Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysisConclusion: Trazodone extends total sleep time but does not affect perceived sleep duration. It may improve sleep quality and continuity but has minor effects on sleep latency, efficiency, and daytime impairment. Trazodone is associated with adverse effects, necessitating a careful risk-benefit assessment. Limited data restrict generalizability, underscoring the need for more research.