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Anti-Depressants to Help You Sleep

Many people suffer from insomnia, a chronic sleep disorder. You may be suffering from insomnia if you can't sleep at night, get up many times during the night or wake up still feeling tired. Insomnia can occur by itself or as a side effect of another medical problem or medication. Often, low grade antidepressants are prescribed to help insomnia patients get restful sleep.

  1. Amitriptyline

    • Amitriptyline, also know by the brand name Elavil, is a common antidepressant that can be prescribed to help with sleeping issues. Elavil was once a popular medication used to treat depression but has been widely replaced by drugs such as Cymbalta and Effexor XR. Elavil stifles your body's serotonin re-uptake, which can help you to relax. Elavil can be an ideal medication if you suffer from both nerve pain and insomnia, as the drug is also used as an alternative to narcotics for long-term pain sufferers. One side effect you may experience when using Elavil is unwanted weight gain.

    Trazodone

    • Trazodone is another traditional antidepressant turned sleep medication. Your doctor may prefer prescribing Trazodone for long-term use over a drug like Lunesta, since Trazodone is not considered a hypnotic. Hypnotics can be dangerous if used for long periods of time. Trazodone may cause nausea and drowsiness, so you should always take the medication after you are settled in the house for the night and have no plans to drive.

    Anafranil (Clomipramine)

    • Anafranil can still be used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder and depression, but is also used to treat insomnia. Anafranil has sedative qualities, so it may be a good medication to help you fall asleep. However, for unknown reasons, some patients actually have trouble sleeping after taking Anafranil, so it is important to contact your doctor if this happens. Anafranil will be prescribed to you in small doses at first and you will likely be given a higher dosage after a few weeks. It is important to follow your doctor's instructions for going off of this medication. It needs to be slowly taken out of your system. It can be harmful to stop taking Anafranil cold turkey.

    Other Ways to Fight Insomnia

    • In addition to taking your doctor-prescribed antidepressant, it is important to practice other positive steps to fight insomnia. One tip is to only drink caffeine in the morning. Stick to water and other decaffeinated beverages in the afternoon and evening hours. Get regular exercise. Even if you have health problems that prevent you from doing a hardcore work out, even a walk around the block at a leisurely pace can help you to sleep better. Attempt to reduce stress at night. Stop taking phone calls and working by a certain time and only do relaxing activities, like reading a book, before bed.

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