Trazodone (low dose)
Provider review requiredFor sleep — not a controlled substance, not habit-forming
Trazodone for sleep
This is an old antidepressant that, at a much lower dose than it takes to treat depression, makes people sleepy. That's the whole mechanism — at this dose it's a sleep aid, not an antidepressant.
The reason we use it rather than the familiar sleep drugs: it isn't a controlled substance and it isn't habit-forming. You don't need more of it over time, and stopping doesn't cause rebound insomnia the way the common sleeping pills can.
Take it 30–60 minutes before you want to be asleep. If you're groggy in the morning, the dose is too high — that's fixable, not a reason to stop.
It works the first night. If mornings feel heavy, we lower the dose rather than abandoning it.
What it hits — and when to take it
- TrazodoneLow-dose sedating antidepressant used off-label for sleep — not a controlled substance⏱ 30–60 min before bed
Your protocol calendar schedules this automatically once a provider approves — bedtime compounds land at night, morning compounds in the morning.