Question re Trazodone
Question:
So, with all this in mind I decided to try alternatives, some of which work occassionally but still leave me yearning for the Traz/Yoh therapy. I try it for a while but can’t tolerate the side effects as
I had some problems too, somewhat similar to yours. I recall one occasion when I fell down walking from the living room to the bedroom after taking the meds. Also, the racing pulse… but the uro said not to be concerned with that. Do you recall what dosages you were taking? I remember taking two of the yohimbine about 30 minutes prior to initiating sex, I believe they were 5. 6mg or some such (an odd amount), Thanks for the info!
Response:
I had some problems too, somewhat similar to yours. I recall one occasion when I fell down walking from the living room to the bedroom after taking the meds. Also, the racing pulse… but the uro said not to be concerned with that. Do you recall what dosages you were taking? I remember taking two of the yohimbine about 30 minutes prior to initiating sex, I believe they were 5. 6mg or some such (an odd amount), Thanks for the info!
I think they are 5.6mg. I was taking three a day which I think is the typical suggestion. Although it’s supposed to take several weeks of three a day medication before you see any results, I have reason to suspect that if you’re taking one a day at any time of the day, and then take one a half hour or hour before sex that it could be a big help for some men. There’s no way I’d take two at one time! As to your Uro saying not to worry about the racing pulse, well, I’d question his sanity. When my resting pulse is 70/75 and it jumps up to 100/105 throughout the day and evening that doesn’t sound too good to me. I figure my heart has "x" amount of beats during it’s life time and I don’t need to be using them up 30% faster. Also, I don’t *know* that there is a direct correlation between pulse and blood pressure but at the same time my pulse kicks into high gear my blood pressure also shoots up to unhealthy levels. I do know that heart attacks and death are counterproductive to good sex and a major contributor to E.D. :-}
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As to your Uro saying not to worry about the racing pulse, well, I’d question his sanity. When my resting pulse is 70/75 and it jumps up to 100/105 throughout the day and evening that doesn’t sound too good to me. I figure my heart has "x" amount of beats during it’s life time and I don’t need to be using them up 30% faster. Also, I don’t *know* that there is a direct correlation between pulse and blood pressure but at the same time my pulse kicks into high gear my blood pressure also shoots up to unhealthy levels. I do know that heart attacks and death are counterproductive to good sex and a major contributor to E.D. :-}
Thanks for the info. I’ll ask my internist when I see him. I haven’t used the yohimbine in some time, haven’t felt the need for it thanks to the PP mix.
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My conclusion? For a few years the combination of Traz and Yohimbine was the best treatment that I ever had. As mentioned previously, I miss it.
Why do you miss it–what made you stop? (you may have posted this previously and I missed it).
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Why do you miss it–what made you stop? (you may have posted this previously and I missed it).
I’ve probably posted bits and pieces, Norm. As I recall, it was probably because of some extremes I started experiencing – none of which were all that terrible. In no particular order… 1. I kept reading that anti-depressants should not be mixed with Yohimbine. I was 90% sure that I had no problem since I had taken it for a couple of years without causing any problem that I knew about. But, I did start becoming concerned. (I finished and came back up to add one more point which I now think was the biggest problem: I started getting a *really* bad temper which I was able to turn on and off with the Yohimbine. *That* and the racing pulse/high blood pressure problem made me decide to go off the Yohimbine. Hope all this makes sense. I’m rushing and late leaving already.) 2. The Traz started causing a real problem once we got beyond quickies. I’d lay down and have trouble keeping my eyes open unless we started foreplay immediately. She really said it was no problem. It was my male ego I guess that had a problem staying in bed with my own personal nymphomaniac and not having sex. 3. I starting backing off on the Traz a little and occassionally the pulse and blood pressure would really take off and skyrocket. A really bad experience. So, with all this in mind I decided to try alternatives, some of which work occassionally but still leave me yearning for the Traz/Yoh therapy. I try it for a while but can’t tolerate the side effects as mentioned above. For a few years, however, it was a great combination. Maybe I just got too old and the effects mutated. I’m convinced there are some people that would really benefit from the combination.
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A day later and I can expand on my previous post a little. I think you’ll find that during the day if you keep busy the Traz is just kind of hiding in the background and sleepyness will not be a problem. When you lay down and relax that’s when it nails you. A lot of my sex was quickies during the day. (Usually just one a day. That didn’t come out right.) So the sleep part wasn’t a problem until after sex if I had time to just relax. Going *way* back (memory test! memory test!)… when I went on Yohimbine I told my doc it was my "Happy Pill". I was happy because I could finally get an erection and hold it to climax. When I later added Trazadone it became my "Fun Pill" because now I could hold an erection for 45minutes to an hour. Only based on my experience now, Traz was good when in combination with Yohimbine. I think it may help to counteract some of the negative effects of Traz. My conclusion? For a few years the combination of Traz and Yohimbine was the best treatment that I ever had. As mentioned previously, I miss it. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I read that Trazadone will make you sleepy. Darned if it didn’t start putting me to sleep! So we learned!! Put him right to sleep . . . making love was like the proverbial moot point. Doc will be getting a phone call on Monday for the shots. Thanks for your reply.
Response:
I wouldn’t be so quick to judge this drug. This is an antidepressant, not Viagra here. The drowsiness you speak of usually goes away after a week or two of doses.
Obviously I can’t speak for the majority but I’ve been taking Traz for (5? 6? 7?) years – a long time – and it still makes me sleepy. I take it more to knock me out at night than I do for sex anymore. (I’m alone at night.) I’d pretty much agree with everything else you’ve noted here. It’s far from perfect for E.D. but it’s pretty good for some. In fact, I haven’t taken a whole pill during the day for the last couple of years. My girlfriend is coming over soon… hmmmm… maybe it’s time to try it again during the day. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I can’t speak as to the effect on erections, but I have seen studies saying its somewhat effective. I’d definately try it for a few more weeks (perhaps just take it at bedtime and only try it for sex after the sedative effect has worn off). Of course, you may be more confortable waiting for Viagra. I’d be more willing to try the antidepressant for a few weeks than the shots, though. By the way, all the positive studies I’ve seen on Trazodone were done on patients who had taken it for a month. Antidepressants aren’t magic pills, they usually take some time to take effect. Again, not saying that it will work, just that its too soon to tell if its working or not.
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I read that Trazadone will make you sleepy. Darned if it didn’t start putting me to sleep!
So we learned!! Put him right to sleep . . . making love was like the proverbial moot point. Doc will be getting a phone call on Monday for the shots. Thanks for your reply.
Response:
I wouldn’t be so quick to judge this drug. This is an antidepressant, not Viagra here. The drowsiness you speak of usually goes away after a week or two of doses. I can’t speak as to the effect on erections, but I have seen studies saying its somewhat effective. I’d definately try it for a few more weeks (perhaps just take it at bedtime and only try it for sex after the sedative effect has worn off). Of course, you may be more confortable waiting for Viagra. I’d be more willing to try the antidepressant for a few weeks than the shots, though. By the way, all the positive studies I’ve seen on Trazodone were done on patients who had taken it for a month. Antidepressants aren’t magic pills, they usually take some time to take effect. Again, not saying that it will work, just that its too soon to tell if its working or not.
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I ahve been on 100 trazodone for quite some time now. It was prescribed for a sleep disorder that I have. It has done nothing for me in the way of erictile functions.. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After much trepidation and anxiety, we had our first uro visit yesterday. We were both extremely pleased with the uro, as his thinking runs along the same lines as those of most of the posters here. He said that in his experience, no matter what tests he has run, the treatment was the same so he sees no reason to run tests. We (my fiance and I) both breathed a sigh of relief, as we went to the uro’s office armed with information from this group and we had decided to forego any ordered tests and just ask for the treatment. He is a very compassionate doctor who said that he treats a lot of E.D. He was kind and direct and we both felt extremely comfortable (well, I didn’t have to have the prostate exam) with him. The doc started my fiance on Trazodone as a conservative first step. He said that if the medication doesn’t work in a week, to call him and set up shot time. The instructions are to take it two to three hours before sex. We decided to go with this conservative approach for now. After the fact, we thought about how spontaneity would be destroyed by having to take the medication on a "planned" basis. My fiance took the medication last night and all it did was put him to sleep. We are planning to call the doc and ask for Caverject. My question to the group is this . . . has anyone used Trazodone with any success? What side-effects, if any, were experienced? Thanks! — "The privilege of wisdom to listen" —-Oliver Wendell Holmes
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: I have not used : it as a treatment for ED, and plan on doing a lit search to see if it has : been studied for such therapy. a quick medline search turned up 22 articles. most seemed negative about the idea. the most recent was this: Int J Impot Res 1997 Sep;9(3):163-165 Trazodone, a double blind trial for treatment of erectile dysfunction. Meinhardt W, Schmitz PI, Kropman RF, de la Fuente RB, Lycklama a Nijeholt AA, Zwartendijk J Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. OBJECTIVE: to assess the effectiveness of oral trazodone 150 mg/d for treatment of erectile dysfunction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A double-blind, placebo controlled, multicentre trial. A run-in period of two weeks was followed by four weeks of medication. Evaluation was done by patients diary, a questionnaire and Rigiscan nightly penile tumescence and rigidity (NPTR) measurements in the second and sixth week of the trial. RESULTS: 69 patients were randomised, two patients never returned for follow-up, nine patients stopped the medication due to side-effects, so 58 patients are evaluable for effect assessment. Half of the patients suffered psychogenic impotence. There was no significant difference in the subjective results of trazodone compared to placebo. Side effects occurred more often with the use of trazodone, but this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In a group of patients, that was not selected on the basis of the etiology of the erectile dysfunction, nor selected on the duration of the complaint, the efficacy of trazodone 150 mg/d, could not be shown. — sine | deb who can’t imagine how they’d stay awake along enough to *do* anything with it.
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Thanks, Deb. :) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – a quick medline search turned up 22 articles. most seemed negative about the idea. the most recent was this: Int J Impot Res 1997 Sep;9(3):163-165 Trazodone, a double blind trial for treatment of erectile dysfunction. CONCLUSION: In a group of patients, that was not selected on the basis of the etiology of the erectile dysfunction, nor selected on the duration of the complaint, the efficacy of trazodone 150 mg/d, could not be shown. — sine | deb who can’t imagine how they’d stay awake along enough to *do* anything with it.
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My question to the group is this . . . has anyone used Trazodone with any success? What side-effects, if any, were experienced? Thanks!
As someone else noted, I, too, took it in combination with Yohimbine and they worked well together for quite a while. Then, weird as it’s going to sound, I read that Trazadone will make you sleepy. Darned if it didn’t start putting me to sleep! I would love to find a combination that would do one of two things: 1. Take Yohimbine with something that would control the pulse and blood pressure rate. (I guess I really have to work up the courage to take a whole Yoh and a whole tablet of Traz together. I haven’t done that in a long while.) and, or 2. Take something reasonable that would counteract the sleep effects of Trazadone. I’ve tried various combinations but nothing that withstood the test of time. Should you try Trazadone? I think Yoh and Traz are a viable option for some but the shots may be much more practical.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After much trepidation and anxiety, we had our first uro visit yesterday. We were both extremely pleased with the uro, as his thinking runs along the same lines as those of most of the posters here. He said that in his experience, no matter what tests he has run, the treatment was the same so he sees no reason to run tests. We (my fiance and I) both breathed a sigh of relief, as we went to the uro’s office armed with information from this group and we had decided to forego any ordered tests and just ask for the treatment. He is a very compassionate doctor who said that he treats a lot of E.D. He was kind and direct and we both felt extremely comfortable (well, I didn’t have to have the prostate exam) with him. The doc started my fiance on Trazodone as a conservative first step. He said that if the medication doesn’t work in a week, to call him and set up shot time. The instructions are to take it two to three hours before sex. We decided to go with this conservative approach for now. After the fact, we thought about how spontaneity would be destroyed by having to take the medication on a "planned" basis. My fiance took the medication last night and all it did was put him to sleep. We are planning to call the doc and ask for Caverject. My question to the group is this . . . has anyone used Trazodone with any success? What side-effects, if any, were experienced? Thanks! — "The privilege of wisdom to listen" —-Oliver Wendell Holmes
The only side effect I see from Trazadone is priapism–the unrelenting painful 6 hour erection that gets so much attention when it happens after someone
injects too much, or repeats an injection (or just happens). I have not used it as a treatment for ED, and plan on doing a lit search to see if it has been studied for such therapy. Best of luck. David L. Casey, MD Denton Urology http://www.wp.com/dlcasey/urology/homeuro.htm
Response:
After much trepidation and anxiety, we had our first uro visit yesterday. We were both extremely pleased with the uro, as his thinking runs along the same lines as those of most of the posters here. He said that in his experience, no matter what tests he has run, the treatment was the same so he sees no reason to run tests. We (my fiance and I) both breathed a sigh of relief, as we went to the uro’s office armed with information from this group and we had decided to forego any ordered tests and just ask for the treatment. He is a very compassionate doctor who said that he treats a lot of E.D. He was kind and direct and we both felt extremely comfortable (well, I didn’t have to have the prostate exam) with him. The doc started my fiance on Trazodone as a conservative first step. He said that if the medication doesn’t work in a week, to call him and set up shot time. The instructions are to take it two to three hours before sex. We decided to go with this conservative approach for now. After the fact, we thought about how spontaneity would be destroyed by having to take the medication on a "planned" basis. My fiance took the medication last night and all it did was put him to sleep. We are planning to call the doc and ask for Caverject. My question to the group is this . . . has anyone used Trazodone with any success? What side-effects, if any, were experienced? Thanks! — "The privilege of wisdom to listen" —-Oliver Wendell Holmes
Response:
My question to the group is this . . . has anyone used Trazodone with any success? What side-effects, if any, were experienced?
I tried it for a while, along with yohimbine. It seemed to work well, I had very frequent erections, but as I was replacing Elavil, which I had been taking for years, with the trazadone, I got very depressed and had to quit and go back on the elavil. I believe the standard treatment is yohimbine along with the trazadone. I was taking them on a schedule (3 x per day, I believe), but then went to taking them before sex… BTW, the literature is clear that yohimine works wonders for you… if you are a male alligator! (really–that’s how they observed its effects)
