What is the Difference Between Trazodone Dependency Versus Trazodone Addiction?
Executive Summary
- Trazodone is an addictive drug.
- Trazodone addiction is greatly minimized by pharmaceutical companies and the overall medical establishment.
Introduction
A primary method used by pharmaceutical companies, MDs, and the overall medical establishment is to minimize addiction. This article covers the gaslighting of patients and the public on the topic of Trazodone addiction.
What the Medical Establishment Says About Trazodone Addiction
Let us review the following quotation from the Recovery Village recovery center on Trazodone addiction.
While developing an addiction to trazodone may not be common, it is still possible. Usually used to treat depression and sometimes as a sleep aid, trazodone has the capability to be abused due to the calming effects it provides.
As with other medications, there is the potential for abuse with antidepressants like trazodone. Risks of antidepressants become more dangerous when they are taken in tandem with alcohol or other drugs.
For individuals prescribed trazodone to treat depression and sleep disorders, it can be easy for them to become dependent on it if the drug is abused. While trazodone is not regularly acquired illegally, it’s most commonly abused by people who are given the medication by physicians. People prescribed trazodone who abuse the drug can risk getting used to the calming feeling that taking the medication gives them.
What is the problem with this quote?
Well, Recovery Village states that Trazodone addiction only comes from those that abuse Trazodone or use it in a way not prescribed.
This is false. Trazodone, like other depressants, is addictive, even when used as prescribed. This is explained in detail in the article How Antidepressants Produce Addiction Through Altering the Neurotransmition Process. (Subscription required)
Antidepressants and Addiction
It is amusing to see false information about antidepressant addiction published online.
The following from Genesight is a good example of this.
This is listed under myths of antidepressants.
Myth: Antidepressant medication is addictive.
Bradley Gaynes, a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina, says that he’s often asked by patients whether they can become dependent on an antidepressant drug. He says the concern is understandable: many anxiety, sleep, and pain medications can be habit forming.
But he says patients shouldn’t worry. Antidepressants are not addictive.
“It’s not the case. Antidepressants just aren’t a medication you can physiologically become dependent on,” Gaynes says. “It’s not how they work.”
That is quite interesting. And quite false — but it is also the standard type of thing said by MDs that prescribe antidepressants to patients.
The Mayo Clinic on Antidepressant Dependency
Here is more pharma controlled information on “dependency” from The Mayo Clinic.
Quitting an antidepressant suddenly may cause symptoms within a day or two, such as:
Anxiety
Insomnia or vivid dreams
Headaches
Dizziness
Tiredness
Irritability
Flu-like symptoms, including achy muscles and chills
Nausea
Electric shock sensations
Return of depression symptoms
Having antidepressant withdrawal symptoms doesn’t mean you’re addicted to an antidepressant. Addiction represents harmful, long-term chemical changes in the brain. It’s characterized by intense cravings, the inability to control your use of a substance and negative consequences from that substance use. Antidepressants don’t cause these issues.
No no…of course not.
To minimize the risk of antidepressant withdrawal, talk with your doctor before you stop taking an antidepressant. Your doctor may recommend that you gradually reduce the dose of your antidepressant for several weeks or more to allow your body to adapt to the absence of the medication.
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe another antidepressant or another type of medication on a short-term basis to help ease symptoms as your body adjusts. If you’re switching from one type of antidepressant to another, your doctor may have you start taking the new one before you completely stop taking the original medication.