Mirtazapine and trazodone are two antidepressants that help patients fall asleep and improve their sleep architecture. However, mirtazapine's sedative effects are greater in the lower dose range (15 mg and below), which may not treat depression. Trazodone also has limitations.
Doxepin (Silenor)
Doctors use it to treat depression and anxiety, but it can also treat insomnia. It works by blocking histamine receptors in the brain. This helps a person stay asleep. Unlike other sleep medicines, this drug is not addictive and does not cause dependence.
In the long term, all antidepressants which show clinical efficacy improve sleep secondary to improvement of mood and daytime activity. However, in the short term, while some of them may impair sleep due to the activating effects, other may improve sleep due to the sedative properties.
Some doctors prescribe antidepressants because their patients have both depression and insomnia. Insomnia and depression often occur together, but which is the cause and which is the symptom is often unclear.
Reductions in the amount of REM sleep and increases in REM sleep onset latency are seen after taking antidepressants, both in healthy volunteers and in depressed patients. Antidepressants that increase serotonin function by blocking reuptake or by inhibiting metabolism have the greatest effect on REM sleep.
SSRIs are usually the first choice medicine for depression because they generally have fewer side effects than most other types of antidepressant.
Prozac (fluoxetine) and Wellbutrin (bupropion) are examples of “energizing” antidepressants; whereas Paxil (paroxetine) and Celexa (citalopram) tend to be more sedating. Initial choices therefore, should be predicated on how the depression presents—as outlined in #2 above.
You might experience insomnia symptoms for the first few days, weeks, or months of taking Zoloft until your body gets used to it. However, insomnia and other side effects go away on their own with time.
Benzodiazepines used for the treatment of insomnia include lorazepam (Ativan), nitrazepam (Mogadon), oxazepam (Serax), temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion) and flurazepam (Dalmane). Another drug used for insomnia is zopiclone (Imovane). This drug is similar to benzodiazepines and has similar side-effects.
Zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, Intermezzo, Zolpimist)
A sedative-hypnotic of the imidazopyridine class, zolpidem has a rapid onset and short duration of action. It is a good first choice for treatment of sleep-onset insomnia and produces no significant residual sedation in the morning.
Z-drugs and benzodiazepines
Z-drugs like zolpidem (Ambien) and zaleplon (Sonata) are commonly prescribed to help you fall asleep, especially if you don't have chronic insomnia. They can be taken as needed and usually work within an hour. Benzodiazepines are another option.
Sleep Medications
Benzodiazepine sedatives such as triazolam (Halcion), estazolam, lorazepam (Ativan), temazepam (Restoril), flurazepam, and quazepam (Doral) and non-benzodiazepine sedatives such as zolpidem (Ambien, Intermezzo), eszopiclone (Lunesta), and zaleplon (Sonata) are drugs that can help induce sleep.
Prozac (Fluoxetine)
Prozac gives people more energy than other antidepressants. That being said, it can be helpful for those with low energy. Fluoxetine treats many mental health issues, including depression, OCD, and panic disorder.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These include fluoxetine (aka Prozac), paroxetine (aka Paxil), sertraline (aka Zoloft), fluvoxamine (aka Luvox), citalopram (aka Celexa), and escitalopram (aka Lexapro). They tend to be the first line choice for multiple anxiety disorders and depression.
Antidepressants that don't make you tired
Antidepressants that are known to be best for energy include Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), and Wellbutrin (bupropion). Wellbutrin is a fairly new type of antidepressant.
Antidepressants with sleep-promoting effects include sedative antidepressants, for example doxepin, mirtazapine, trazodone, trimipramine, and agomelatine which promotes sleep not through a sedative action but through resynchronization of the circadian rhythm.
What are the most common antidepressant medications? Sertraline, also known by the brand name Zoloft, used for multiple mental health and mood disorders, is the most prescribed antidepressant dispensed to U.S.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Health care providers often start by prescribing an SSRI . These antidepressants generally cause fewer bothersome side effects and are less likely to cause problems at higher therapeutic doses than other types of antidepressants.
Sertraline reduces total sleep time and increases sleep latency, while paroxetine – the most sedating of the SSRIs and often prescribed to assist anxious patients with sleep – produces significant declines in total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and total REM time, and increases awakenings and REM latency.
You can expect to stop experiencing insomnia within the first two weeks of using the medication. If your insomnia persists after several weeks, talk to a doctor about other options. Is it better to take Lexapro at night or in the morning? You should take Lexapro according to your doctor's prescription.
Most antidepressants suppress rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is thought to be important to brain function, yet the resulting REM sleep restriction is well tolerated.