Antidepressants as Sleep Aids: the Pros and Cons of Sedative Prescription Medications

Another option for insomnia, especially if you're depressed
Sleep problems can stem from many things, including depression. Researchers estimate that anywhere from 17% to 50% of all insomnia cases in young adults may be associated with the ailment.

And antidepressants are tricky: Some make you drowsy and can help you fall asleep, while others, like some selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are actually known to cause insomnia. If you suffer from depression in addition to insomnia, the right antidepressant might effectively treat both conditions. If another medication is contributing to your sleep problems, your doctor may add a sedating drug like trazodone to your regimen to counteract it.

In people without underlying depression, antidepressants have not been widely studied as sleep aids and may not work as well, if at all.

They're safe, but not without side effects
Antidepressants are safe to use long-term without fear of addiction. But because they can cause drowsiness that lasts into the next day, many patients complain of a headache or hangover-like feeling in the morning.

Sean Graham, a media relations consultant in Raleigh, N.C., isn't depressed—but he is dealing with cancer, sleep apnea, and insomnia all at once. When a new insurance company would no longer cover his monthly supply of Ambien, Graham's doctor switched him to trazodone.

"They both put me to sleep, but I do notice a difference in the morning," says Graham, 53, who has taken sleep medication regularly for years. "With trazodone, it's hard to wake up. I'm always groggy for a few hours, and at work I'm totally out of it, can't focus."

"I started setting the alarm earlier and earlier because I had to hit snooze more and more," he adds. The hangover feeling subsided once he spent a few months on the drug, but he still keeps a supply of Ambien on hand for the nights before early morning meetings.

Still, Graham doesn't want to take medication forever. Since he completed chemotherapy, he has been trying to cut back on the pills—especially on weekends—and to curb his insomnia by improving his sleep hygiene.