I'm taking Prazosin at night, which keeps away the nightmares and night terrors (although I still have nightmares if I nap during the day), and Lunesta, which helps me sleep. I used to take Trazadone a long time ago when they thought I was just depressed and before the new SSRIs and NSRIs (e.g., Prozac and Effexor) became available. Trazadone made me groggy during the daytime, but it did help me sleep. Do you have a Patient Advocate or ombudsman where you get your care? I agree it's dumb to take you off something that's working unless there's some good reason, like it's bad for you in some other way. PTSD doesn't just get up one day and walk out of your life, so my understanding is that the sleep disorder is likely to be more or less chronic. You have probably seen this website, but if not you might be interested: http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/index.jsp

I'm a hardcore insomniac ever since i was little, so i've been on every single sleep med out there as i got older, lol. Yeah i agree too, taking people off things that work for them is lame, unless there's a good reason.. I was taking Chloral Hydrate and it worked better than everything i've tryed in the past(but didn't work completely lol.) but i was taken off of it because people were dying in their sleep because of respiratory failure. I was on trazadone for awhile but it dindn't work on me, and i got a ton of side effects.. I've been taking Ambien for years, and now I take Ambien CR and Temazepam (Restoril), it's still kinda weak on me.. The Temazepam is in the Benzo family, but is prescribed for sleep; it works like a Benzo for me instead of helping me go to sleep, but i find it helps calm me down at night, put my mind at ease. Still, nothing's worked on me as good as the Chloral Hydrate did though.

I have difficulty with sleep. I understand that completely, but I am not on meds for it. My therapist suggests lowering caffiene, exercise, and natural herbs, like melotonin.

If you take an SSRi with trazadone you can get very serious seratonin syndrome. I was hospitalized for several days. It is very bad. I take effexor and wellbutrin for depression, and ambien and minipress for sleep. It seems to work very well. The flashbacks and waking panics have almost stopped.

Thanks for the update - I've not slept a full night nor a night without terrors in 24 years....then while in the hospital for a broken pelvis, I would have even worse night terrors due to the narcotic pain meds. I asked to speak with the in-house shrink, who started me on "Gabapentin" - initially used as an anti-seizure med, now commonly used for those diagnosed with Shingles. Studies found that it has been very useful in night terrors for PTSD - and they weren't kidding! The first night I was on the lowest dose (300mg) and slept dream free and all night!

Depending on what's going on in life, is what I take. I always take melatonin, natural sleep hormone. It often works. Sometimes an ativan with the melatonin works. Sometimes a Soma with the melatonin works. Sometimes I take melatonin, Ativan and Soma and it works. When all else fails for a while, I have a script for Restoril 30 mg. It usually works, but I have been so wired in the last year, and at times before this, that one doesn't work. I actually wait, then take another. Somehow I make myself sleep. Nothing that I take makes me feel groggy in the morning. I have tried all the herbal stuff. The only thing that worked was hops, the bitter little flakes they make beer with. Hops tea. Works every time. I just don't have any hops. Good luck.