Psychiatrist Questions Sleep Medicine Specialist

Can antidepressants cause insomnia?

My 17 year old son is on a very low dose of antidepressants. I want to know if antidepressants can cause insomnia?

5 Answers

Absolutely, some antidepressants and many other medications can cause insomnia. Simply adjusting the timing of taking the medications can solve the insomnia problem, for example, Wellbutrin should be taken in the am most of the time and some SSRI can cause sleep disruption if taken at night. In the same light low-dose sedating antidepressants, most commonly Trazodone can help insomnia.
It is not universal, it varies from person to person and varies with the antidepressant.
It is possible that in some people antidepressant medication may trigger some new symptoms which could include insomnia. The prescribing psychiatrist should be aware of such changes and may want to adjust the medications
Mostly all of the antidepressants can cause insomnia, except Remeron, Elavil, Tand razodone. Anti-depressants can cause opposite effects.
It depends on the antidepressant. One simple thing to try, have your son take his antidepressant first thing in the morning.