What is trazodone?

Trazodone is an antidepressant that belongs to a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It affects chemicals in the brain that may be unbalanced in people with depression.

Trazodone is used to treat major depressive disorder. It may help to improve your mood, appetite, and energy level as well as decrease anxiety and insomnia related to depression.

Trazodone works by helping to restore the balance of a certain natural chemical (serotonin) in the brain.

Important Information

You should not use trazodone if you are allergic to it, or if you are being treated with methylene blue injection.

Do not use this medicine if you have taken an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur. MAO inhibitors include isocarboxazid, linezolid, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, and tranylcypromine.

Some young people have thoughts about suicide when first taking an antidepressant. Your doctor will need to check your progress at regular visits while you are using trazodone. Your family or other caregivers should also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms.

Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor, such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.

Do not give this medicine to anyone younger than 18 years old without the advice of a doctor. Trazodone is not approved for use in children.

Before taking this medicine

You should not use trazodone if you are allergic to it.

Do not use trazodone if you have used an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur. MAO inhibitors include isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue injection, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine, and others.

After you stop taking trazodone, you must wait at least 14 days before you start taking an MAOI.

To make sure this medicine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• liver or kidney disease;

• heart disease, or a recent heart attack;

• a bleeding or blood clotting disorder;

• seizures or epilepsy;

• narrow-angle glaucoma;

• long QT syndrome;

• drug addiction or suicidal thoughts; or

• bipolar disorder (manic depression).

Some young people have thoughts about suicide when first taking an antidepressant. Your doctor should check your progress at regular visits. Your family or other caregivers should also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms.

Be sure your doctor knows if you also take stimulant medicine, opioid medicine, herbal products, or medicine for depression, mental illness, Parkinson's disease, migraine headaches, serious infections, or prevention of nausea and vomiting. These medicines may interact with trazodone and cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome.

Ask your doctor about taking this medicine if you are pregnant. It is not known whether trazodone will harm an unborn baby. However, you may have a relapse of depression if you stop taking your antidepressant. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant. Do not start or stop taking this medicine without your doctor's advice.

If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry to track the effects of trazodone on the baby.

It may not be safe to breast-feed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risk.

Trazodone is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.

How should I take trazodone?

Take trazodone exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose.

Take trazodone after a meal or a snack.

It may take up to 2 weeks before your symptoms improve. Keep using the medication as directed and tell your doctor if your symptoms do not improve.

You should not stop using this medicine suddenly, or you could have unpleasant symptoms (such as dizziness, vomiting, agitation, sweating, confusion, numbness, tingling, or electric shock feelings). Ask your doctor how to safely stop using this medicine.

Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of trazodone can be fatal when it is taken with alcohol, barbiturates such as phenobarbital, or sedatives such as diazepam (Valium).

Overdose symptoms may include extreme drowsiness, vomiting, penis erection that is painful or prolonged, fast or pounding heartbeat, seizure (black-out or convulsions), or breathing that slows or stops.

What should I avoid while taking trazodone?

Do not drink alcohol. Dangerous side effects or death could occur.

Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how trazodone will affect you. Your reactions could be impaired.

Avoid getting up too fast from a sitting or lying position, or you may feel dizzy.

Trazodone side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to trazodone: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop taking trazodone and call your doctor at once if you have a penis erection that is painful or lasts 6 hours or longer. This is a medical emergency and could lead to a serious condition that must be corrected with surgery.

Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor, such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.

Call your doctor at once if you have:

• fast or pounding heartbeats, fluttering in your chest, shortness of breath, and sudden dizziness (like you might pass out);

• slow heartbeats;

• unusual thoughts or behavior;

• easy bruising, unusual bleeding; or

• low levels of sodium in the body - headache, confusion, slurred speech, severe weakness, vomiting, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady.

Seek medical attention right away if you have symptoms of serotonin syndrome, such as: agitation, hallucinations, fever, sweating, shivering, fast heart rate, muscle stiffness, twitching, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Common trazodone side effects may include:

• drowsiness, dizziness, tiredness;

• swelling;

• weight loss;

• blurred vision;

• diarrhea, constipation; or

• stuffy nose.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect trazodone?

Ask your doctor before taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac, indomethacin, meloxicam, and others. Using an NSAID with trazodone may cause you to bruise or bleed easily.

Using trazodone with other drugs that make you drowsy can worsen this effect. Ask your doctor before using opioid medication, a sleeping pill, a muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety or seizures.

Tell your doctor about all your current medicines. Many drugs can interact with trazodone, especially:

• any other antidepressants;

• phenytoin;

• St. John's wort;

• tramadol;

• a diuretic or "water pill";

• medicine to treat anxiety, mood disorders, or mental illness such as schizophrenia;

• a blood thinner - warfarin, Coumadin, Jantoven; or

• migraine headache medicine - sumatriptan, Imitrex, Maxalt, Treximet, and others.

This list is not complete and many other drugs may affect trazodone. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.

Further information

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use trazodone only for the indication prescribed.

Related questions

• How long does 100mg trazodone stay in your system?