Trazodone

Trazodone, commonly sold under the brand name Desyrel, is a type of antidepressant known as a serotonin modulator. Specifically, it boosts levels of serotonin—a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, in your brain that affects your mood.

Trazodone maintains healthy levels of serotonin in your brain, creating feelings of well-being, making you feel better, and improving symptoms of depression.

Trazodone is an oral medication and comes in regular and extended-release forms.

At Brightside, our psychiatric providers specialize in personalizing treatment for each person. We give you personal attention and expert advice you can count on—and explain all your options and use our expertise to find the medication that’s right for you. It’s important to make sure you understand how medications work and what to expect so that your treatment is worry-free.

If your Brightside provider prescribes trazodone, they will explain how it’s used as a treatment for depression and associated anxiety or sleep problems.

Trazodone may also be used in adults to treat general insomnia.

If you have depression, trazodone can help to improve your mood. It can also help with:

• Anxious feelings
• Appetite
• Insomnia
• Low energy levels
• Sleep changes

Making sense of different medications, their uses, benefits, and side effects can be challenging. That’s where we can help. Brightside providers have an in-depth knowledge of the strengths and drawbacks of each medication. You’ll get all the information you need to make an informed choice about your treatment.

At Brightside, we can help you in finding the right treatment to help you feel better. Many different factors influence how you respond to medication. We understand that you may have questions about taking a new medication and whether it will help you. You’re not alone—many patients have similar questions.

With trazodone, you’ll know in a relatively short time if it is working for you. The medication generally starts to take effect within one to two weeks. You’ll likely feel its full benefits within six weeks.

Before starting a new medication like trazodone, it’s important to get a comprehensive health assessment from a provider who understands your health history. You should only take trazodone if a physician or other qualified psychiatric provider prescribed it for you.

Before you start taking trazodone, you may have some questions about how long you’ll need to take this medication. The length of time you need to take trazodone will depend on your diagnosis and specific symptoms. Your provider may prescribe this medication for six months or more.

We understand you want to feel better right away, but it’s essential to give the medication time to take effect—each person is different. Your provider may need to switch doses or change or add medications to give you the best results. Remember, your Brightside provider will work with you to determine what course of treatment is best for your specific needs.

Most importantly, we recommend that you keep taking your medication until your provider says it’s time to stop—even after you start to feel better.

Studies have shown that antidepressants relieve symptoms of depression about 40-60% of the time, and additional treatments (such as therapy and lifestyle improvements) on top of medication often lead to the best outcomes.

To get the best results with medication, it’s important to consistently measure progress during treatment. This is known as Measurement Based Care, and it’s the approach we use at Brightside. It’s common to adjust the dose and/or medication when starting antidepressants until you find just the right fit.

You should know that trazodone has been used to successfully treat depression in adults for decades. However, research has linked trazodone to orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure upon standing) in older adults. Still, trazodone may be a good option for patients who have not responded well to other types of antidepressants.

Many people worry that antidepressants will alter their personality or change who they are. As long as you’re taking the right dosage, trazodone will not change your personality or blunt your emotions. Actually, it will help you feel like yourself again by improving your mood, reducing your anxiety, and helping you let go of worries.

Just remember that your symptoms won’t improve overnight. Keep taking your medication as prescribed—even when you start to feel better—and talk to your Brightside provider if you have any questions or concerns.

When prescribing any medication, our providers work to make sure you experience as few side effects as possible.

It’s important to understand that trazodone may be slightly more likely to cause unwanted, temporary side effects when compared to other antidepressants. As a result, providers may prescribe trazodone for patients who have not had success with other antidepressants.

Side effects from trazodone are usually temporary, but talk to your provider if any of these symptoms become severe or don’t go away:

• Bad taste in the mouth
• Changes in sex drive or ability
• Concentration changes or memory loss
• Confusion
• Constipation
• Coordination changes
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Dry mouth
• Feeling unsteady when walking
• Headaches
• Muscle pain
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Nervousness
• Nightmares 
• Numbness, burning or tingling in the arms, legs, hands, or feet
• Rash
• Ringing in your ears
• Sweating
• Tired, red, or itchy eyes
• Uncontrollable shaking
• Weakness or tiredness
• Weight changes or changes in appetite

In rare cases, trazodone can also cause severe side effects. Contact your provider if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Chest pain
• Fainting 
• Fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
• Loss of consciousness 
• Seizures
• Shortness of breath
• Unusual bruising or bleeding

Do not take trazodone if you take a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as phenelzine, selegiline, tranylcypromine, or isocarboxazid. MAOIs are often prescribed to treat depression, Parkinson’s disease, or bipolar disorder. Combining an MAOI with trazodone can lead to a severe reaction, including confusion, high blood pressure, and tremor.

At Brightside, your health and safety are our highest priorities. We make sure you get individual attention and guidance to make sure you feel your best.

Antidepressants are not physiologically or psychologically addictive, but they can cause a discontinuation syndrome if stopped abruptly.

The discontinuation syndrome is a consequence of abruptly stopping certain types of antidepressants and can cause a range of symptoms. These are the most common symptoms of discontinuation syndrome:

• Feeling anxious
• Feelings of vertigo
• Odd sensory symptoms, such as tingling feelings in the skin or what some people describe as a “zapping” sensation in the brain
• Trouble sleeping

Make sure to talk to your provider before stopping or changing how you take your medication so they can create a plan that gives your body enough time to adjust. This will keep you feeling well and prevent symptoms from returning.

If you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are nursing, please talk to your provider before starting or making any changes to a medication. For some, the benefits of staying on an antidepressant during pregnancy can outweigh the potential risks.

Some laboratory studies suggest trazodone could cause problems with early brain development. 

Trazodone does pass into breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about your breastfeeding questions.

Trazodone is generally considered non-addictive and is not habit-forming. However, it’s important to remember that you may still experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it suddenly. If you have concerns about taking this medication, your Brightside provider is here to give you answers. Your health and safety are our highest priority.

You can view the FDA black box warning for trazodone here. If you have questions about whether the black box warning for trazodone applies to you, please talk to your provider.