Common questions about trazodone

Serotonin and noradrenaline are chemicals in the brain that help improve your mood. When your levels of these chemicals are low, you can get depressed.

Trazodone helps increase your levels of serotonin and noradrenaline so you feel better.

In the first few days, trazodone may make you feel sleepy.

Antidepressants like trazodone help to improve your mood so you feel better.

You may notice that you sleep better and get on with people more easily because you're less anxious.

You'll hopefully be more relaxed about things that used to worry you.

Trazodone will not change your personality, it will simply help you feel like yourself again.

Do not expect to feel better overnight. Trazodone can take 1 to 2 weeks to start to work, and it can be 4 to 6 weeks before you feel the full benefit. Give the medicine at least 6 weeks to work.

Some people feel worse during the first few weeks of treatment before they begin to feel better.

During this time, some people occasionally have thoughts of harming themselves or ending their lives. If this happens to you, it's very important to get help immediately – call 999 or go to A&E.

If you need more help, you can also contact the Samaritans.

Trazodone is safe to take for a long time. There do not seem to be any lasting harmful effects from taking it for many months, or even years.

Some people need to take trazodone long term to treat depression or anxiety that keeps coming back.

If you need it and do not get side effects, there's no reason to worry about taking trazodone for a long time.

There's no evidence that trazodone is addictive. But you may get withdrawal side effects if you stop taking it suddenly.

This can cause sleep problems, leave you feeling irritable and you may sweat more than usual.

To prevent any withdrawal side effects, talk to your doctor about the best way to come off trazodone. They'll explain how to reduce your dose gradually.

Trazodone is not usually the first choice of antidepressant.

Doctors usually prescribe it when other antidepressants have not worked or have caused side effects.

Trazodone is no better or worse than other antidepressants. Some people respond better to one antidepressant than another. Trazodone is less suitable for elderly people, who may get more side effects.

Your doctor will recommend an antidepressant for you based on any other health issues you have and the medicines you have tried already.

You may find trazodone helpful if you have anxiety and problems getting to sleep, or if you're irritable and agitated.

If you are not feeling any better after 6 weeks, talk to your doctor.

Antidepressants, including trazodone, are just one of several approaches to treating depression or anxiety.

Other potential treatments for depression include:

• talking therapy (such as cognitive behavioural therapy)
• exercise programmes

Other potential treatments for anxiety include:

• talking therapy (such as cognitive behavioural therapy)
• joining a self-help group
• using relaxation techniques

Choosing a treatment that's most suitable for you depends on:

• how long you have had depression or anxiety
• your symptoms
• whether you have had depression or anxiety before
• whether previous treatment worked
• how likely you are to stick with your treatment
• the potential side effects
• your preferences and priorities

If you're interested in any of these treatments, talk to your doctor.

Trazodone may make you sleepy. Because of this, it may be a suitable medicine if you have anxiety and difficulty sleeping (insomnia).

But your doctor will not prescribe it just to help you sleep. It has not been officially approved for this.

At the moment, there's no evidence that trazodone protects against dementia.

But it's sometimes used to treat some symptoms of dementia, like irritability and agitation.

There are steps you can take that may reduce your risk of dementia.

If you're worried about getting dementia or Alzheimer's disease, or have a family history of these conditions, speak to your doctor.

Trazodone can make you feel more or less hungry than usual, so you may lose or gain weight when you start taking it.

If you start to have problems with your weight while taking trazodone, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Trazodone does not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill or emergency contraception.

Trazodone can cause problems with ejaculation. Some people say it gives them a higher sex drive, others say it makes it lower.

Rarely, men may get a painful erection that lasts a long time that is not to do with sexual activity.

If you have a long-lasting and painful erection that lasts longer than 2 hours, go to A&E straight away.

Trazodone may make you feel sleepy or less alert. Do not drive, cycle, or use tools or machinery until you know how this medicine affects you.

It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking trazodone. GOV.UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving.

You can drink alcohol while taking trazodone, but it may make you feel sleepy.

It might be best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine makes you feel.

You can eat and drink normally while taking trazodone.

However, it's a good idea to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine makes you feel.

Cannabis with trazodone can give you a fast heartbeat. Cannabis can also make drowsiness worse with trazodone, especially in people who have just started taking it.

Find out more about the side effects of some recreational drugs on the Frank website.