Trazodone

1 medicine

Trazodone can rarely cause priapism, a persistent erection lasting more than 4 hours that needs emergency treatment to prevent permanent damage.

Desyrel

Trazodone

25/50/100mg

Desyrel is a antidepressants medication containing Trazodone, available as 25/50/100mg tablets.

from $0.43 / tablet View

Key facts

  • Trazodone is a serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI) used mainly to treat depression and, at lower doses, to help with sleep.
  • It is usually taken in the evening because it causes drowsiness; effects on mood build over several weeks, while the sedative effect is felt from the first night.
  • In men, trazodone can rarely cause priapism, a painful erection lasting more than 4 hours that is not linked to sexual activity. This is a medical emergency, since permanent damage and loss of function can occur without prompt treatment.
  • Seek urgent care for an erection lasting more than 4 hours, fainting, or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

What trazodone treats

Trazodone treats major depression, and lower doses are used off-label or as an add-on to help with insomnia. It is sometimes combined with other antidepressants when sleep remains disturbed. It is not a first-choice medicine for anxiety alone, though it may ease anxiety that accompanies depression.

How trazodone works

Trazodone blocks certain serotonin receptors and weakly blocks the reabsorption of serotonin back into nerve cells, raising serotonin activity in ways linked to mood. It also blocks histamine and alpha-adrenergic receptors, which is why it causes drowsiness and can lower blood pressure, especially on standing.

Before you take it

  • Seek emergency care for any erection lasting more than 4 hours. This can permanently damage the penis if not treated within hours.
  • Tell your prescriber about any other serotonergic medicine you take, including other antidepressants, triptans for migraine, and tramadol. Combining these with trazodone can cause serotonin syndrome, a dangerous overstimulation of serotonin activity.
  • Never combine trazodone with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI); this combination can be fatal.
  • Tell your prescriber about heart rhythm problems, liver disease, or low blood pressure, and about all other sedating medicines and alcohol, which add to trazodone's drowsiness.
  • In people under 25, antidepressants including trazodone carry a higher chance of increased suicidal thoughts, especially in the first weeks of treatment or after a dose change, so close monitoring is recommended.

Side effects

Common effects include drowsiness, dizziness on standing, dry mouth, and headache.

Stop and seek urgent medical care for any of these:

  • An erection lasting more than 4 hours (priapism).
  • Agitation, confusion, rapid heartbeat, muscle twitching, or high fever, which can signal serotonin syndrome.
  • Fainting or a fast or irregular heartbeat.
  • New or worsening suicidal thoughts, particularly in people under 25.

Safety essentials

  • Priapism is trazodone's defining risk in men: any erection lasting more than 4 hours needs emergency treatment, since permanent damage can occur even without pain.
  • Take trazodone at bedtime and avoid driving or using machinery until you know how sedated it makes you.
  • Do not combine trazodone with MAOIs, and use caution with other serotonergic drugs to avoid serotonin syndrome.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.