How long trazodone

So how long does Trazodone stay in your system? Well, it depends. There are many factors that influence how long this drug can stay in your system, including: Dosage: The higher the dose, the longer Trazodone metabolites remain in your system. Smaller doses are generally, excreted faster than larger doses. Age: Some studies show the half-life of Trazodone is longer in older adults.

Frequency of use: Taking the drug over an extended period of time means it will take longer to leave your system. Last time taken: Certain tests can detect it only after a few hours or days of taking it. Others can detect it after three months. Genetics and metabolism: These influence liver function and the enzymes that metabolize Trazodone. The Trazodone metabolites get stored in fast-growing cells, such as hair.

How long the drug is detectable for depends on the type of test administered. To summarize: Urine: Two days for the parent drug Trazodone and up to 26 days for its metabolites. Hair: Up to three months. Blood: Three days. Saliva: Between a few hours and four days. Risks Associated With Trazodone There is little evidence to suggest that trazodone is an addictive medication.

But there are some serious risks and side effects associated with Trazodone, including: Overdose: This is any dosage above mg within 24 hours. Withdrawal: A person taking Trazodone over an extended period of time can develop a tolerance.

When dosage lowers, there is also the potential of experiencing withdrawal symptoms. This includes anxiety, agitation, and sleep disturbance. Antidepressants, including trazodone, are just one of several approaches to treating depression or anxiety. 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. There's no clear evidence to suggest that taking trazodone will reduce fertility in either men or women. But speak to a pharmacist or doctor if you're trying to get pregnant. They may want to review your treatment. 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.

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. 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. Cannabis with trazodone can give you a fast heartbeat.

Cannabis can also make drowsiness worse with citalopram, especially in people who have just started taking it. Methadone can increase the risk of side effects in people taking sertraline. Talk to your doctor if you think you might use recreational drugs while taking trazodone. Page last reviewed: 13 December Next review due: 13 December Trazodone On this page About trazodone Key facts Who can and cannot take trazodone How and when to take it Side effects How to cope with side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.

About trazodone Trazodone is an antidepressant medicine that works to balance chemicals in the brain. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Doctors usually prescribe trazodone when other antidepressants have not worked or have caused side effects.

It can take 1 to 2 weeks before trazodone starts to work, but may be 4 to 6 weeks before you feel the full benefit. Trazodone can make you feel sleepy. If you take it once a day, it's best to take it in the evening or before you go to bed. If you and your doctor decide to take you off trazodone, your doctor will probably recommend reducing your dose gradually to help prevent extra side effects.

Trazodone is also called by the brand name Molipaxin. Check with your doctor before starting to take trazodone if you: have had an allergic reaction to trazodone or any other medicines in the past have had thoughts of self-harming or ending your life have recently had a heart attack or have heart, kidney or liver problems are taking sleeping tablets have epilepsy or are having electroconvulsive treatment — trazodone may increase your risk of having a seizure are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding have the rare diseases porphyria a blood disorder or phaeochromocytoma which affects the adrenal glands If you have diabetes , trazodone can make it more difficult to keep your blood sugar stable.

Speak to your doctor if your blood sugar levels are causing you concern. Your doctor may advise you to take your dose of trazodone once a day. Dosage For depression , the usual dose is mg daily. For anxiety, the usual dose is 75mg daily. Will my dose go up or down? What if I forget to take it? Never take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one. If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.

What if I take too much? Urgent advice: Call your doctor straight away if:. Common side effects Tell your doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away: feeling sleepy or tired headaches feeling sick constipation difficulty pooing a dry mouth Serious side effects Serious side effects are rare and happen in less than 1 in 1, people.

Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Visit Yellow Card for further information. What to do about: feeling sleepy or tired — take trazodone in the evening and cut down the amount of alcohol you drink.

If you take trazodone twice a day, talk to your doctor. Feeling sleepy should become less of a problem after a few days as your body gets used to the medicine. In the meantime, do not drive or use tools or machinery if you're feeling this way.

Do not drink too much alcohol. Talk to your doctor if the headaches last longer than a week or are severe. It's best to avoid rich or spicy food while you're taking this medicine. Trazodone was first approved as an antidepressant by the Food and Drug Administration in A handful of studies have shown that trazodone may improve sleep during the first two weeks of treatment. As a result, little is known about how well it works or how safe it is past that point for the treatment of chronic insomnia.

Updated treatment guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine published in recommend that doctors turn first to cognitive behavioral therapy CBT before drugs for most people suffering from insomnia. The American College of Physicians also does not recommend trazodone in its insomnia treatment guidelines. Still, prescribing data suggests that some doctors remain convinced that trazodone is an appropriate sleep medication for many people, even those without depression.

As a result, doctors can prescribe trazodone without a limit on how many pills a patient can receive. And perhaps because trazodone is unlikely to cause dependence, the high levels of prescribing suggests that many physicians may believe trazodone is safer than other frequently prescribed sleep medications.

But there are no studies that confirm this. Other drugs approved to treat insomnia can impair your ability to recall new experiences and may even—although rarely—cause you to walk, eat, have sex, or drive a car while essentially unconscious.

It appears to be more likely than other sleep drugs to leave you feeling drowsy the next day , which increases the chance of having an accident, particularly while driving or using heavy machinery. It can also cause abnormally low blood pressure and, in turn, trigger dizziness or even fainting, particularly in seniors, which can increase the risk of falling.

A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that seniors with dementia who were given trazodone as a sleep aid were as likely to fall as seniors given antipsychotics, other drugs that can cause sedation. Trazodone can also cause heart rhythm disorders. And some evidence suggests that it can cause priapism, or persistent erection, a medical emergency that may require surgery and can lead to impotence if not treated promptly.

And a black box warning in the package insert PDF notes that trazodone, like other antidepressants, can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and adolescents, even when taken at approved doses for depression. For the average person who has occasional bouts of insomnia, making certain lifestyle changes may help the most, including avoiding big meals, alcohol, smoking, and exercising late at night, and working or watching TV in bed.

In addition, drugs such as diphenhydramine can cause dependence when taken for longer than directed usually two weeks , and they have other risks, such as constipation, confusion, dizziness , and next-day drowsiness. If your insomnia lasts longer than a few nights, see your doctor to determine whether other factors, such as pain, heartburn, hot flashes, and drug side effects, could be disturbing your sleep.

If these are ruled out—or if your insomnia persists despite treatment of the underlying problems—you can try nondrug sleep treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, which appear to yield better and more lasting results than any sleep medications. If your doctor recommends sleeping pills for more than a temporary bout of insomnia without mentioning nondrug therapy, ask about these options yourself. For more on such treatment, see our latest tips on how to treat insomnia.