TrazodoneTrazodone Hydrochloride

About Trazodone

The label says trazodone’s antidepressant action is not fully understood but is thought to involve enhanced serotonin activity in the brain. Its only labeled use is major depressive disorder in adults; it is not approved for children. Treatment usually starts at 150 mg a day in divided doses, taken shortly after a meal or light snack, and can rise by 50 mg a day every three to four days, usually to no more than 400 mg a day for outpatients and 600 mg for more severely depressed inpatients, always in divided doses. If drowsiness is a problem, a larger share of the day’s dose can be taken at bedtime. MedlinePlus notes that it is sometimes used for insomnia; that use is off-label, not approved by the FDA.

The boxed warning says antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and young adults in short-term studies, so everyone taking it is watched for worsening mood or suicidal thoughts. It must not be taken with an MAO inhibitor, including linezolid or intravenous methylene blue, or within 14 days of one. It prolongs the QT interval, so it is avoided with known QT prolongation or a history of heart rhythm problems, with other drugs that prolong QT, and with CYP3A4 blockers such as itraconazole and clarithromycin. Other warnings cover serotonin syndrome, low blood pressure on standing and fainting, bleeding, mania, angle-closure glaucoma, low sodium, drowsiness that impairs driving, and symptoms when it is stopped suddenly, so the dose is lowered gradually. Untreated priapism can permanently damage erectile tissue: an erection lasting more than four hours, painful or not, means stopping the drug and getting emergency care. Swelling, blurred vision, fainting, drowsiness, tiredness, diarrhea, a stuffy nose and weight loss are the most common side effects.

Raldesy, approved in November 2024, holds 10 mg per mL and comes with a 10 mL oral syringe; each bottle is thrown away 30 days after it is first opened. A June 2025 label update addressed the risk of SIADH, a hormone imbalance behind the low sodium trazodone can cause; older adults and people taking diuretics or low on fluid are at greater risk. Trazodone can raise digoxin and phenytoin levels and change the effect of warfarin. Published studies in pregnant women over several decades have not identified a drug-associated risk of major birth defects or miscarriage, and trazodone passes into breast milk.

Taking Trazodone

How to take it

Shortly after a meal or light snack, at about the same times each day. Swallow tablets whole or broken on the score line as directed, without chewing or crushing, and measure Raldesy with its oral syringe. Do not stop it on your own.

If you miss a dose

Take it as soon as you remember, unless it is almost time for the next dose; then skip the missed dose and carry on as usual. Do not take a double dose.

Storage

At room temperature in the original, tightly closed container, protected from light, excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom), out of reach of children. Throw Raldesy away 30 days after first opening it.

Interactions to know about

Never with an MAO inhibitor or within 14 days of one. Triptans, other antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, buspirone and St. John’s wort add to the risk of serotonin syndrome; itraconazole, ketoconazole, clarithromycin and indinavir raise its levels, while rifampin, carbamazepine and phenytoin lower them. Alcohol and other sedatives add to drowsiness, aspirin, NSAIDs and warfarin add to bleeding risk, and grapefruit is worth discussing with the prescriber.

This summarizes the official prescribing information. Your prescriber’s and pharmacist’s instructions, and the leaflet that comes with your medicine, take priority.

Why the cash price for Trazodone differs from pharmacy to pharmacy

Generic trazodone tablets have many makers. Doses are split through the day, so the number of tablets depends on the strengths the prescription uses, and the 25 and 75 mg tablets are listed for a single maker.

Raldesy is priced as a brand, and each bottle is discarded 30 days after opening, so even a small daily dose can mean a new bottle each month; it cannot be swapped for tablets at the counter.

Ways to pay less for Trazodone without insurance

• Ask whether trazodone tablets are on the pharmacy’s flat-price generic list, and compare more than one pharmacy.
• Once your dose is settled, ask for a ninety-day supply of tablets.
• Ask for quotes on your daily dose as one larger tablet and as smaller ones, and have the prescription written the way that suits you.
• If Raldesy is prescribed for someone who can swallow tablets, ask the prescriber whether tablets would suit; otherwise, ask the maker about a savings program for cash payers.
• Upload the prescription to Script Unlock so licensed pharmacies can quote their cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.

Questions to ask your pharmacist about Trazodone

1. 1.Should I take most of my dose at bedtime if it makes me drowsy?
2. 2.Do any of my heart, antifungal, antibiotic or HIV medicines raise its levels or affect my heart rhythm?
3. 3.Is it safe with my other antidepressant, migraine medicine or blood thinner?
4. 4.Which symptoms, such as an erection lasting more than four hours or fainting, mean I need urgent care?

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