So, as well as being used as an antidepressant, Trazodone is also prescribed for :. Why is trazodone used for insomnia? Well, other antidepressants are more effective when it comes to treating the symptoms of major depression but trazodone has mild sedating properties that make it beneficial for dealing with sleep disorders.
Trazodone regulates the production of serotonin and increases the availability of this feel-good chemical in the brain.
Serotonin is linked to mood. With more serotonin in the central nervous system, sleep becomes easier while symptoms of depression are mitigated. Unlike benzodiazepines, trazodone has no real addiction-causing mechanism.
The goal is to prescribe the lowest dose that gives you the required effect. A typical starting dosage is mg a day in multiple doses. This can be increased by up to 50mg every few days if necessary up to a maximum dosage of mg in divided doses.
In a hospital setting, up to mg of trazodone can be administered daily. Trazodone should not be used for individuals under Boxed warnings are the most serious warnings issued by the Food and Drug Administration. These warnings aim to alert both doctors and patients to potentially dangerous effects of drugs. These effects should go away within a week or so. If they persist or become more severe, speak with your doctor. Taking trazodone can also trigger some more serious side effects.
Seek immediate medical assistance in the event of the following:. As you can see, then, trazodone can potentially interact with a range of other medications. With all those regular side effects, how about actually overdosing on trazodone? Is this possible?
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to Trazodone or other antidepressants and is searching for an inpatient rehab facility , call us at to chat with a recovery specialist. Almost without exception, trazodone overdose occurs in a patient prescribed the drug. So, where an overdose on opioids typically occurs as a result of someone chasing a high, with trazodone overdoses are normally unintentional. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; Levine M, Ruha A-M.
Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Editorial team. Trazodone overdose. Poisonous Ingredient. Trazadone hydrochloride is the generic name of this drug. Below are symptoms of an overdose of trazodone in different parts of the body. Before Calling Emergency. Have this information ready: Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the medicine and the strength of the medicine if known Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed If the medicine was prescribed for the person.
What to Expect at the Emergency Room. Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible. Serotonin syndrome was reported in trazodone overdose with concomitant intake of other serotonergic agents [ 11 — 13 ]. Serotonin syndrome is classically described as hyperthermia, tachycardia, hypertension, altered mental status, agitation, diaphoresis, tremor, myoclonus, and hyperreflexia. Our patient confirmed that she did not take any drugs other than trazadone in her suicide attempt She did not exhibit agitation, tremor, or myoclonus, and there was also no hyperthermia on presentation until she developed aspiration pneumonia and became febrile.
She was only briefly hypotensive during her arrhythmias due to the cardiogenic shock and she did have elevated blood pressure afterwards, which could have been pre-existing prior to drug overdose. Nevertheless, we could not rule out the likelihood of serotonergic activity from acute trazodone overdose, which could possibly explain the development of seizures [ 14 ]. There have been case reports of trazodone overdose in which patients developed hyponatremia because of a syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, seizure, and cerebral edema [ 15 ].
As stated above, her seizures could have been due to serotonin syndrome, but also possibly could have resulted from acute cerebral ischemic insult from the cardiogenic shock caused by trazodone cardiotoxicity. In our case, there was evidence of an empty bottle of trazodone, and the patient also said she took the medication, which confirmed the diagnosis. The serum trazodone level could not be determined, which is a limitation of this case report.
Trazodone overdose can induce life-threatening electrophysiological abnormalities of the heart, even in those without previous cardiac comorbidity. There is no antidote for trazodone overdose, and supportive care is the mainstay of therapy.
It is important to closely monitor for rhythm disturbances and manage these accordingly. Department and Institution where work was done. Department of Internal Medicine, St. Conflict of interest. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.
Am J Case Rep. Published online Dec Find articles by Kyaw Khaing Soe. Find articles by Mark Young Lee. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Corresponding Author: Kyaw Khaing Soe, e-mail: moc. Received Sep 2; Accepted Oct This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Background: Trazodone is widely used in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
Case Report: A year-old woman presented with acute disorder of consciousness secondary to an intentional trazodone overdose. Conclusions: Fatal arrhythmias can occur in trazodone overdose. Background Depression is a major public health problem and is the leading cause of disability in the United States and worldwide [ 1 ].
Case Report The patient was a year-old woman with no known chronic illness who was brought in by ambulance for altered mentation. Open in a separate window. Figure 1. Initial electrocardiogram on presentation.
Sinus rhythm without QT prolongation. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Figure 5. Figure 6. Figure 7. Gradual PR interval prolongation with a drop beat. Wenckebach phenomenon. Figure 8. Resolution of right bundle-branch block and left anterior fascicular block. Discussion Trazodone was developed in Italy in Conclusions Trazodone overdose can induce life-threatening electrophysiological abnormalities of the heart, even in those without previous cardiac comorbidity. Conflict of interest None.
References: 1. World Health Organization Depression, Fact sheets. Mar 22, Grohol JM. Top 25 psychiatric medications for Psych Central. Last updated: 05 Jul
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