Selected SSRIs; SNRIs/Trazodone Interactions
This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.
Medical warning:
Moderate. These medicines may cause some risk when taken together. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.
How the interaction occurs:
When these two medicines are taken together, your body may not process your trazodone properly.
What might happen:
The blood levels of your trazodone may increase and cause toxic effects.High serotonin levels may cause changes in body temperature, blood pressure, and behavior or mood, leading to a medical condition called Serotonin Syndrome. Serotonin Syndrome may be life threatening.
What you should do about this interaction:
If you experience blurred vision, dry mouth, urinary retention, mental or mood changes, increase drowsiness, confusion, or seizures, contact your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist). Your doctor may want to adjust the dose of your medicine.Make sure your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) knows that you are taking these medicines together.If you experience muscle twitching, tremors, shivering and stiffness, fever, heavy sweating, heart palpitations, restlessness, confusion, agitation, trouble with coordination, or severe diarrhea contact your doctor right away.Your healthcare professionals may already be aware of this interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.
- 1.Preskorn SH, Beber JH, Faul JC, Hirschfeld RM. Serious adverse effects of combining fluoxetine and tricyclic antidepressants. Am J Psychiatry 1990 Apr;147(4):532.
- 2.Bergstrom RF, Peyton AL, Lemberger L. Quantification and mechanism of the fluoxetine and tricyclic antidepressant interaction. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1992 Mar;51(3):239-48.
- 3.Nisijima K, Shimizu M, Abe T, Ishiguro T. A case of serotonin syndrome induced by concomitant treatment with low-dose trazodone and amitriptyline and lithium. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 1996 Dec;11(4):289-90.
- 4.Michalets EL, Smith LK, Van Tassel ED. Torsade de pointes resulting from the addition of droperidol to an existing cytochrome P450 drug interaction. Ann Pharmacother 1998 Jul-Aug;32(7-8):761-5.
- 5.Drew BJ, Ackerman MJ, Funk M, Gibler WB, Kligfield P, Menon V, Philippides GJ, Roden DM, Zareba W. Prevention of torsade de pointes in hospital settings: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology Foundation. J Am Coll Cardiol 2010 Mar 2;55(9):934-47.
- 6.This information is based on an extract from the Certara Drug Interaction Database (DIDB) Platform, Copyright Certara 1999-2023..
- 7.US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Drug Development and Drug Interactions: Table of Substrates, Inhibitors and Inducers. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-interactions-labeling/drug-development-and- drug-interactions-table-substrates-inhibitors-and-inducers. Updated 11/14/2017.
- 8.Rotzinger S, Fang J, Baker GB. Trazodone is metabolized to m-chlorophenylpiperazine by CYP3A4 from human sources. Drug Metab Dispos 1998 Jun;26(6):572-5.
- 9.Rotzinger S, Fang J, Coutts RT, Baker GB. Human CYP2D6 and metabolism of m-chlorophenylpiperazine. Biol Psychiatry 1998 Dec 1;44(11):1185-91.
Selected from data included with permission and copyrighted by First Databank, Inc. This copyrighted material has been downloaded from a licensed data provider and is not for distribution, except as may be authorized by the applicable terms of use.
CONDITIONS OF USE: The information in this database is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals. The information is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions or adverse effects, nor should it be construed to indicate that use of a particular drug is safe, appropriate or effective for you or anyone else. A healthcare professional should be consulted before taking any drug, changing any diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment.