Trazodone/Select CYP3A4 Inhibitors that Prolong QT 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:

Serious. These medicines may interact and cause very harmful effects. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.

How the interaction occurs:

Your medicine may slow down how quickly your liver processes trazodone. Trazodone may affect your heart's rhythm. Other drugs can have the same effect.

What might happen:

The amount of trazodone in your blood may increase and cause side effects such as nausea, dizziness, confusion, low blood pressure, fainting, or an irregular heartbeat, which may be life-threatening.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:

Let your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) know that you are taking these medicines together and contact your doctor right away if you have an increase in nausea, confusion, or low blood pressure, or if you have any dizziness, fainting, or an irregular heartbeat, or muscle twitching, tremors, shivering, muscle stiffness, fever, heavy sweating, heart palpitation, restlessness, confusion, agitation, trouble with coordination, or severe diarrhea. Your doctor may want to change the dose of your trazodone.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.

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  • 2.Greenblatt DJ, von Moltke LL, Harmatz JS, Fogelman SM, Chen G, Graf JA, Mertzanis P, Byron S, Culm KE, Granda BW, Daily JP, Shader RI. Short-term exposure to low-dose ritonavir impairs clearance and enhances adverse effects of trazodone. J Clin Pharmacol 2003 Apr;43(4):414-22.
  • 3.Norvir (ritonavir) US prescribing information. Abbott Laboratories December, 2019.
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  • 9.Farkas D, Volak LP, Harmatz JS, von Moltke LL, Court MH, Greenblatt DJ. Short-term clarithromycin administration impairs clearance and enhances pharmacodynamic effects of trazodone but not of zolpidem. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2009 Jun;85(6):644-50.
  • 10.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.
  • 11.Kharasch ED, Walker A, Hoffer C, Sheffels P. Sensitivity of intravenous and oral alfentanil and pupillary miosis as minimally invasive and noninvasive probes for hepatic and first-pass CYP3A activity. J Clin Pharmacol 2005 Oct;45(10):1187-97.
  • 12.This information is based on an extract from the Certara Drug Interaction Database (DIDB) Platform, Copyright Certara 1999-2023..

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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.