How Long Does Trazodone Last? Side Effects & Overdose Symptoms

What are the Side Effects of Trazodone?

Trazodone hydrochloride is the generic name of this drug. Brand names for trazodone include Desyrel, Desyrel Dividose, and Oleptro. It is is an FDA-approved antidepressant for treating major depressive disorders. Non-FDA-approved use induces sedation in patients with sleep problems and anxiety. Because of its serotonergic receptor antagonism and serotonin reuptake inhibiting effects, Trazodone is also used off-label for Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, substance abuse, fibromyalgia, and bulimia.   

Do not use this medicine if you have used an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could happen. MAO inhibitors include linezolid, isocarboxazid, methylene blue injection, phe nelzine, tranylcypromine, and others. Tell your doctor if you also take opioid medicine, stimulant medicine, herbal products, or medicine for mental illness, depression, Parkinson’s disease, migraine headaches, serious infections, or prevention of nausea and vomiting.

Trazodone is generally well tolerated. However, some individuals do experience side effects when taking it. The most common trazodone side effects are:

• Drowsiness or sedation
• Dizziness
• Constipation
• Blurred vision

These side effects may lessen or stop altogether once your body gets used to the medication. Trazodone’s sedating effect is so common, affecting up to 41% of users, that the drug is often prescribed for sleep issues such as insomnia. Do not engage in potentially hazardous activities, including driving, until you know how this drug affects you.

Can Trazodone Cause Serotonin Syndrome?

Certain trazodone side effects require immediate medical attention. Taking higher doses of this medication or using it in combination with other drugs that affect serotonin levels can lead to serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is a serious and potentially life-threatening illness caused by too much serotonin in the body. Symptoms of serotonin syndrome include agitation, restlessness, confusion, hallucinations, accelerated heart rate, seizures, and loss of consciousness.

Other possible dangerous trazodone side effects that require immediate medical attention include:

• Unusual bleeding or bleeding that won’t stop (an increased risk when taking other blood-thinning drugs such as anticoagulants, aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs)
• Irregular heartbeat
• Low blood pressure
• Low blood sodium (symptoms include headache, trouble concentrating, memory issues, weakness, and, in severe cases, hallucination, fainting, seizures, and coma)
• Mania or hypomania (abnormally elevated mood or irritability)
• Painful and prolonged erection of the penis for six hours or more, a condition called priapism

What are the Signs of a Trazodone Overdose?

Like all antidepressants, this prescription drug carries a black box warning. This warning cites an increased possibility of suicidal thinking or behavior in children, teens, and young adults (those under 24 years of age) when taking this drug. Call your healthcare provider or a poison control center immediately if you or a loved one have potentially overdosed on trazodone.

Symptoms of trazodone overdose may include:

• Drowsiness
• Vomiting
• Painful erection that won’t go away
• Seizures
• Slower or faster heartbeat
• Trouble breathing

Skip To:

• How Long Does Trazodone Last?
• What are the Side Effects of Trazodone?
• Can Trazodone Cause Serotonin Syndrome?
• What are the Signs of a Trazodone Overdose?
• Trazodone Addiction Statistics
• Trazodone Drug Fact Sheet
• How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System?
• How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System? Blood Test
• How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System? Urine Test
• How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System? Saliva Test
• How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System? Hair Test
• How Long Does It Take for Trazodone to Work?
• How Long Does It Take for Trazodone to Kick in?
• How Long Does It Take for Trazodone to Wear Off?
• How Long Does Trazodone Last for Sleep?
• Factors that Affect How Long Trazodone Last
• Treatment for Trazodone Abuse 

Learn More:

• Trazodone Side Effects
• Serotonin Antagonist
• Tramadol Serotonin Syndrome
• Anxiety Medication and Alcohol
• Depression Treatment
• How to Help a Friend with Depression?
• High Functioning Depression
• Connection Between Alcohol and Depression
• Prozac and Alcohol
• Lexapro Withdrawal 

210,731

Estimated number of prescriptions in the United States (2020)

Source: NCBI

5,294,364

Estimated number of patients in the United States (2020)

Source: NCBI

How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System?

If one is wondering, how long does trazodone show up on a drug test? The answer may vary depending on different factors such as the dosage of Trazodone consumed and the biological factors of the patient. Moreover, there are different tests where Trazodone can be screened.

How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System? Blood Test

A blood test is usually done when there is a suspicion that the person is still actively under the influence of a drug. Every 5-13 hours, the medication loses 50% of its concentration in the blood. Therefore, Trazodone metabolites can be traced in the blood for up to three days.

How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System? Urine Test

How long does trazodone stay in your urine? The parent drug, Trazodone, is eliminated from the body in a maximum of two days, but some of its metabolites can linger for longer. That is why urine tests can trace metabolites even 26 days after the last dose.

How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System? Saliva Test

Saliva testing can show drug use in the first few hours after administration, a time window that could be missed by urine testing. As of today, there is no study yet about how long Trazodone can stay in the saliva. However, its primary metabolite, meta-chlorophenylpiperazine, often causes false positives on amphetamines and this can be tested in the saliva for up to 3 days.

How Long Does Trazodone Stay in Your System? Hair Test

It is preferably safer to stop Trazodone, like any other medication, for about three months before going for any drug screening, as any substance one takes may remain in hair cells for up to 90 days. The standard hair drug testing offers up to a 90-day window for drug detection. However, when stopping a medication, a doctor’s medical intervention is required.

How Long Does Trazodone Last for Sleep?

When used to treat insomnia, Trazodone should be taken right before bed. When taken at the dosage given to you, it’ll help you stay asleep for a full seven to nine hours of sleep. One of the most common side effects of taking trazodone is drowsiness. How long does trazodone take to kick in? It may take 1 to 3 hours before the effect kicks in so it is normally recommended to take the drug at least 30 minutes to one hour before going to bed.

Trazodone usage can cause a decrease in sodium levels in the body, a disruption of the nervous system or serotonin syndrome. The most common side effects include drowsiness (including feeling groggy the next day) Dizziness (including an increased risk of fainting/falling)

Factors that Affect How Long Trazodone Last

Trazodone half-life is between five and 9 hours. This means it will take your body (on average) around seven hours to eliminate half of the drug.

In a healthy adult, a single dosage of Trazodone can remain in the body for one to three days. 

But this is not the same for everyone. How long does Trazodone last in your system? 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.
• Weight: Body mass and fat can affect how fast the drug metabolizes and how it’s stored in fat cells.
• 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.

Another variable to consider is the type of drug test. Read on to learn how long the medication can stay in your urine, hair, blood, and saliva.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Alcoholism and mental health disorders often co-occur. In many cases, traumatic experiences can result in a mental health disorders and substance abuse. Dual diagnosis rehabilitation treats both of these issues together. The best approach for the treatment of dual diagnosis is an integrated system. This strategy treats both the substance abuse problem and the mental disorder simultaneously. Regardless of which diagnosis (mental health or substance abuse problem) came first, long-term recovery will depend largely on the treatment for both disorders done by the same team or provider.

Medication-Assisted Treatments

Medication-Assisted Treatments (MAT) for alcohol use and mental health disorders are commonly used in conjunction with one another. This includes the use of medications and other medical procedures. During your rehab, the staff from your treatment facility will help you identify what caused your addiction and teach you skills that will help you change your behavior patterns and challenge the negative thoughts that led to your addiction. Sometimes, the pressures and problems in your life lead you to rely on substances to help you forget about them momentarily.

Contact one of our helpful treatment specialists today if you or a loved one are struggling with long-term substance abuse, Trazodone side effects, and other co-occurring mental health conditions such as depression. We Level Up NJ can provide information on dual diagnosis and detox programs.