Trazodone 25mg/5ml oral suspension
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Chemical compound, antidepressant medication
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Trazodone
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Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Trazodone
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EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
Part of the Molipaxin brand family (generic: Trazodone)
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Trazodone on the MHRA register
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
300 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICE clinical guidance(2)
Depression in adults with a chronic physical health problem: recognition and management (CG91)
Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
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Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & safety information
Official UK regulator monitoring and safety alerts
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 16 · Randomised trials: 5 · 1978–2026
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
Florence Lebert, Willy Stekke, Christine Hasenbroekx, et al.
Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 2004
- Dementia
- Neuropsychological Tests
- Personality Inventory
Xiaoyan Yi, Shifen Ni, Mohammad Rasoul Ghadami, et al.
Sleep Medicine, 2018
- Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
- Sleep
- Trazodone
Zhang X, Chen Y, Deng R, et al.
2026
- Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
- Acetamides
- Trazodone
Background and purposeInsomnia is a common symptom in depressive disorder, affecting up to 80% of those patients. Evidences suggest that sleep symptom improvements could alleviating depressive symptoms and reducing relapse. This article evaluated the efficacy of three antidepressants-agomelatine, mirtazapine, and trazodone-in treating insomnia symptoms in depressed patients, with a focus on polysomnographic (PSG) data, subjective sleep experience, improvement in depressive symptoms, and adverse drug reactions.MethodsA systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted for studies published from 1974 to August 2025; 30 studies (16 randomized controlled trials and 14 non-randomized controlled trials) were included. The primary outcomes were PSG measures; secondary outcomes included PSQI and HAMD scores, as well as adverse medication reactions.ResultsThe PSG results showed that agomelatine may not significantly change percentage N1 of sleep period time (N1%) and Latency of REM sleep (L-REM). Mirtazapine significantly increased total sleep time (TST), slow-wave sleep of sleep period time (SWS%), and sleep efficiency (SE%), while reducing percentage wake after sleep onset of sleep period time (WASO%). Trazodone notably improved TST, and SE%. For adverse effects, agomelatine was well-tolerated; mirtazapine commonly caused weight gain and sedation; and trazodone frequently led to dizziness, sedation, headache, nausea, and somnolence.ConclusionAll three medications significantly enhance subjective sleep perception and alleviate depressive symptoms. However, agomelatine may lack a definitive effect on improving objective sleep parameters in depressed patients. Future studies should involve larger, high-quality trials with unified methodologies to strengthen the reliability of conclusions.
Abstract licence: CC BY
Verrienti G, Lombardozzi G, Albergo G, et al.
2026
- Nervous System Diseases
- Trazodone
- Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation
Hameed AK, Asiri M, Fedwi MM, et al.
2026
- Trazodone
- Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation
- Depression
Glasgow-Osment B, Wahib F, Kassam S, et al.
2025
- Trazodone
- Abnormalities, Drug-Induced
- Pregnancy Outcome
Wallace B. Mendelson
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2005
- Age Factors
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- Depressive Disorder
Howard A Fink, R. MacDonald, Indulis Rutks, et al.
British Journal of Urology, 2003
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Anti-Anxiety Agents
- Trazodone
Yongliang Zheng, Tian Lv, Jingjing Wu, et al.
Scientific Reports, 2022
John M. Kane, Jeffrey A. Lieberman
PubMed, 1984
- Amitriptyline
- Amoxapine
- Anthracenes
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
181 found
Half-life
6 hours
Mechanism
The mechanism of action of trazodone is not fully understood, however, it is kno…
Food interactions
3 warnings
Human targets
7 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
63-91%
Half-life
6 hours
[A181177]…
Protein binding
89-95%
[L7483]
Volume of distribution
0.16 L/kg
Metabolism
[A987][A988]…
Elimination
1%
[L7483]…
Clearance
10.8 L/h
[A181177]…
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
[L3484]
It has been used off-label for adjunct therapy in alcohol dependence, and off-label to treat anxiety and insomnia.
[L3484]
It may also be used off-label to treat symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and fibromyalgia due to its effects on various neurotransmitter receptors.
[A31634]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1778 interactions
[L7483]
An overdose of trazodone may result in central nervous system, cardiac, respiratory effects. Signs and symptoms may include dyspnea, bradycardia, hypotension, mental status changes, lack of coordination, and coma, among others.
[L7486]
In addition, an overdose may result in priapism, a persistent unrelievable penile tissue erection that may cause permanent damage if not treated promptly.
[A181198]
No specific antidote exists for a trazodone overdose. If an overdose occurs, consider the possibility that trazodone may have been combined with other drugs.
Contact a poison control center in case of overdose for the most current management guidelines.
[L3484]
Dialysis does not accelerate trazodone clearance.
[A181177]
5-HT21c receptors, preventing serotonin uptake.[A985] In addition to acting on serotonin receptors, trazodone has been shown to inhibit serotonin transporters.[A4334][A181457] The antidepressant effects of trazodone result from the inhibition of receptor uptake, which normally decreases circulating neurotransmitters, contributing to depressive symptoms.[A181186][A175840]
A note on priapism
Trazodone has been associated with the occurrence of priapism, a painful and persistent incidence of penile tissue erection that is unrelievable and can cause permanent neurological damage if left untreated. Patients must be advised to seek immediate medical attention if priapism is suspected.[A181198][L3484]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A181204]
Food may impact absorption in a variable fashion, and may sometimes lead to decreases in the Cmax of trazodone.
[A181177][A181201]
In the fed state in 8 healthy volunteers, the Cmax was measured to be 1.47 +/- 0.16 micrograms/mL, and in the fasted state, was measured at 1.88 +/- 0.42 micrograms/mL. The average Tmax after a single dose of 300 mg was 8 hours. Food may increase absorption by up to 20%.
[L7547]
[A181177]
Another study of 8 healthy individuals taking a single dose of trazodone indicated a terminal elimination half-life of 7.3 +/- 0.8 hr.
[A181201]
A two-phase pattern of trazodone elimination has been reported. Initially, the half-life is reported to range from 3 to 6 hours and the second phase of elimination to range from 5 to 9 hours.
[L7547]
[L7483]
[A181201]
The FDA medical review of trazodone reports a volume of distribution of 0.47 to 0.84 L/kg.
[L7547]
[A987][A988]
The full metabolism of trazodone has not been well characterized.
[L7483]
Some other metabolites that have been identified are a dihydrodiol metabolite and carboxylic acid.
[A986]
[L7483]
In a pharmacokinetic study, about 60-70% of radiolabeled was excreted urine within 48 hours. Approximately 9-29% was found to be excreted in feces over a range of 60 to 100 hours.
[L7483]
According to the FDA medical review, the kidneys are responsible for 70 to 75% of trazodone excretion. About 21% of trazodone is reported to be excreted by the fecal route and 0.13% of the parent drug is eliminated in the urine as unchanged drug.
[L7547]
[A181177]
Another pharmacokinetic study determined the total body clearance of trazodone to be 5.3 +/- 0.9 L/hr in 8 healthy patients taking a single dose of trazodone.
[A181201]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:1330647 PMID:18703043 PMID:19057895 PMID:21645528 PMID:22300836 PMID:35084960 PMID:38552625
Also functions as a receptor for various drugs and psychoactive substances, including mescaline, psilocybin, 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) .
PMID:28129538 PMID:35084960
Ligand binding causes a conformation change that triggers signaling via guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) and modulates the activity of downstream effectors .
PMID:28129538 PMID:35084960
HTR2A is coupled to G(q)/G(11) G alpha proteins and activates phospholipase C-beta, releasing diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) second messengers that modulate the activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and promote the release of Ca(2+) ions from intracellular stores, respectively .
PMID:18703043 PMID:28129538 PMID:35084960
Beta-arrestin family members inhibit signaling via G proteins and mediate activation of alternative signaling pathways .
PMID:28129538 PMID:35084960
Affects neural activity, perception, cognition and mood .
PMID:18297054
Plays a role in the regulation of behavior, including responses to anxiogenic situations and psychoactive substances. Plays a role in intestinal smooth muscle contraction, and may play a role in arterial vasoconstriction (By similarity)
PMID:12970106 PMID:18703043 PMID:19057895 PMID:29398112 PMID:7895773
Also functions as a receptor for various drugs and psychoactive substances, including ergot alkaloid derivatives, 1-2,5,-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl-2-aminopropane (DOI) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) .
PMID:19057895 PMID:29398112
Ligand binding causes a conformation change that triggers signaling via guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) and modulates the activity of downstream effectors .
PMID:18703043 PMID:29398112
HTR2C is coupled to G(q)/G(11) G alpha proteins and activates phospholipase C-beta, releasing diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) second messengers that modulate the activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and promote the release of Ca(2+) ions from intracellular stores, respectively .
PMID:18703043 PMID:29398112
Beta-arrestin family members inhibit signaling via G proteins and mediate activation of alternative signaling pathways .
PMID:29398112
Regulates neuronal activity via the activation of short transient receptor potential calcium channels in the brain, and thereby modulates the activation of pro-opiomelanocortin neurons and the release of CRH that then regulates the release of corticosterone (By similarity). Plays a role in the regulation of appetite and eating behavior, responses to anxiogenic stimuli and stress (By similarity). Plays a role in insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis (By similarity)
PMID:10407194 PMID:12869649 PMID:21730057 PMID:27049939 PMID:27756841 PMID:34851672
Essential for serotonin homeostasis in the central nervous system. In the developing somatosensory cortex, acts in glutamatergic neurons to control serotonin uptake and its trophic functions accounting for proper spatial organization of cortical neurons and elaboration of sensory circuits.
In the mature cortex, acts primarily in brainstem raphe neurons to mediate serotonin uptake from the synaptic cleft back into the pre-synaptic terminal thus terminating serotonin signaling at the synapse (By similarity). Modulates mucosal serotonin levels in the gastrointestinal tract through uptake and clearance of serotonin in enterocytes. Required for enteric neurogenesis and gastrointestinal reflexes (By similarity).
Regulates blood serotonin levels by ensuring rapid high affinity uptake of serotonin from plasma to platelets, where it is further stored in dense granules via vesicular monoamine transporters and then released upon stimulation .
PMID:17506858 PMID:18317590
Mechanistically, the transport cycle starts with an outward-open conformation having Na1(+) and Cl(-) sites occupied. The binding of a second extracellular Na2(+) ion and serotonin substrate leads to structural changes to outward-occluded to inward-occluded to inward-open, where the Na2(+) ion and serotonin are released into the cytosol. Binding of intracellular K(+) ion induces conformational transitions to inward-occluded to outward-open and completes the cycle by releasing K(+) possibly together with a proton bound to Asp-98 into the extracellular compartment.
Na1(+) and Cl(-) ions remain bound throughout the transport cycle .
PMID:10407194 PMID:12869649 PMID:21730057 PMID:27049939 PMID:27756841 PMID:34851672
Additionally, displays serotonin-induced channel-like conductance for monovalent cations, mainly Na(+) ions. The channel activity is uncoupled from the transport cycle and may contribute to the membrane resting potential or excitability (By similarity)
PMID:22957663 PMID:3138543 PMID:33762731 PMID:37935376 PMID:37935377 PMID:8138923 PMID:8393041
Also functions as a receptor for various drugs and psychoactive substances .
PMID:22957663 PMID:3138543 PMID:33762731 PMID:38552625 PMID:8138923 PMID:8393041
Ligand binding causes a conformation change that triggers signaling via guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) and modulates the activity of downstream effectors, such as adenylate cyclase .
PMID:22957663 PMID:3138543 PMID:33762731 PMID:8138923 PMID:8393041
HTR1A is coupled to G(i)/G(o) G alpha proteins and mediates inhibitory neurotransmission: signaling inhibits adenylate cyclase activity and activates a phosphatidylinositol-calcium second messenger system that regulates the release of Ca(2+) ions from intracellular stores .
PMID:33762731 PMID:35610220
Beta-arrestin family members regulate signaling by mediating both receptor desensitization and resensitization processes .
PMID:18476671 PMID:20363322 PMID:20945968
Plays a role in the regulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine release and in the regulation of dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism .
PMID:18476671 PMID:20363322 PMID:20945968
Plays a role in the regulation of dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels in the brain, and thereby affects neural activity, mood and behavior .
PMID:18476671 PMID:20363322 PMID:20945968
Plays a role in the response to anxiogenic stimuli PMID:18476671 PMID:20363322 PMID:20945968
PMID:33828102 PMID:8280179
Through the H1 receptor, histamine mediates the contraction of smooth muscles and increases capillary permeability due to contraction of terminal venules. Also mediates neurotransmission in the central nervous system and thereby regulates circadian rhythms, emotional and locomotor activities as well as cognitive functions (By similarity)
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:8898203 PMID:9038218 PMID:35507548
Catalyzes the flop of phospholipids from the cytoplasmic to the exoplasmic leaflet of the apical membrane. Participates mainly to the flop of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, beta-D-glucosylceramides and sphingomyelins .
PMID:8898203
Energy-dependent efflux pump responsible for decreased drug accumulation in multidrug-resistant cells PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:9038218
ATC N06AX05
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Trazodone
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
1939
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
11748
ChemSpider
5332
BindingDB
50073444
Guide to Pharmacology
213
ZINC
ZINC000000538483
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5293
GenAtlas
HTR2A
GeneCards
HTR2A
GenBank Gene Database
S42168
GenBank Protein Database
36431
Guide to Pharmacology
6
UniProt Accession
5HT2A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5295
GenAtlas
HTR2C
GeneCards
HTR2C
GenBank Gene Database
M81778
GenBank Protein Database
338028
Guide to Pharmacology
8
UniProt Accession
5HT2C_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:11050
GenAtlas
SLC6A4
GeneCards
SLC6A4
GenBank Gene Database
X70697
GenBank Protein Database
36433
Guide to Pharmacology
928
UniProt Accession
SC6A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5286
GenAtlas
HTR1A
GeneCards
HTR1A
GenBank Gene Database
M28269
GenBank Protein Database
189928
Guide to Pharmacology
1
UniProt Accession
5HT1A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5182
GenAtlas
HRH1
GeneCards
HRH1
GenBank Gene Database
Z34897
GenBank Protein Database
510296
Guide to Pharmacology
262
UniProt Accession
HRH1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:277
GenAtlas
ADRA1A
GeneCards
ADRA1A
GenBank Gene Database
D25235
GenBank Protein Database
433201
Guide to Pharmacology
22
UniProt Accession
ADA1A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:281
GenAtlas
ADRA2A
GeneCards
ADRA2A
GenBank Gene Database
M23533
GenBank Protein Database
178196
Guide to Pharmacology
25
UniProt Accession
ADA2A_HUMAN
Guide to Pharmacology
8
UniProt Accession
5HT2C_RAT
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2638
GenAtlas
CYP3A5
GeneCards
CYP3A5
GenBank Gene Database
J04813
GenBank Protein Database
181346
Guide to Pharmacology
1338
UniProt Accession
CP3A5_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2640
GeneCards
CYP3A7
GenBank Gene Database
D00408
GenBank Protein Database
220149
UniProt Accession
CP3A7_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2625
GenAtlas
CYP2D6
GeneCards
CYP2D6
GenBank Gene Database
M20403
GenBank Protein Database
181350
Guide to Pharmacology
1329
UniProt Accession
CP2D6_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:40
GenAtlas
ABCB1
GeneCards
ABCB1
GenBank Gene Database
M14758
GenBank Protein Database
307180
Guide to Pharmacology
768
UniProt Accession
MDR1_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications:
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
ATC classifications (Wikidata)
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q411457), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. WHO INN from the World Health Organization.