Description
The primary use of trazodone is the treatment of unipolar major depression with or without anxiety. Data from open and double-blind trials suggest the antidepressant efficacy of trazodone is comparable to that of amitriptyline, doxepin, and mianserin. Also, trazodone showed anxiolytic properties, low cardiotoxicity, and relatively mild side effects. Low-dose trazodone is used off-label in the treatment of insomnia and is considered to be effective and safe for this indication. It may also be used to treat antidepressant-related insomnia. Trazodone was the second-most prescribed agent for insomnia in the early 2000s.
Trazodone is usually used at a dosage of 150 to 300 mg/day for the treatment of depression.Lower doses have also been used to augment other antidepressants or when initiating therapy. Higher doses, up to 600 mg/day, have been used in more severe cases of depression (in hospitalized patients, for example). Trazodone is usually administered multiple times per day, but once-daily administration may be similarly effective. Trazodone is used at low doses in the range of 25 to 150 mg/day for insomnia. Higher doses of 200 to 600 mg/day have also been studied.
