Trazodone Withdrawal Symptoms | Timeline, Taper, & Detox

The antidepressant medication trazodone (brand names Molipaxin, Desyrel, Desyrel Dividose, and Oleptro) is used to treat major depressive disorder. It is known to have effects related to mood, appetite, energy, sleep, wellbeing, and anxiety, leading to a variety of off-label uses.

Trazodone is not a controlled substance and is not considered to be addictive, especially when used as prescribed. However, because of its sedative effects, trazodone can be abused in higher doses or with other drugs to produce a relaxed drowsiness similar to alcohol intoxication.

Suddenly discontinuing the drug can cause the body to overreact in the opposite direction of the drug’s effects, leading to a wide-range of temporary but uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

Trazodone Dependence & Withdrawal

Trazodone belongs to a class of drugs known as serotonin antagonists and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs). It works by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin in the central nervous system, increasing the effects that this key neurotransmitter provides, including mood and wellbeing.

This is similar to the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), which are also commonly used as antidepressant medications.

Prolonged use or abuse of trazodone can, over time, lead to the development of physical dependence. This means you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop using it.

Symptoms Of Trazodone Withdrawal

If you stop taking your medication abruptly after a prolonged period of trazodone use you may experience withdrawal symptoms that may include: 

• agitation
• anxiety
• insomnia
• dizziness
• confusion
• headache
• irritability
• nervousness
• depressed mood
• suicidal thoughts or impulses

Note that the physical symptoms of trazodone withdrawal are not as dangerous as those of alcohol, benzodiazepine, or opioid withdrawal, which can be life-threatening.

However, as trazodone is prescribed to treat depression and other mental health disorders, these discontinuation side effects may temporarily worsen a person’s psychological symptoms, sometimes severely. 

Because of the potential for physical pain, mental distress, and suicide, healthcare providers strongly advise only stopping trazodone with close medical guidance.

Trazodone Withdrawal Timeline

The specific withdrawal symptoms you experience, their severity, and the amount of time it takes for them to improve will vary from person to person, with higher doses and more abrupt discontinuations likely causing more severe symptoms.

For some, the process of trazodone withdrawal syndrome, a form of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome (ADS), may take only a few days. 

For others, it can linger for up to four weeks or even longer. However, here is a generalized withdrawal timeline for quitting trazodone cold turkey.

1-3 Days After Last Dose

Trazodone has an elimination half-life of around 5-9 hours, meaning that it takes about this long for the body to remove half of the current dose of the medication from your system, though the drug’s effects typically wear off much sooner.

Because of this, it will likely take more than a day for trazodone withdrawal symptoms to kick in after your final dose.

These symptoms may be mild, including generalized feelings of illness, but quickly ramp up as the drug is removed from your system.

8-10 Days After Last Dose

Trazodone withdrawal symptoms may peak around one week after they first emerge, producing the worst of their physical and psychological effects.

Many have described these psychological and physical symptoms as being like a bad flu paired with exhaustion and a mental health crisis.

2-5 Weeks After Last Dose

After peaking, your withdrawal symptoms may begin to steadily improve as the body adapts and restores a more normal internal balance. And, fortunately, a shorter withdrawal period is more common than a longer one.

However, in cases of prolonged trazodone abuse or trazodone addiction, it is possible for individuals to experience especially long-lasting or recurrent psychological withdrawal symptoms known as protracted withdrawal syndrome (PAWS).

Fortunately, even in cases of PAWS (which can last for several months) these symptoms are temporary and will likely improve and resolve with time.

Tapering Trazodone

Medical professionals strongly advise that those attempting to quit trazodone do so through a process of tapering, in which your dosage is gradually reduced over 2-4 weeks or longer before being cut off entirely.

Tapering gives the body a chance to adapt to smaller and smaller doses of the drug over time, reducing the risk of severe withdrawal symptoms and sometimes even allowing participants to avoid them entirely.

Trazodone Detox

Some professional rehab centers offer medical detoxification programs for prescription drug dependence, including antidepressant withdrawal symptoms. 

These programs provide close medical support and supervision to ease participants through the effects of trazodone withdrawal in a safe, secure, and comfortable environment.

Detox is also strongly recommended as a first step in the addiction treatment process that may be followed by other inpatient or outpatient treatment options as needed.

To learn about our treatment options for prescription drug abuse and addiction, including antidepressant and poly-drug abuse, please contact us today.