Patient was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking Trazodone as follows:
- Discuss with your physician regarding your history of cardiac arrhythmias, if any. Trazodone has the potential to cause or enhance some underlying cardiac arrhythmias, which can be life-threatening. Some antibiotics, antihistamines, antidepressants, and antipsychotic medications also carry the risk of life-threatening arrhythmias when taken along with Trazodone. Report any episodes of chest pain, increased dizziness, racing and pounding heartbeat, and loss of consciousness while taking trazodone. Discuss with your physician regarding all your medications and their risk of causing arrhythmias with trazodone. Also, discuss with your physician regarding your history of being on trazodone, whenever you are being started on any new medications.
- Trazodone takes some time to fairly balance the chemicals in the brain, before any improvement in mood and behavior are noted. It will take about 3 – 6 weeks to see this change in mood. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the improvement with depressive symptoms immediately after taking the medication.
- Trazodone only helps with managing the depressive symptoms, by affecting the fine balance between the chemical neurotransmitters in the brain and is not a permanent cure. So, continue taking trazodone, even if your mood feels better. Discontinuing the medication abruptly can result in disruption of this chemical balance in the brain, resulting in acute onset of withdrawal symptoms of anxiety, agitation, restlessness, and trouble sleeping. Patient can also present with rebound or exacerbated depressive symptoms with abrupt discontinuation of trazodone and so, must be avoided.
