If you experienced an anxiety disorder, depression, or chronic pain, your doctor may have prescribed Trazodone to help you with your condition. The drug is also used to treat ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), Bed wetting, Bulimia Nervosa, cocaine dependency, and the depressive part of Bipolar Disorder. However, a wise patient will be aware of the side effects of Trazodone and be able to weigh the benefits of the medication against the seriousness of the side effects. While not everyone suffers from side effects, there are quite a few conditions that could occur while taking the drug that you should be aware of.
First of all, if you're taking the drug and are under the age of 24, you could experience thoughts of suicide. This is common with anti-depressant medications and you should make sure that you keep all follow-up appointments with your prescribing physician or medical practitioner. There are other serious side effects of the drug you should watch out for although they are certainly not common place. These include:
- Fainting
- Fever
- New or Increased Agitation
- Shortness of Breath
- Speech Problems
- Bloody Stools or Urine
- Unusual Bleeding or Bruising
- Swelling of Extremities
The above are the worst case scenarios and do not occur in most patients. However, the less severe side effects that you may see while taking Trazodone include:
- Blurred Vision
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Dry Mouth
- Headache
- Nausea
- Muscle Aches and Pains
- Stomach Pains
- Stuffy Nose
- Tiredness
Trazodone is considered the most sedating of the current antidepressants and the least anticholinergic. It is likely that you will see an increase in tiredness early on in your drug therapy so you may want to take your medicine at night when mental alertness is not key. Additionally, it's not wise to mix Trazodone with alcohol as it will increase its sedative powers. If you have heart disease or have suffered a previous heart attack, make your doctor aware of this before accepting a prescription for Trazodone as it may be dangerous for you to take this drug.
Keep in mind also that the effects of the medication may not be seen for up to two weeks. So, if you don't see improvement right away, do not cease treatment.
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