Trazodone, sold under the trade names Desyrel and Oleptro, is a prescription medication used to treat symptoms of depression. It is also prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia and schizophrenia. How it works is not fully known, but PubMed Health states it is a serotonin modulator thought to increase serotonin levels in the brain in order to elevate mood. Although trazodone should be taken with food, grapefruit juice and alcohol should be avoided while taking this medication, as they can interfere with its actions. Other medications and nutritional supplements, including some blood thinners, antibiotics, anti-hypertensives, Ginkgo biloba and St. John's wort, can also affect its efficacy.
Alcoholic Beverages
Alcohol should be strictly avoided while taking trazodone. This medication increases the effects of alcohol. Trazodone alone can cause dizziness, decrease alertness, impair thinking and reaction time, so the added effects of alcohol can create a very dangerous situation. If dizziness occurs, Drugs.com recommends getting up slowly from a sitting or lying down position. Operating machinery and driving a car should be avoided if Trazodone is causing these side effects. Trazodone should be stored in its original container, tightly capped, at room temperature away from heat and moisture to maintain its maximum effectiveness.
Grapefruit Juice
Grapefruit juice may interfere with the action of trazodone, according to PubMed Health. It is advisable to ask the prescribing physician about eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while taking this medication. Harvard Family Health Guide explains that there are dozens of chemicals found in grapefruit juice that may be responsible for interacting with many medications by binding to an enzyme, CYP3A4, in the intestines. This blocks the enzyme and increases the absorption of the medication, quickly causing elevated levels of the medication. A single glass of grapefruit juice can cause a 47 percent drop in effectiveness of CYP3A4. More studies are needed, but tangelos and Seville oranges may also cause this effect for the same reason.
St. John's Wort and Ginkgo Biloba
The nutritional supplement St. John's wort may interfere with trazodone, according to MotherNature.com. St. John's wort is also used to treat depression and combined with trazodone may cause confusion, muscle twitching and uncoordinated movements.
Ginkgo biloba is used to improve mental function and may also interact with trazodone, and it has caused a coma in one patient. Any nutritional supplements being taken along with trazodone should be supervised by a physician.
Taking Trazodone With Food
Desyrel brand of trazodone needs to be taken on a full stomach, following a meal. The other brand, Oleptro, needs to be taken on empty stomach at bedtime, so it important to take this medication exactly as prescribed. Trazodone does not cure depression and it takes at least two weeks before any benefits are seen.
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