How long after taking Tramadol can I take Trazodone? 

How long after taking Tramadol can I take Trazodone? 

You need to wait for at least 12-15 hours after taking Tramadol to take Trazodone – if these meds are prescribed by your healthcare provider. 

These two medications have to be spaced out and should never be taken together because they put you at a high risk of serotonin syndrome, which is a rare but life-threatening condition. Tramadol shouldn’t be used with Trazodone in usual cases. 

Tramadol is an opioid painkiller and Trazodone is an antidepressant. Both of these medications can affect your brain chemistry and concomitant use may cause disturbing psychological adverse events (1,2). 

In case of pain, there are non-opioid painkillers that can be used along with Trazodone and other antidepressants. However, some doctors may prescribe this combination and the best time to take these two. 

The only way in which two incompatible meds can work together is by reducing the doses and by taking them at separate times. 

What are the dangers associated with the combined use of Tramadol and Trazodone? 

The concomitant use of Trazodone and Tramadol can be quite dangerous as it can trigger Serotonin syndrome. This condition occurs when there is too much serotonergic activity in your brain, which causes disturbing symptoms like:

  • Excessive sweating 
  • Fever with chills
  • Confusion
  • Restlessness and fatigue
  • Headache, which often feels like your head is pounding
  • Changes in blood pressure and/or temperature
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhoea
  • Bradycardia
  • Nightmares – common with Trazodone
  • Tremors
  • Shivering and goosebumps

What to do if you have taken Trazodone and Tramadol together?

If you have taken Trazodone and Tramadol together and you feel unwell, immediately seek medical attention. The side effects caused by this combination depend on the dosage strengths and how far apart you took these two meds. 

The most prominent side effects occur when both of them are taken at the exact same time. If you start experiencing any of the symptoms that we have just discussed, you need to reach out to your doctor right away. 

Serotonin syndrome is rare and it might not be triggered by taking Trazodone and Tramadol together once, but it does affect your body. If you continue to take these two meds together or with little gaps, you’ll continue to put your health in danger. 

Make sure you talk to your healthcare provider about using Trazodone and Tramadol on the same day and discuss how and when it’s most suitable for you to take them. 

Tramadol, in general, should not be paired with other medications that can also affect your CNS, such as benzodiazepines (alprazolam, lorazepam. etc), anticonvulsants (gabapentin), certain antidepressants, etc.

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References

1.-

MedlinePlus. Trazodone [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2022 Apr 15; cited 2023 March 2]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a681038.html

2.-

MedlinePlus. Tramadol [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2022 Apr 15; cited 2023 March 2]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a695011.html

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