Prescribed With Trazodone For Sleep. What Dosage I Should Take?

Posted on Fri, 27 Sep 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 Answered on

Fri, 25 Oct 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been prescribed trazodone for sleep. I have one bottle but it is 4 yrs old can i use it? It is 100mg maybe I could cut it in half if is stronger.

Answered by Dr. Polash Sannigrahi (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Not to be taken without consultation

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thanks for your query.

Studies have shown it to cause certain serious side effects like arrhythmia, chest pain, shortness of breath/ difficulty in breathing, swelling of face & throat, hoarseness of voice, rashes, improper coordination of body/ uncontrolled shaking, dizziness, loss of consciousness, etc.
So, it should be taken only under the guidance of your Physician to prevent these unwanted side effects.
It is usually started at a lower dose & then gradually increased based on the response under constant monitoring.

Moreover, as the bottle is 4 yrs old, there are chances that that the medication might have crossed its expiry date.
Consuming such a kind of medication will increase the severity of the side effects.

So, it is advisable to visit your General Physician & take the medication under his guidance, according to the dose suggested by him after a proper clinical examination to rule out any risk factor for causation of the side effects.

Wishing you a good health.
Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad