Xanax and trazodone are common medications that may be used together; however, mixing them increases the risk of side effects and interactions.
If your doctor is considering prescribing you a new medicine, whether it’s a short or long-term treatment, it’s important that you’re honest with them and let them know any other substances you take currently. This can include other prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and even herbal substances.
The reason this is important is because drugs can have interactions with one another, which can range from mild to severe or even deadly. Mixing medications can also reduce their effectiveness.
What about Xanax and Trazodone? Can you take Xanax and Trazodone together?
The following provides information about Xanax and Trazodone separately from one another and then details any interactions or risks that might exist if they’re taken together.
What is Xanax?
Xanax is one of the drugs that’s most commonly prescribed to people in the U.S. It is given to help treat the symptoms of panic and anxiety disorders in adults, and while Xanax does have therapeutic benefits, it is important that people take it as instructed.
Xanax is intended to be a short-term treatment for anxiety because it is potentially habit-forming, and you can also develop a physical dependence on it.
Xanax is classified as a benzodiazepine, and while it is available by prescription, people frequently abuse this drug in order to get high or feel relaxed or sleepy. It’s extremely important to use caution with the use of Xanax, and follow your physician or pharmacist’s instructions.
Xanax has the potential to interact with other substances and drugs. For example, if you mix Xanax and narcotic painkillers, it can cause over-sedation that ultimately results in an overdose or even death. Xanax also shouldn’t be taken with many over the counter sleep aids, unless instructed by a physician and many prescription sleep aids as well.
So, what about Xanax and Trazodone? Can you take Xanax and Trazodone together, or could that create a dangerous interaction?
What Is Trazodone?
Before looking at possible interactions between Xanax and trazodone, what is trazodone?
Trazodone is an antidepressant that’s classified as a serotonin modulator. This means it regulates the levels of a certain neurotransmitter, serotonin, in the brain. It’s available as a generic drug and a brand name, and along with treating the symptoms of depression, it may also be prescribed to treat anxiety, schizophrenia, or the uncontrollable movements that occur with other medications.
In some cases, trazodone may also be prescribed to treat sleep disorders like insomnia because it helps people sleep, but it doesn’t seem to impair their brain function or thinking.
When people take trazodone, their depression may get worse before it gets better, and it’s important that people on this medicine are vigilant about noting any changes in mood when they start taking it.
There is a potential for abuse with trazodone, much like Xanax. It is possible for people to feel high if they take large doses of it, and it can also create hallucinations. However there is a risk of overdose and very serious side effects, so it’s incredibly dangerous to use trazodone recreationally.
Trazodone is known to have interactions with quite a few drugs including blood thinners, MAO inhibitors, and other antidepressants.
Can You Take Xanax and Trazodone Together?
In most cases some of the most significant risks of mixing medications or drugs with one another stem from the fact that both might impact the same area of the brain or body, and could cause side effects as a result. For example, if you take Xanax with opioid pain relievers they both slow the activity of the central nervous system. This can lead to slowed respiration, overdose or death.
Xanax and trazodone don’t impact the same pathways in the body. Xanax affects the central nervous system and trazodone impacts chemicals in the brain, so this reduces the risk of dangerous interactions with Xanax and trazodone together.
You can theoretically take Xanax and trazodone together, but you might experience heightened side effects of one or both. For example, you might experience confusion, dizziness, and coordination and concentration problems if you take Xanax and trazodone together.
Since both Xanax and trazodone have the potential for abuse, addiction and dependence, the risk of these scenarios occurring may be higher if you take both together as well.
Both Xanax and trazodone can lead to the development of physical dependence. This means that your body is dependent on them after taking them for only a short time in some cases. When you’re dependent on a drug, and you stop taking it suddenly, you have withdrawal symptoms, and they can be severe depending on the extent of your use.
Summing Up—Xanax and Trazodone
Xanax is a prescription drug used to treat symptoms of anxiety and panic disorders, while trazodone is an antidepressant that can also be prescribed for sleep disorders, and it rebalances the presence of certain chemicals in the brain.
Can you take Xanax and trazodone together? You may be able to take Xanax and trazodone together because they affect different pathways, but there can be side effects such as dizziness or a lack of concentration.
You always speak with your doctor about any medications you’re taking, and what their recommendations are for Xanax and trazodone.
The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.