What Happens if You Mix Trazodone and Alcohol?

Q: How Does Trazodone React with Alcohol?

Trazodone and alcohol can react in three different ways, affecting brain chemicals such as serotonin, GABA, and dopamine. Both increase the activity of serotonin and GABA, while having opposite effects on dopamine. These interactions can result in extreme sedation, declined cognitive functioning, impaired judgment, and lack of motivation.

Q: Can Trazodone and Alcohol Kill You?

Yes, mixing trazodone and alcohol can lead to extreme sedation, cognitive impairment, and blackouts. If not addressed promptly, it could result in serious health risks, including the potential to pass out due to the enhanced brain depression caused by the combination.

Q: What Should Trazodone Not Mix With?

Trazodone is a depressant, and mixing it with other depressants or drugs that interact negatively can lead to emergencies. Substances such as benzodiazepines, anticoagulants, warfarin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and aspirin should not be mixed with trazodone.

Q: Can You Mix Trazodone and Alcohol?

No, you should not mix trazodone and alcohol as they are both central nervous system depressants. Combining them can exacerbate depression symptoms and lead to serious situations, including increased sedation and cognitive impairment.

Mixing trazodone and alcohol can lead to elevated depression, cardiovascular changes, digestive issues, and overdose risk. Both of them are central nervous system depressants, and the combination of depressants can adversely affect your health. Therefore, one should not drink alcohol while taking a trazodone prescription to avoid alcohol and Trazadone interaction that can cause changes in your brain.

Do you want a safe space to get alcohol out of your system and treat your underlying depression issues simultaneously? ChoicePoint is a top-rated drug and alcohol rehab in New Jersey, accepting Medicaid & Medicare, and other commercial insurance programs. Call today, and let us help you start your road to recovery.

Table of Contents

Why Mixing Trazodone and Alcohol Is Not Recommended?

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, and so is trazodone. Mixing the two amplifies the effect of each other, which dampens the central nervous system. This trazodone and alcohol interaction can change the activities of at least three brain chemicals – (neurotransmitters), leaving a range of side effects.

Take a look at the table to understand how changing the behavior of these chemicals impacts your functioning.

Affected Neurotransmitter	Result of Trazadone and Alcohol Interaction
Serotonin	Both alcohol and Trazadone increase serotonin significantly level, which can lead to *Impaired judgment* *Declined cognitive skills*
GABA-the calming chemical	Taking alcohol and Trazadone significantly increases the activity of GABA *Extreme sedation* *Anxiety*
Dopamine– the rewarding chemical	Trazadone decreases the activity of dopamine in the brain, whereas alcohol increases it, leading to: *Feelings of disinterest* *Lack of motivation*.

The side effects of alcohol and Trazadone do not stop here. Long-term use of the two can adversely affect your physical and mental health.

How Does Trazodone Work?

Trazodone is an FDA-approved antidepressant. It increases the levels of mood regulator chemicals in your brain – serotonin. Trazodone blocks certain chemicals from binding to serotonin, allowing serotonin to facilitate brain communication for improving depressive symptoms such as:

Loss of appetite
Feelings of sadness
Suicidal thoughts
Poor sleep patterns
Anxiety

Side Effects Of Trazadone

Trazadone comes with an FDA black box warning, which means although doctors can prescribe it, it still has certain risks.

Overlooking your trazodone prescription can cause the following severe effects:

Difficulty sleeping
Cloudy vision
Tiredness
Diarrhea
Loss of weight
Continuous episodes of headache
Losing focus
Losing balance and coordination

However, taking trazodone according to the prescription can help you avoid these side effects. ChoicePoint is offering an IOP in NJ for addiction and mental health. Get admitted today.

IOP Alcohol and Drug

5 Common Potential Risks of Taking Trazodone and Alcohol

An alcohol-trazodone combination can lead you to serious situations that can cost you your life if not dealt with on time. Here are some of those side effects:

1. Abdominal Problems

Trazodone and alcohol do affect your digestive system. When you take them together, their effect on the digestive system becomes worse, causing nausea and vomiting. If not treated on time, this can develop into an eating disorder.

2. Road Accidents

Since Trazadone and alcohol are depressants, they slow down brain activity. As a result, your ability to think and make decisions is reduced. It can even give false confidence, often resulting in car accidents.

This is one reason why statistics reveal that 37 people in the United States die every day due to car crashes resulting from drink and drive situations.

3. Serotonin Syndrome

Besides a decline in judgment and cognitive functions, a persistent increase in serotonin activity as a result of side effects of trazodone and alcohol can result in serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome leads to:

Sweating
Flushed skin
Restlessness
Muscle twitching
Muscle Tightness
Problems in heart rate
Tremors
Seizures
Coma

4. Elevated Depression- Like Symptoms

Since alcohol changes the chemical balance of the brain, the likelihood of alleviation of depression becomes impossible. Increased sedation as a result of alcohol and Trazadone interaction can deepen your depressive symptoms, causing:

Agitation
Confusion
Hopelessness

5. Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

The long-term use of alcohol and trazodone can make you dependent on the combination. Quitting it can lead to alcohol withdrawal syndrome – a condition that manifests as:

Agitation
Sweating
Increase pulse rate
Elevated body temperature
Seizures (in worst case)

If you experience any one or more of these symptoms, it’s essential to reach out to outpatient alcohol rehab in NJ and get the support you need right away.

Paige, a registered Nurse at ChoicePoint was generous to share one of her patient’s stories, in their words, about the effects of polysubstance abuse, “I had been taking Trazodone for past 6 months. I had a bad history of alcohol abuse, so my doctor strictly prohibited me from drinking while on Trazadone. I was doing all good until last night when my friends literally challenged me to drink. I am ashamed to admit that I drank a lot of alcohol and also took Trazodone before going to bed. I woke up within four hours with racing thoughts, dizziness, and feelings of panic attack”.

Please note this assessment is an initial self-screening, and it is not meant to be a medical assessment or clinical diagnosis of addiction. For proper diagnosis and treatment, schedule an appointment with ChoicePoint.

Can You Overdose On Trazodone and Alcohol?

Trazadone alone rarely results in an overdose. But, consuming excess amounts of alcohol or combining it with drugs can lead to intoxication and an overdose. Some of the signs of drug overdose and alcohol overdose are:

Drowsiness
Low body temperatures
Tremors and seizures
Breathing issues
Blackouts

So, it’s best always to avoid alcohol when you are on trazodone or any other medication. But, if you think you or your loved one have intentionally and unintentionally taken them together, seek immediate help. Call 911 in case of severe trazodone and alcohol overdose symptoms.

Find Your Way Towards Recovery; ChoicePoint New Jersey Rehab

If you are suffering from a depression disorder and abusing alcohol as well, in that case, ChoicePoint is a dual diagnosis treatment center in NJ offering all levels of care: Medically assisted rapid and painless detox, Outpatient detox program, IOP in NJ, partial hospitalization program in NJ, and Online behavioral therapists to deal with both mental health and alcohol use disorder.

We work all seven days of the week to provide quality care and make your recovery as comfortable as possible. We also accept major insurance that will cover the cost of detox and therapy for you so you can focus on your recovery only. Here are the examples of insurance we are accepting:

Answering FAQS About Trazodone And Alcohol

It might come as a surprise to you that other than alcohol and trazodone interactions, there are other drugs as well that you should not combine with either of them. We have discussed the following:

How Does Trazodone React with Alcohol?

Trazadone and alcohol can react in three different ways, affecting three brain chemicals – serotonin, GABA, and dopamine. Alcohol and Trazadone increase the activity of serotonin and GABA, whereas oppositely affect dopamine. All of these interactions result in:

Extreme sedation
Declined cognitive functioning
Impaired judgment
Lack of motivation

Can Trazodone and Alcohol Kill You?

Yes, it is possible to pass out if you do not promptly address these conditions. Trazadone and alcohol slow down brain activity. But mixing them can increase the brain depression two folds which results in:

Extreme sedation
Cognitive impairment
Blackouts.

What Should Trazodone Not Mix With?

Trazodone is a depressant. Mixing any depressants with trazodone can lead to an emergency. Other than depressants, any drug that negatively interacts with trazodone should not be taken with it. This can include:

Benzodiazepines
Anticoagulants
Warfarin
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Aspirin

Can You Mix Trazodone and Alcohol?

No, you should not mix alcohol with trazodone as they both are central nervous depressants. Taking multiple depressants means you are depressing your brain to an extent that could exacerbate depression symptoms, leading to serious situations.

Additional Resources

References

Medical News Today. 2024. All about antidepressants
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248320
National Center for Biotechnology Information. 2022. Biochemistry Serotonin
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560856/
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. “Black box” 101: How the Food and Drug Administration evaluates, communicates, and manages drug benefit/risk
https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(05)02325-0/fulltext
National Center for Biotechnology Information. 2023. GABA Receptor
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526124/
Harvard Health Publishing. 2024. Dopamine: The pathway to pleasure
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dopamine-the-pathway-to-pleasure
National Highway Traffic System Administration. 2023. Drunk Driving
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving

Medical Disclaimer:

ChoicePoint aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use disorder and mental health issues. Our team of licensed medical professionals research, edit and review the content before publishing. However, this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For medical advice please consult your physicians or ChoicePoint's qualified staff.

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Jessica Plonchak

(LCSW, MBA, LCADC)

Executive Clinical Director

Jessica Plonchak serves as Executive Clinical Director at ChoicePoint. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social Work. She is a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC). With 17 years of relevant experience, she has helped several clients in their journey to recovery from addiction.

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Aimen Arshad

(Master’s In Biomedical Science)

Medical Content Writer

Aimen Arshad holds a Master’s in biomedical sciences and a year’s experience in medical writing. As a medical writer, she has worked in multiple niches, including mental health, detox, and addiction treatment. She strives to communicate the intricate details of medical concepts in clear language so that people can make informed decisions about their health.

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