The Dangers of Taking Trazodone and Alcohol Together

Mixing medications with alcohol is always risky, but combining trazodone and alcohol can be especially dangerous. Trazodone is a commonly prescribed antidepressant, and while it may help manage mood and sleep issues, alcohol and trazodone don’t mix well. Taking these substances together can trigger harmful and potentially life-threatening risks.

This page explores the dangers of mixing trazodone with alcohol, highlights the short term and long term complications of trazodone and alcohol interaction, and can connect you to compassionate and evidence-based addiction treatment.

What Is Trazodone?

Trazodone is a prescription drug most commonly used to treat depression, anxiety, and insomnia. [1] The medication works by boosting serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical that helps govern mood and other functions. Like all SARIs (serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors), trazodone increases serotonin levels by blocking specific receptors and preventing the neurotransmitter from being reabsorbed. This increase can help improve mood and promote better sleep. [2]

This drug is often prescribed because of its sedative effects, which can help those with insomnia or people who have trouble staying asleep. Although trazodone is effective for treating depression and improving sleep, it may also provoke side effects like dry mouth, dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches.

Follow your doctor’s prescription carefully and avoid mixing trazodone with substances like alcohol.

Can You Take Trazodone with Alcohol?

It is not safe to take trazodone with alcohol. Both trazodone and alcohol affect the CNS (central nervous system) but in different ways. Trazodone calms the brain by increasing serotonin, while alcohol is a CNS depressant, slowing brain activity. [3] When these substances are combined, the sedative effects are intensified. This can make you feel drowsy and disoriented or even cause you to pass out.

The interaction between trazodone and alcohol can also make it hard for your body to break the substances down properly. This increases the risk of side effects like impaired coordination, confusion, or slow reaction times. Drinking alcohol while taking trazodone may interfere with the medication’s ability to treat anxiety or depression. Rather than helping you feel better, the combination may worsen symptoms.

Side Effects of the Trazodone and Alcohol Interaction

The interaction between trazodone and alcohol can lead to a wide range of adverse outcomes. Both substances act as CNS depressants, meaning that they slow brain activity and impact many body functions. When taken together, the effects can amplify, making side effects stronger. This can cause serious health complications and affect physical and mental well-being. 

Immediate Effects

The immediate effects of mixing trazodone with alcohol can start within minutes or hours of consuming the substances. Since both alcohol and trazodone cause drowsiness and sedation, their combined use can result in extreme tiredness, making it difficult to stay awake or alert. You might feel groggy, unable to focus, or have trouble performing simple tasks like talking or walking. Some people may experience sudden dizziness, making them unsteady on their feet and increasing the risk of falls or injuries.

Another common immediate effect is impaired motor coordination, reducing your ability to move, react quickly, and control your body may be dramatically reduced. You might have trouble holding onto objects, driving safely, or standing upright. This can be especially dangerous in situations requiring quick reflexes, such as driving a car or operating machinery. The combination of alcohol and trazodone can make these activities extremely unsafe.

Beyond these physical effects, trazodone may impact mental clarity. Disorientation and confusion are common side effects when mixing trazodone and alcohol. You may find it hard to concentrate, make decisions, or remember things clearly. This mental fog can make daily tasks more challenging and increase the likelihood of making poor decisions or taking unnecessary risks.

In more severe cases, people may faint due to a sudden drop in blood pressure, which is another risk of combining these substances. Fainting can occur when the body’s ability to regulate blood flow is impaired, leading to dizziness and temporary loss of consciousness. This is not only dangerous in itself but can also cause injuries if you collapse in an unsafe environment.

Breathing problems can also arise when trazodone and alcohol are mixed. Since both substances slow the CNS, they can reduce breathing rates to dangerous levels. This makes it difficult for your body to get enough oxygen, potentially leading to respiratory depression or other complications that require immediate medical attention.

Potential Long-Term Effects

The long term effects of combining trazodone and alcohol can be equally concerning, taking a toll on your physical and mental health and leading to a host of serious conditions.

One of the most common long term effects is the risk of developing dependence on the substances. [4] Although trazodone is not typically associated with addiction when used as prescribed, the sedative effects become more desirable to some people when mixed with alcohol. This can create a pattern of misuse, with the person relying on both substances to feel calm or relaxed. Dependence can make it difficult to stop using the substances, leading to withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit.

Long term use of alcohol – especially when combined with trazodone – can also damage your liver. The liver is responsible for processing toxins in the body, including medications and alcohol. When you overload your liver with both substances, it can become damaged, leading to conditions like cirrhosis, fatty liver disease, or liver failure. This can be a life-threatening condition that may require long-term medical treatment or a liver transplant.

Mental health issues may also worsen with prolonged use of alcohol and trazodone. While trazodone is intended to improve mood and treat conditions like depression, alcohol can have the opposite effect. Alcohol is a depressant and can lower your mood over time, potentially worsening symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions. This can create a vicious cycle where you rely on trazodone for relief but sabotage its effectiveness by drinking alcohol.

Sleep problems are another long-term complication stemming from the combination of alcohol and trazodone. Trazodone is often prescribed to help people sleep, but alcohol disrupts the normal sleep cycle. While you may feel sleepy after drinking, alcohol can interfere with the quality of your sleep, leading to restless nights and poor rest. Over this time, this may result in chronic sleep issues, which can increase irritability, fatigue, and depression.

Increased risk of self-harm or suicide may occur in people with depression or anxiety when combining alcohol and trazodone. If you take trazodone for mental health issues and continue to drink alcohol, this combination can increase sadness or feelings of despair, heightening the risk of harmful behavior.

Can Combining Alcohol and Trazodone Cause Death?

Combining alcohol and trazodone can lead to fatal consequences, particularly if taken in high doses. Both alcohol and trazodone suppress the CNS, which controls functions like breathing and heart rate. When these functions slow down too much, the body can enter a dangerous state that may lead to coma, respiratory failure, or death.

One of the main risks of combining these substances is the increased likelihood of an overdose. Even if you take your prescribed dose of trazodone, adding alcohol into the mix can push your body into a state of severe sedation, where you might lose consciousness or struggle to breathe. If left untreated, this can quickly escalate to a life-threatening situation where the brain and other organs are starved of oxygen.

Respiratory depression is a key concern when mixing trazodone and alcohol. Both substances slow down breathing and can reduce oxygen intake to dangerously low levels when taken together. If your breathing becomes too shallow, your body may not get enough oxygen, leading to brain damage, organ failure, or death.  Symptoms can be subtle, offering little warning before a serious complication occurs. 

Alcohol can also amplify trazodone’s effects on your heart, increasing the risk of complications. Trazodone can cause an irregular heartbeat in some people, and alcohol can inflame this effect, leading to dangerous arrhythmias or even cardiac arrest. If your heart rate becomes too irregular, it can prevent your body from pumping blood effectively, causing a heart attack or other severe cardiac issues.

Finally, the risk of suicide increases when alcohol is mixed with trazodone. Alcohol impairs judgment and lowers inhibitions, which can make people more impulsive or likely to act on negative thoughts. For someone struggling with depression, the combination of trazodone and alcohol can heighten feelings of hopelessness and despair, making suicidal thoughts more dangerous. In some cases, people may turn to alcohol as a form of self-medication while taking trazodone, unaware that this combination can raise the risk of fatal harm.

Trazodone and Alcohol | FAQs

Can you drink on trazodone if it’s just one drink?

Even one drink can be risky when you take trazodone. Alcohol can intensify the drug’s side effects, like drowsiness and dizziness, making it unsafe even in small amounts.

How soon after stopping trazodone can I drink?

Consult your doctor before drinking after stopping trazodone. The drug can stay in your system for a while, and drinking too soon may cause adverse interactions.

Are there other antidepressants that are okay to mix with alcohol?

No, it is not safe to mix any antidepressant with alcohol. Drinking while on any medication in this class can increase side effects and reduce the effectiveness of the medication.

Get Compassionate, Insurance-Covered Addiction Treatment at Renaissance Recovery

If you or someone you care about needs help getting back on track from prescription drug abuse, reach out to Renaissance Recovery today.

We have inclusive luxury rehabs in California and Florida, where we treat all addictions and mental health conditions in an outpatient setting. You can choose a suitable treatment plan while working and living at home. Therapies may include: 

• Talk therapies
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• Family therapy
• Holistic therapy
• Aftercare

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Sources

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470560/

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5842888/

[3] https://medlineplus.gov/alcohol.html

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8583742/