Below is a text only representation of the Patient Information Leaflet (ePIL).
The text only version may be available in large print, Braille or audio CD.
For further information call emc accessibility on
0800 198 5000.
The product code(s) for this leaflet is: PL 12762/0538.
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you
Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What is in this leaflet
1. What Trazodone oral solution is and what it is used for 2. What you need to know before you take Trazodone oral solution 3. How to take Trazodone oral solution 4. Possible side effects 5. How to store Trazodone oral solution 6. Contents of the pack and other information
1. What Trazodone oral solution is and what it is used for
The name of your medicine is Trazodone hydrochloride 50mg/5ml Oral solution (called Trazodone oral solution throughout this leaflet). Trazodone oral solution contains the active substance called trazodone hydrochloride which belongs to a group of medicines called antidepressants. Trazodone oral solution can be used to treat all types of depression including depression accompanied by anxiety.
2. What you need to know before you take Trazodone oral solution
Do not take Trazodone oral solution:
If you are allergic to trazodone hydrochloride or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in Section 6). The signs of an allergic reaction include a rash, swallowing or breathing problems, swelling of your lips, eyelids, face, throat or tongue, unexplained high temperature (fever) and feeling faint
If you have recently had a heart attack
If you are a heavy drinker or taking sleeping tablets
If you are under 18 years of age.
Do not take Trazodone oral solution if the above applies to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Trazodone oral solution.
Warnings and precautions
Thoughts of suicide and worsening of your depression or anxiety disorder
If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders you can sometimes have thoughts of harming or killing yourself. These may be increased when first starting antidepressants, since these medicines all take time to work, usually about two weeks but sometimes longer.
You may be more likely to think like this:
If you have previously had thoughts about killing or harming yourself
If you are a young adult. Information from clinical trials has shown an increased risk of suicidal behaviour in adults aged less than 25 years with psychiatric conditions who were treated with an antidepressant.
If you have thoughts of harming or killing yourself at any time, contact your doctor or go to a hospital straight away.
You may find it helpful to tell a relative or close friend that you are depressed or have an anxiety disorder, and ask them to read this leaflet. You might ask them to tell you if they think your depression or anxiety is getting worse, or if they are worried about changes in your behaviour.
If you are elderly, you may be more prone to side effects, increased caution is necessary especially when taking other medicines at the same time as Trazodone oral solution or if you have some other diseases.
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Trazodone oral solution if you:
Have or have ever had fits or seizures
Have severe liver, kidney or heart problems
Are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or are breast-feeding
Have an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
Have problems passing water or need to pass water (urine) frequently
Have narrow angle glaucoma (an eye disorder)
Have schizophrenia or other type of mental disorder
If you are not sure if any of the above applies to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Trazodone oral solution.
Children and adolescents
Trazodone oral solution should not be used in children and adolescents under 18 years of age.
Other medicines and Trazodone oral solution
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
This includes medicines you buy without prescription, including herbal medicines. This is because trazodone can affect the way some other medicines work. Also some medicines can affect the way Trazodone Oral Solution works.
Some medicines and trazodone may interfere with each other. Tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:
MAOI (Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors) medicines such as tranylcypromine, phenelzine and isocarboxazid (for depression) or selegiline (for Parkinson’s disease). Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking them now or have taken them in the last 2 weeks
Other antidepressants (such as amitriptyline or fluoxetine)
Sedatives (Such as tranquilizers or sleeping pills)
Medicines used to treat epilepsy (e.g. carbamazepine or phenytoin)
Medicines used to treat high blood pressure (e.g. clonidine) or heart disease (e.g. digoxin)
Medicines used to treat fungal infections such as ketoconazole and itraconazole
Some medicines used to treat HIV such as ritonavir and indinavir
Erythromycin (a type of antibiotic used to treat infections)
If you are going to have an anaesthetic (for an operation), tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking Trazodone oral solution.
Trazodone oral solution with food, drink and alcohol
You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking Trazodone oral solution. This is because trazodone can change the way alcohol affects you.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Pregnancy
Trazodone oral solution should not be taken during the first three months of pregnancy. Taking Trazodone in the late stages of pregnancy may lead to your baby experiencing withdrawal symptoms when they are born.
Breast-feeding
Trazodone can pass into breast-milk and should only be used if the benefit to the mother outweighs the risk to the child.
Driving and using machines
Trazodone oral solution is a drug which acts on the central nervous system and may make you feel sleepy or dizzy. Do not drive, operate machinery or do anything that requires you to be alert until you know how your medicine affects you.
Trazodone oral solution contains 2g of sorbitol in each 5ml. Sorbitol is a source of fructose. If your doctor has told you that you have an intolerance to some sugars or if you have been diagnosed with hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), a rare genetic disorder in which a person cannot break down fructose, talk to your doctor before you take this medicine. Sorbitol may cause gastrointestinal discomfort and mild laxative effect.
This medicine contains 15.5-16.75 mg propylene glycol in each 5ml
This medicine contains 5 mg benzoic acid in each 5ml.
This medicine contains glycerol which may cause headache, stomach upset and diarrhea.
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 5ml, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
3. How to take Trazodone oral solution
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The dose of trazodone will depend on your needs and the illness being treated.
Taking this medicine
Take this medicine by mouth
Take with or after food. This can help lower the chances of side effects
If you have been told to take Trazodone oral solution only once each day then you should take it before going to bed
If you feel the effect of your medicine is too weak or too strong, do not change the dose yourself, but ask your doctor.
DEPRESSION:
The recommended dose is -
Adults:
Adults usually start by taking 150mg (15ml) each day
Your doctor may increase the dose to 300mg (30ml) each day depending on your condition
For adults in hospital the dose may be as high as 600mg (60ml) each day.
Elderly:
Older people or those who are frail will usually be given a starting dose of 100mg (10ml) each day
Your doctor may increase the dose to 300mg (30ml) each day depending on your condition
Doses of more than 300mg (30ml) will not normally be given.
ANXIETY:
The recommended dose is -
Adults usually start by taking 75mg (7.5ml) each day
Your doctor may increase the dose to 300mg (30ml) each day.
Use in children and adolescents
Trazodone oral solution should not be used in children and adolescents under 18 years of age.
Note:
If necessary, Trazodone oral solution can be administered via a nasogastric, nasoduodenal or nasojejunal feeding tube that should be rinsed twice with 10ml of water immediately after administration.
If you take more Trazodone oral solution than you should
It is important to stick to the dose on the label of the medicine. If you take more Trazodone oral solution than you should, contact your doctor or nearest hospital emergency department immediately. Always take any medicine left over with you along with the box, as this will allow easier identification of the medicine.
The following effects may happen:
Feeling sick or being sick, feeling sleepy, dizzy or faint, fits (seizures). Confusion, breathing or heart problems.
If you forget to take Trazodone oral solution
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose, just carry on as before.
If you stop taking Trazodone oral solution
Keep taking Trazodone oral solution until your doctor tells you to stop. Do not stop taking Trazodone oral solution just because you feel better
When your doctor tells you to stop taking this medicine he/she will help you stop taking them gradually
Stopping your medicine too quickly could cause sleep problems, leave you feeling more irritable than usual and cause you to sweat more than usual.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Stop taking Trazodone oral solution and tell your doctor immediately if you experience:
You get swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, face, lips or throat which may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing, itching of the skin and nettle rash. This may mean you are having an allergic reaction to Trazodone oral solution
Painful erection of the penis, unrelated to sexual activity, that will not go away (priapism)
Yellowing of the eyes or skin which could be a liver problem (such as jaundice) or other abnormalities of liver function
Getting infections more easily than usual. This could be because of a blood disorder (agranulocytosis)
Bruising more easily than usual. This could be because of a blood disorder (thrombocytopenia)
You have severe abdominal pain and bloating, are being sick (vomiting) and have constipation. These may be signs that your intestine is not working properly (paralytic ileus).
Talk to your doctor straight away if you notice the following side-effects:
You have thoughts of harming or killing yourself
Feeling tired, faint, dizzy, having pale skin. These could be signs of anaemia
Convulsions/fits
Unusual skin sensations such as numbness, tingling, pricking, burning or creeping on the skin (paraesthesia)
Feeling confused, restless, sweating, shaking, shivering, hallucinations (strange visions or sounds), sudden jerks of the muscles or a fast heartbeat, you may have something called Serotonin syndrome
Feeling very unwell possibly with shortness of breath (dyspnoea), difficulty in walking or walking with a shuffling gait, shaking, uncontrolled muscle twitching, and a high temperature (above 38ºC). This could be a rare condition known as Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
Rapid, slow or irregular heartbeat.
The following side effects have also been reported (Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):
Feeling drowsy or sleepy, tiredness
Feeling less alert than usual
Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting), indigestion
Constipation, diarrhoea
Dry mouth, altered taste, increased amounts of saliva, blocked nose
Feeling dizzy or light-headed on standing or sitting up quickly (postural hypotension), fainting (syncope)
Feeling restless and having difficulty sleeping
Water retention which may cause swollen arms or legs
Skin rash, itching
Chest pain
Pain in limbs, back pain, pain in your muscles, pain in your joints
Jerking movements that you cannot control, mainly in of the arms and legs, uncontrolled muscle movements or twitches
Frequent infections with high temperature, severe chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers. These could be signs of a blood problem called leucopenia
Feeling anxious or more nervous than usual, feeling agitated
Overactive behaviour or thoughts (mania), believing things that are not true (delusions), memory disturbance
Nightmares
Decreased sex drive
Feeling dizzy, possibly with a “spinning” feeling (vertigo)
High blood pressure
High temperature
Flu type symptoms
Difficulty with speaking
Higher than normal number of white blood cells (seen by a blood test)
High levels of liver enzymes in your blood (shown by a blood test)
Severe liver disorders such as hepatitis
Liver failure with potential fatal outcome
Feeling tired, weak and confused, having muscles that ache, are stiff or do not work well. There may also be headache, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, convulsion. This may be due to low sodium levels in your blood.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via Yellow Card Scheme Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Trazodone oral solution
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the label and carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month
Store in the original package (bottle) in order to protect from light. This medicinal product does not require any special temperature storage conditions
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Trazodone oral solution contains
The name of this medicine is Trazodone hydrochloride 50mg/5ml oral solution.
The active substance is trazodone hydrochloride. Each 5ml spoonful contains 50mg of the trazodone hydrochloride
The other ingredients are benzoic acid, glycerol, sorbitol liquid, orange flavour (containing propylene glycol), sodium saccharin, sodium hydroxide and purified water.
What Trazodone oral solution looks like and contents of the pack
Trazodone oral solution is a clear, colourless to pale yellow coloured solution, with orange colour, free from foreign particles. Each bottle contains 120ml of solution.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
Mercury Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Dashwood House 69 Old Broad Street London EC2M 1QS United Kingdom
This leaflet was last revised in September 2023.
ADVANZ Pharma
Address
Dashwood House, 69 Old Broad Street, London, EC2M 1QS, UK