Safety of trazodone as a sleep agent for inpatients.
Trazodone, an atypical antidepressant with relatively low anticholinergic and cardiac conduction effects, offers useful augmentation to classic antidepressant drugs, notably selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. One rare but serious side effect of the drug is priapism, the urological emergency in which the cavernosa of the penis become painfully engorged in the absence of sexual stimulation. The authors present what appears to be the first published case of priapism requiring urologic intervention after a single 100-mg dose of trazodone. In addition to a discussion of the history and physiology of trazodone and priapism, the authors present a profile of patients who present a safety risk in treatment.
Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Meyer 4-181, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. gjayara1@jhmi.edu
Geetha
G
Jayaram
Pravin
P
Rao
D000328:Adult; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011317:Priapism / Q000139:chemically induced*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014196:Trazodone / Q000009:adverse effects*
D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D014196:Trazodone