Does Trazodone Show Up On The Drug Test?

Trazodone may show up as a false positive for LSD, AMP, or MAMP on the drug test. Patients who take prescription Trazodone may produce sufficient amounts of m-CPP in the urine that can show up as AMP or MAMP in a drug test. If you are want to be sure that you don't test false positive for the above try our comprehensive hair follicle drug test kit with a prior detection window of up to 90 days or the 12 panel urine drug test kit with a prior detection window of up to 7 days.

If tested positive, the results are forwarded to the MRO/medical review officer, who goes over the results and validates them for any possible medical explanation before releasing the result.

You may also share your prescription/script before taking your drug test to the supervisor in charge or the tester to avoid the false-positive result.

Table of Contents:

• What is Trazodone?
• Effects of Trazodone
• How Long Does Trazodone Stay In Your System?
• Detection Periods For Trazodone
• False Positives
• Preventing False Positives

What is Trazodone?

Trazodone is an antidepressant utilized in the treatment of major depressive and anxiety disorders as well as insomnia. It is an FDA-approved drug and classified as a serotonin receptor antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI).

Trazodone helps restore the serotonin (natural chemical) balance in the brain. It helps improve mood, appetite, and energy. It also decreases insomnia and anxiety related to depression.

Trazodone should be taken as prescribed. It is usually started at a low dose and then gradually increased depending on the medical condition and treatment response.

Trazodone should be prescribed only to patients above the age of 18 years and not to children. It is also used for off-label and investigational purposes.

Effects of Trazodone

On the positive side, Trazodone helps improve your mood and appetite, reducing anxiety and insomnia due to depression. It helps your body reuptake the serotonin levels in your brain that may help to level up the mood swings and calm your mind and body. Trazodone dose should be taken as prescribed by the physician. They can be used long-term if used appropriately, else will result in drug abuse.

On the negative side, Trazodone may induce various side effects. Taking more than the dose prescribed or misusing the drug may lead to threatening side effects like panic attacks, suicidal ideations, agitation, aggressiveness, etc.

Common side effects include diarrhea, change in weight, blurred vision, dizziness, stuffy nose, and sleepiness. These side effects may go away within three to four weeks. If it persists, it is recommended to consult the prescribing physician.

For a complete list of adverse effects and interactions with other drugs, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trazodone.

How Long Does Trazodone Stay In Your System?

Trazodone may stay in your system for two to three days (if you are a moderate user).

The half-life for Trazodone is assumed to be between five to nine hours. Hence, half of the drug would be expelled out of the body in about seven hours on average. A single dose of Trazodone may linger in a healthy adult body for one to three days.

The expulsion of Trazodone varies for each individual. Various factors influence the duration for the Trazodone to stay in the system. Some of them are:

• Age:  Age plays a role in the elimination of Trazodone. Young people tend to eliminate faster than older adults.
• Weight:  Body mass and fat slow down the elimination due to the stored metabolites in fat cells.
• Drug Dose:  Trazodone metabolites will linger in the system in people who take large amounts. Smaller doses will get flushed out faster than larger doses.
• Drug Use History:  If Trazodone is taken for an extended period, the elimination process will also be longer.
• Other Substance Use:  The elimination process may slow down if using other substances or alcohol along with Trazodone.
• Metabolism:  Abnormal liver function may slow down the metabolic process, and the traces may linger in the system for long.

Trazodone gets broken down by the liver into metabolites, especially by the cytochrome P450 enzymes. These metabolites may linger in your body for a particular amount of time before they get excreted through urine and feces.

Detection Periods For Trazodone

The unused metabolites get stored in the fast-growing cells, such as the nails, hair, and fat cells. More body fat will make the metabolites stay longer.

1. Hair:  Trazodone metabolites may be stored in the hair shafts and show up for a maximum of 90 days, similar to other illegal drugs. Trazodone can surface as a false-positive for amphetamines.
2. Urine:  Trazodone can show up in the urine for 5 to 26 days from the last use. There are chances that they show up as false positives for AMP during the test.
3. Blood:  Trazodone can stay in your blood for nearly one to three days from the last use.
4. Saliva:  Saliva drug tests can detect the drugs more quickly within two hours of administration. Trazodone may stay in your saliva longer than in your blood. That being said, Trazodone may stay for four to five days in your saliva.

If you are taking prescription Trazodone, discuss with your physician about its interference with the drug test. You must not abruptly stop Trazodone since it will induce withdrawal symptoms and serious side effects. You may also communicate with the tester about the Trazodone use and provide a prescription if necessary before the test to avoid the false-positive result.

False Positives

It is more common that antidepressants like Wellbutrin, Prozac, and Desyrel (Trazodone) produce false positives during drug tests. It is because of their cross-reactivity with related and unrelated compounds.

Trazodone may show up as a false-positive MDMA result at 3.0 μg/mL. It is most likely due to a metabolite of Trazodone, meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP), owing to its structural similarity with MDMA.

Preventing False Positives

If you have a forthcoming drug test and consuming Trazodone, you may try to avoid getting false positives by taking adequate measures:

• Inform Your Tester or Supervisor:  You should inform about your prescription medication use of Trazodone. Ensure the information is added to the record. It will help avoid positive results while testing and may double-check the result with the GC-MS method. If you still receive a positive result, you can request a confirmatory test with the same sample, and having a record of both the tests will help you prove that you are not a drug abuser.
• Home Drug Test:  Do home-based drug testing with the help of trusted home-based urine drug test kits and oral saliva drug testing kits. Doing a test with these kits will help you determine the drug traces in your system. If negative, no worries. If positive, you may inform the tester before the test about the use.

Don't ever stop the Trazodone abruptly since it could lead to undesired consequences. Talk to your doctor and try weaning it off under the doctor's advice to minimize withdrawal symptoms or adverse effects.

Summing It Up

Antidepressants like Trazodone may show up on a drug test as amphetamines (AMP). Typically, the drug testing centers do follow protocols by performing confirmatory tests on the false positives and finalizing the drug presence. So, you need not be overwhelmed by the forthcoming drug test and act as per your doctor's advice to prevent undesired symptoms and side effects.