Trazodone

Trazodone is an antidepressant that blocks serotonin receptors and inhibits serotonin reuptake. It is used to treat major depressive disorder and is also prescribed for insomnia.

Serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor: An antidepressant class that combines serotonin receptor antagonism with inhibition of serotonin reuptake. Trazodone is the class's best-known example.
Major depressive disorder: A mood disorder marked by persistent depressed mood or loss of interest and other symptoms that impair functioning. This is trazodone's principal approved treatment indication.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor: An antidepressant that primarily inhibits the serotonin transporter to increase serotonin signaling. Unlike these drugs, trazodone also blocks serotonin receptors and has prominent sedative effects.
Angelini Pharma: An Italian pharmaceutical company founded in 1919 and associated with the development and marketing of trazodone. The company developed trazodone, which was introduced in Italy in the 1960s.
Somnolence: An abnormal tendency toward sleepiness or drowsiness. Sedation is common with trazodone and often drives its use at bedtime.
Serotonin transporter: A membrane protein that removes serotonin from the synaptic cleft by transporting it into neurons. Trazodone inhibits this transporter, increasing serotonin signaling.
Insomnia: A persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or obtaining restorative sleep despite adequate opportunity. Trazodone is frequently prescribed for insomnia, though this use is off-label in the United States.
Mirtazapine: An antidepressant that enhances noradrenergic and serotonergic signaling through receptor blockade and commonly causes sedation. It is another sedating antidepressant sometimes considered when depression coexists with sleep problems.
Giovanni C. Castello: An Italian medicinal chemist associated with the development of trazodone at Angelini Research Laboratories. His work contributed to the compound's discovery.
Serotonin syndrome: A potentially life-threatening reaction caused by excessive serotonergic activity, often after combining serotonergic drugs. Trazodone can contribute to this reaction, particularly when combined with other serotonin-raising medicines.

Linked from 2 pages

AgomelatineCompared with: Its serotonin-receptor actions provide a contrast to agomelatine’s selective 5-HT2C blockade.