20 years of Maintenance dose of Trazodone and Alcohol?
Question posted by daferby on 24 Jan 2015
Last updated on 21 April 2018 by PeterBelelius
I'm being told that my 50mg maintenance dose of Trazodone prohibits me from EVER drinking alcoholic beverages. In fact, in the state of AZ, I've been charged with DUI - Drugs as I had a metabolite of Trazodone in my blood after drinking wine the night before. Not over the limit on BAC but some still in my system. So I guess I've been 'drunk/drug driving' for over 7500 days. I hadn't been 'caught' till now. Even though I've had zero accidents and only 1 ticket in 20 years, it appears now I'm busted. . Can I keep taking my 50mg of sleep aid and have a glass of wine or 2 earlier in the evening ?? Or am I going to have my first ever DUI on my record ???
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6 Answers
PE
PeterBelelius
21 April 2018
I take the low dose of trazodone 50mg, I admit that two glasses of wine or a liquor make me feel really bad, unfocused and rather confused. So I simply don't drink anymore. Also, not drinking on trazodone feels easy to do, at least for me, and that is a blessing.
Votes: +0
KA
kathryn0718
22 March 2015
I was told that if you drink wine, trazodone will not work as well for a sleep disorder. I would stop the wine, even though it will be hard to do, considering the amount of time you were drinking. I never thought I could stop consuming my 2-3 glasses in the evening, but I did. Talk to your doctor about how to manage alcohol withdrawal.
Votes: +0
CO
coloresue
31 Jan 2015
Drinking alcohol while on trazodone results in increasing or decreasing the effectiveness of the trazodone. Mixing the 2 can result in death, but I suspect that means a lot of alcohol. You may want to research this more.
The idea of taking your bottle of trazodone is good, but I like this idea better: I clip the little rectangular shaped portion of the papers that come with my 'script that look like the label on the bottle. This gives all the information on your prescription anyone could possibly need. It proves you are taking your drug legally and it can be useful in a health emergency. It's much less bulkier than carrying the bottle. I can also recommend that you carry your personal list of medications and vitamins/supplements with you wherever you go. It could be crucial to your health if you're injured and unconscious. I hope this is helpful.
Votes: +0
IN
Inactive
24 Jan 2015
If you have your wine while taking trazodone just stay put, whether at home or wherever you go, because these days it seems you can get busted so easily while on meds. And like the other person mentioned about it may help to have your bottle of traz with you; however, I doubt it will help... Trazodone stays in your system around the clock... Good luck
Votes: +0
BA
balbanese
24 Jan 2015
You can't get that approval online and expect it to hold up if you get stopped. Seems like you're best bet is to stop drinking and carry the prescription bottle with you, as you can still get arrested for being impaired, the chances are less, but it's possible depending on why (and if) you get pulled over.
Votes: +1
KA
kaismama
24 Jan 2015
That can happen in any state. The law doesn't tell them the difference between someone who took a prescribed med and one who just took a handful of them. Where the new people for being abused.