selegiline vs trazodone
Side-by-side comparison of selegiline and trazodone. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Examples: isocarboxazid, moclobemide, phenelzine, selegiline, tranylcypromine Other Serotonergic Drugs Clinical Impact: The concomitant use of serotonergic drugs including trazodone and other serotonergic drugs increases the risk of serotonin syndrome.
Recommendation: Consult your doctor before combining these drugs to ensure they are safe for you to use together.
Emsam
Desyrel
Selegiline is a medicine that can help manage Parkinson's disease. It is used along with levodopa/carbidopa when that medicine is not working as well as it used to.
Trazodone is a medicine used to treat depression. It helps to improve your mood and can help you sleep better.
Selegiline is used to help people with Parkinson's disease. It's for those who are already taking levodopa/carbidopa. Selegiline can help when their response to levodopa/carbidopa starts to weaken. It can reduce 'off' time and improve movement.
Trazodone is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. This medicine can help improve your mood and reduce symptoms of depression. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about why you are taking this medication.
Selegiline is a selective MAO-B inhibitor. It works by blocking an enzyme in the brain that breaks down dopamine. This helps to increase the amount of dopamine available, which can improve motor control in Parkinson's disease.
Trazodone is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It works by increasing the amount of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is a chemical that helps regulate mood.
- • Nausea
- • Dizziness
- • Light-headedness
- • Fainting
- • Abdominal pain
- • Swelling
- • Blurred vision
- • Fainting
- • Drowsiness
- • Tiredness
- Trouble sleeping 184
- Redness where medicine is applied 183
- Feeling dizzy 168
- Seeing or hearing things that are not there 166
- Falling down 137
- Tiredness 1,129
- Feeling sick to your stomach 1,097
- Head pain 906
- General discomfort 806
- Loose stools 792
Taking selegiline with meperidine (Demerol) is dangerous and can cause serious reactions. Also, use caution when taking selegiline with tricyclic antidepressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) due to the risk of severe toxicity. One patient had a hypertensive crisis when taking selegiline with a sympathomimetic medicine (ephedrine).
Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young adults. Your doctor will monitor you closely for worsening depression or suicidal thoughts. Trazodone is not approved for use in children.
It is not known if selegiline can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is also not known if selegiline passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is important to consider the risk of untreated depression during pregnancy. There is a pregnancy registry to monitor outcomes in women exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy. You can register by calling 1-844-405-6185.
How to Read This selegiline vs trazodone Comparison
selegiline is classified in the Selective MAO-B Inhibitor drug class, while trazodone sits within the Serotonin Antagonist and Reuptake Inhibitor (SARI) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, selegiline has 838 submissions while trazodone has 4,730. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to these medications both raise serotonin levels, and taking them at the same time increases the risk of a toxic reaction.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between selegiline and trazodone - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.