tapentadol vs trazodone
Side-by-side comparison of tapentadol and trazodone. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
Examples: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), triptans, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, drugs that affect the serotonin neurotransmitter system (e.g., mirtazapine, trazodone, tramadol), certain muscle relaxants (i.e., cyclobenzaprine, metaxalone), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (those intended to treat psychiatric disorders and also others, such as linezolid and intravenous methylene blue).
Recommendation: Watch for signs like confusion, sweating, or muscle shakes, and tell your doctor immediately if you notice these symptoms.
Nucynta
Desyrel
Nucynta is a strong pain medicine. It is used to treat severe acute pain when other pain medicines are not strong enough.
Trazodone is a medicine used to treat depression. It helps to improve your mood and can help you sleep better.
Nucynta is used to manage acute pain in adults and children (6 years and older weighing at least 88 pounds). This medicine is for severe pain that requires an opioid pain reliever. It is used when other pain treatments are not adequate.
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.
Nucynta works in two ways to relieve pain. It acts on opioid receptors in the brain to reduce pain signals. It also prevents the reuptake of norepinephrine, which can also help reduce pain.
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.
- • Feeling sick to your stomach (nausea)
- • Feeling dizzy
- • Throwing up (vomiting)
- • Feeling sleepy
- • Swelling
- • Blurred vision
- • Fainting
- • Drowsiness
- • Tiredness
- Death 11,543
- Harm from drugs or chemicals 9,292
- Took too much medicine 5,817
- Misusing medicine 1,414
- Need for the drug 977
- Tiredness 1,129
- Feeling sick to your stomach 1,097
- Head pain 906
- General discomfort 806
- Loose stools 792
Nucynta can cause addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death. Your doctor will check your risk before prescribing and regularly during treatment. This medicine can also cause life-threatening breathing problems, especially when you start taking it or after a dose increase. Taking Nucynta with benzodiazepines (like Xanax or Valium), alcohol, or other CNS depressants can cause sleepiness, slowed breathing, coma, and death. Accidental ingestion, especially by children, can cause a fatal overdose. If you are pregnant and use Nucynta for a long time, your baby could have withdrawal symptoms after birth.
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.
Using Nucynta for a long time during pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn. Talk to your doctor about the risks if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you are breastfeeding, monitor your baby closely for any signs of drowsiness or breathing problems.
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 tapentadol vs trazodone Comparison
tapentadol is classified in the Opioid / Norepinephrine Reuptake 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, tapentadol has 29,043 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 minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to both medications increase a brain chemical called serotonin. if serotonin levels get too high, it can cause a serious medical problem called serotonin syndrome.. 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 tapentadol 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.