Whenever you feel like you are having any sort of disturbance with your brain, you are constantly told by the people around you that you are probably suffering from depression, Anxiety, and stress. Depression is a disease related to the mood that negatively affects your way of thinking and your actions in different circumstances.

The same is the case with stress, stress makes you feel disturbed and frustrated, and you get a feeling of always being in a dilemma. But that's not always the case; you may suffer from severe neurological disorders that can make you have seizures, such as epilepsy, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's.

These disorders can also abruptly ruin your health by causing severe neuropathic pain. Here we will discuss two drugs, Trazodone and Gabapentin, and discover which is used for depression and which is used for neurological disorders, their similarities, differences, and whether they can be used together. Let's get into the details without waiting further.

Similarities And Differences Between Trazodone And Gabapentin

First, we need to know the basic and mode of action for the similarities and differences. Trazodone is mainly an antidepressant and is most important for its sleep-inducing effects. It reduces the number of neurotransmitters that have excitatory effects. It is a serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor, which causes an increase in serotonin levels in the synaptic cleft. It acts as an inhibitor at 5-Ht receptors as well.

On the other hand, Gabapentin is a GABA analog, but it doesn't mean it works on GABA receptors. It is an anticonvulsant that can block alpha two delta subunits on the voltage-gated calcium channels on the presynaptic membrane in the neuronal tissues in the brain, thus reducing the excitability of neurons involved in pain perception. From that, we can now extract the differences and similarities

Differences 

  • Trazodone is an antidepressant while gabapentin is an anticonvulsant.
  • Trazodone is mainly used to treat Anxiety, depression, and stress, while Gabapentin is used for seizures and nerve pain named neuropathic pain
  • Trazodone is prescribed against major depressive disorder(MOD), depression, sedation, and hallucinations. On the other hand, Gabapentin is prescribed against post-herpetic neuralgia and epilepsy.
  • The half-lives of both the drugs are different
  • Trazodone is available as oral tablets, while Gabapentin is available as oral capsules and oral solutions as well

Similarities 

As both medicines belong to a different class and have different modes of action, there are fewer similarities and more differences.

  • Both the drugs can be used to treat insomnia
  • Both drugs can be used in combination to treat Anxiety, and when used in combination, they also have an anti-nociceptive effect.
  • Both drugs have inhibitory effects on the synapses between cells.

In Which Condition We Can Use Trazodone And Gabapentin Together?

There are different conditions in which they can be used together. Mainly when used together, they increase the pain-relieving effect and cause a relaxing effect on the mind. The states where they can be used together are as follows.

  • Insomnia
  • Headache
  • Anxiety
  • Nerve pain

The Proof Center

An experiment was established to compare the efficacy of Gabapentin and Trazodone against insomnia associated with alcoholism. Fifty-five patients met the study criteria and were given Gabapentin or Trazodone after consent. Patients completed the Manual of Mental Disorders, criteria for alcohol dependence, had insomnia that persisted for more than four weeks and had normal serum creatinine levels.5 of them got out of the experiment. From the 50 patients left, 16 got Trazodone, an ± SD dose of 105 ± 57 mg, and 34 received Gabapentin of 888 ± 418 mg at bedtime.

The Trazodone and gabapentin groups did not differ primarily in age, gender, or employment. 64% of the sample had a diagnosis of nicotine dependence, and 66% had at least one substance dependence issue without significant differences between groups. Anxiety disorders were present in 14 of the trazodone-treated patients and 29 of the gabapentin-treated patients.

Result :The main results proved that Gabapentin was more effective in treating insomnia than Trazodone.

Read Full Study Here.

Is There Any Interaction Between Trazodone And Gabapentin?

When taken, these medicines together may cause an increase in the side effects such as dizziness, decrease in concentrating abilities, and drowsiness. However, these medicines have individual drug interactions as follows

  • Trazodone/MAO inhibitors
  • Trazodone/azole antifungals
  • Trazodone/HIV protease inhibitors
  • Trazodone/ rifamycins
  • Gabapentin/ morphine
  • Gabapentin/ antidepressants
  • Gabapentin/ antipsychotic medicines

Which Conditions Do They Handle Individually?

As already discussed, Trazodone handles the following conditions

  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Anxiety
  • Hallucination

Gabapentin is used to treat

  • Epilepsy
  • Seizures
  • Postherpetic neuralgia

Conclusion

Whether you are suffering from depression or any neurological disorder, it would helpful if you visited your healthcare so that you will be treated promptly. Here, we've discussed the primary differences between Trazodone and Gabapentin and their uses against various diseases. Trazodone and gabapentin used together can cause severe side effects hence should not be mixed together.

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