Find patient medical information for Trazodone Oral on WebMD including its uses, side effects and safety, interactions, pictures, warnings and user ratings. Description Trazodone acts to change the balance of naturally occurring chemicals in the brain that regulate the transmission of nerve impulses between cells. Trazodone is an oral antidepressant drug that affects the chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) within the brain that nerves use to communicate with (stimulate) each other. I currently take ambien to sleep. I have to take 3 or more of them for them to work. My dr just switched me to trazodone, do you think it will work as good. Trazodone is an antidepressant drug that's prescribed to treat the symptoms of depression. Trazodone is in a class of medications called serotonin modulators, which work by moderating levels of. Trazodone for anxiety is said to be very effective, often leading to significant improvement in anxiety symptoms within the first two to six weeks of treatment. Effexor is a dual purpose antidepressant released by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories and approved by the FDA in October 1997. Effexor boosts serotonin levels in the synapse in similar fashion to other SSRI's. Trazodone is an antidepressant drug that works as a serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI). Although it is primarily utilized to treat major depression, Trazodone is also used to treat conditions like anxiety disorder and insomnia due to its anxiolytic and hypnotic properties. My doctor prescribed Trazodone for insomnia. I tried it for the first time last night (100 mg), and absolutely could not fall asleep. I was sleepy, and my eyelids were heavy, but I could not sleep. The data indicates that trazodone will most likely produce fewer side effects and complications than Ambien; however, trazodone may not help some individuals with sleeping. Learn more about how trazodone is compared to ambien as a sleeping pill.