Trazodone Dosage: 150 to 400 mg for Depression, and Low Doses for Sleep
For depression, the FDA label starts trazodone at 150 mg a day; for sleep, much lower doses are common.
By withClaro Editorial · 2026-11-02 · 5 min read
Clinical section reviewed by Dr. Jason Tan , Consultant Psychiatrist, on October 27, 2026.
Key takeaways For depression, the label starts trazodone at 150 mg a day in divided doses and allows up to 400 mg for outpatients. The label has no dose for sleep, which is an off-label use; a 2018 Cochrane review found a small benefit from low doses in short-term use. Of 108 people on Reddit who named their dose, the median was 55 mg, far below the depression range. Tablets can be broken along the score but not chewed or crushed, and are taken after a meal or snack. On this page
What is the usual trazodone dosage? How should you take trazodone? What dose of trazodone is used for sleep? When is a trazodone dose raised? What should you ask your prescriber about your trazodone dose? The usual trazodone dosage in the FDA label starts at 150 mg a day for depression, split into doses, beginning low and raising it gradually. The dose can rise by 50 mg every 3 to 4 days, usually to no more than 400 mg a day for outpatients. For sleep, which is not a labeled use, prescribers often use much lower doses.
What is the usual trazodone dosage?
The label has a plan for depression only; there is none for sleep, so if you were prescribed 50 mg for sleep, you were not given too little of a depression dose but a different, off-label use. For depression, once the response is good, the label allows bringing the dose down gradually to the lowest that keeps it.
Step Dose in the label Starting dose 150 mg a day, split into doses Increases 50 mg a day every 3 to 4 days Usual maximum, outpatients 400 mg a day Maximum, inpatients 600 mg a day
Tablets come in 50 mg, 100 mg and 150 mg, scored to break; the 150 mg tablet has three sections of 50 mg each. If drowsiness is a problem, the label allows giving most of the daily dose at bedtime.
How should you take trazodone?
Take it shortly after a meal or light snack. You can swallow the tablet whole or break it along the score line, but don't chew or crush it.
What dose of trazodone is used for sleep?
There is no labeled dose for sleep, because trazodone is approved only for depression. Prescribers who use it for sleep usually choose low doses; on Reddit, where most threads came from r/insomnia, 50 mg was the most common dose. Why the gap with the depression range: in lab studies, trazodone blocks the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor about ten times more strongly than it blocks serotonin reuptake, and blocking that receptor and others is a common explanation for why low doses mainly sedate while depression needs higher ones.
The evidence for sleep is thin. A 2018 Cochrane review could pool three of its seven trazodone studies, with 370 people, and found a small improvement in how people rated their sleep, with a margin that came close to no effect; sleep studies showed little or no difference, and people had more morning grogginess, dry mouth and thirst than on placebo, with no data on long-term use. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's 2017 guideline makes a weak recommendation against trazodone for insomnia, because the evidence is limited, not because it was shown not to work.
Trazodone can cause dizziness on standing and fainting, which the label warns about. For a bedtime dose this means getting up slowly at night, especially for older adults.
Source What it says about dose FDA label doses for depression only, 150 to 400 mg a day for outpatients Cochrane review, 2018 low doses for sleep, small benefit, low-quality evidence Our Reddit count typical dose about 55 mg, most often 50 mg
When is a trazodone dose raised? Medically reviewed by Dr. Jason Tan on October 27, 2026, this section only.
For depression, the label raises it gradually in 50 mg steps as needed, and MedlinePlus says no more often than every few days. The weeks after an increase need watching: MedlinePlus says trazodone may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts in children, teenagers and young adults under 24, more likely in the first months and when the dose is increased, so a sharp drop in mood or thoughts of self-harm need a call the same day. The clinical view:
Whether a dose is low or high depends on the medication's usual range and on you.
The same dose can be a starting dose for one person and a full dose for another. Age, individual conditions, other medications and how your body processes the drug all play a part.
Doses usually start low and rise in steps, to keep early side effects manageable. A dose goes up when there has been time to judge the response and the benefit is not enough.
Going above the maximum in the prescribing information is a specialist decision. Changing your dose on your own, or taking extra on a bad day, can bring side effects or withdrawal. ## What dose of trazodone do people on Reddit take?
We read 100 recent threads about trazodone doses, comments included, and 164 people wrote about their own dose; 108 of them named it as a number. Most threads were on r/insomnia, so most people took it for sleep, and people who notice a big change post more, so treat this as a range of experiences. Of the 108, 50 mg was the most common dose, and the median was 55 mg:
Daily dose Of 108 people 25 mg 11 50 mg 40 75 mg 5 100 mg 26 150 mg 11 200 mg 5 300 mg 3
The other 7 named rarer doses; answers ran from 5 mg to 450 mg, and 450 mg is more than the label's usual outpatient maximum. Of all 164, 31 said their dose had been raised. One person on r/insomnia wrote:
Works wonders for me, i'm able to fall asleep and stay asleep
Another found the dose went up over time:
my doctor increased slowly to 200mg
What should you ask your prescriber about your trazodone dose?
Dose decisions are easier with a clear account of how the current dose is going, especially for sleep, where there is no labeled dose and the next morning tells you as much as the night. It helps to ask or tell them:
whether you take trazodone for sleep, depression or both how you sleep and how you feel the next morning any dizziness on standing or fainting other medicines that make you sleepy whether morning grogginess has lasted since a dose increase what the plan is if the dose doesn't help An erection lasting more than 4 hours, painful or not, at any dose: stop trazodone and get emergency care right away, the label says.
When the time comes to stop, the label asks for a gradual reduction. More in trazodone withdrawal .
Download on the App Store A change in trazodone dose can change sleep and next-day grogginess. The withClaro app lets you log sleep, energy and mood each day, linked to your dose, and turns it into a report for your prescriber.
Frequently asked questions Is 100 mg of trazodone a high dose? It depends on the use. For depression it is below the label's starting dose; for sleep it is double the 50 mg people on Reddit named most often. Tell your prescriber which you take it for and how you feel the next morning.
Is 50 mg of trazodone a lot for sleep? It is the dose people on Reddit named most often for sleep, and it is low compared with the depression range. For sleep there is no labeled dose, so whether it is right is judged by how you sleep and feel the next morning.
What if 50 mg of trazodone stops working for sleep? Tell your prescriber rather than taking more on your own. There is no labeled sleep dose to step up to, so the next step is a decision you make together.
Can you take the whole dose at night? For depression the label splits the daily dose, but allows giving most of it at bedtime if drowsiness is a problem. Ask your prescriber how to split yours.
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Sources TRAZODONE HYDROCHLORIDE tablets prescribing information, US Food and Drug Administration via DailyMed Everitt H, et al. Antidepressants for insomnia in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018 Sateia MJ, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Pharmacologic Treatment of Chronic Insomnia in Adults. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2017 MedlinePlus: Trazodone Claro articles are for self-monitoring and educational purposes only. They are not a medical device, therapist, or diagnostic tool, and do not replace care from your prescribing clinician. If you are in crisis, contact your care team, emergency services, the Samaritans (UK: 116 123), or the Crisis Text Line (US: text HOME to 741741).