Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37013426›Full record

ArticleCurrent neuropharmacology2023

Update on Pharmacological Treatment for Comorbid Major Depressive and Alcohol Use Disorders: The Role of Extended-release Trazodone.

Marco Di Nicola, Maria Pepe, Isabella Panaccione, Lorenzo Moccia, Luigi Janiri, Gabriele Sani

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current neuropharmacology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
3.6field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Major depressive disorder-alcohol use disorder comorbidity: diagnosis, mechanisms and treatment.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Expert consensus on the use of trazodone in patients with major depressive disorder: results from a European Delphi panel.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026
    Article
  5. Observational
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Marco Di NicolaDepartment of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Maria PepeDepartment of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Isabella PanaccioneMental Health Department, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy.
Lorenzo MocciaDepartment of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Luigi JaniriDepartment of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Gabriele SaniDepartment of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · ITAgostino Gemelli University Polyclinic · ITASL Roma · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMajor Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are major public health concerns because of their high prevalence and clinical and functional severity. MDD and AUD commonly co-occur, but effective therapeutic approaches for comorbidity are still scarce. Available evidence on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants held mixed results, and further pharmacological categories have been less investigated. Trazodone is an approved antidepressant drug for adults and has shown efficacy on symptoms like anxiety and insomnia observed in AUD patients as well. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the effect of extended-release trazodone on clinical and functional features in MDD + AUD subjects.

methodsOne hundred MDD + AUD outpatients were retrospectively evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months of treatment with extended-release trazodone (150-300 mg/day, flexibly dosed). Improvement in depressive symptoms was the primary outcome measure. Changes in anxiety, sleep, functioning, quality of life, clinical global severity, and alcohol craving were also investigated.

resultsTrazodone reduced depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) with 54.5% remission at the endpoint. Similar improvements were observed in all secondary outcomes, including anxiety, sleep alterations, and craving (p < 0.001). Only mild side effects were reported and disappeared over time.

conclusionExtended-release trazodone displayed good antidepressant properties in MDD + AUD patients, ameliorating overall symptomatology, functioning, and quality of life, with a good safety/ tolerability profile. Further, it significantly improved sleep disturbances and craving symptoms, which are associated with drinking relapse and worse outcomes. Therefore, trazodone might represent a promising pharmacological option for MDD + AUD patients.

Indexed as

AlcoholismMajor Depressive DisorderTrazodoneAdultAntidepressive AgentsComorbidityHumansQuality of LifeRetrospective StudiesAntidepressive AgentsTrazodonealcoholismantidepressantscomorbiditydepressionpersonalized medicineTrazodone

Identifiers

PMID37013426
PMCPMC10556391
OpenAlexW4362524067

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.