Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major…
Worth asking your prescriber whether trazodone was chosen mainly for depression or for sleep, since several other antidepressants ranked higher for treating depression itself in this comparison.
Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: This analysis covers trazodone at antidepressant doses for depression; the much more common low-dose use for insomnia is off-label and was not what was measured here. Several authors disclosed pharmaceutical lecture/consulting fees, though the study itself was publicly funded (NIHR and JSPS).
Across 522 trials in 116,477 adults with major depression, trazodone worked better than placebo, but in head-to-head comparisons it was among the least effective of the 21 antidepressants and had among the highest dropout rates (odds ratios 1.30-2.32 for stopping treatment).
Worth asking
Worth asking your prescriber whether trazodone was chosen mainly for depression or for sleep, since several other antidepressants ranked higher for treating depression itself in this comparison.
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Major depressive disorder
Source
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis — Cipriani A, et al. (2018)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 116,477
- Preregistered
- Yes
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "gold standard". Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. It scores 100 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: This analysis covers trazodone at antidepressant doses for depression; the much more common low-dose use for insomnia is off-label and was not what was measured here. Several authors disclosed pharmaceutical lecture/consulting fees, though the study itself was publicly funded (NIHR and JSPS). The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis — Cipriani A, et al. (2018). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is trazodone (Desyrel, Oleptro), desyrel, oleptro FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Major depressive disorder. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.