Department of Surgery, Holmes Regional Medical Center, Melbourne, FL, USA.
Thirty-one adult diabetic patients with painful distal symmetrical polyneuropathy were treated with low doses of oral trazodone (50 or 100 mg/day). After 2 weeks of therapy, 19 patients (61.3%) experienced symptomatic relief, and 7 (22.6%) experienced complete relief. Although 8 patients (25.8%) discontinued the drug because of side effects, these were relatively minor (dizziness, headache, insomnia). Low-dose trazodone is recommended as an effective treatment option for painful diabetic neuropathy.