Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How trazodone affects stress hormones in healthy dogs
By Brown, Morgan et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The impact of single-dose trazodone administration on plasma endogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone and serum cortisol concentrations in healthy dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 14 healthy adult dogs were given either trazodone, a medication often used to reduce stress, or a placebo to see how it affected their hormone levels. The results showed that while trazodone did not change the baseline levels of a hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (eACTH), it did significantly lower cortisol levels after stimulation. This suggests that trazodone might help manage stress-related hormone responses in dogs. If these effects are confirmed in dogs with adrenal issues, it could influence how veterinarians diagnose and treat those conditions.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Conditions affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are common in dogs. Testing the function of the HPA axis includes measurement of endogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone (eACTH) and performance of an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test. Trazodone is commonly administered to dogs to decrease stress. In humans, trazodone significantly decreases plasma cortisol concentration via alpha-1 adrenergic activity. OBJECTIVES: Determine the influence of trazodone on eACTH and serum cortisol concentrations in healthy dogs. ANIMALS: Fourteen healthy, adult, companion dogs. METHODS: Prospective, randomized placebo-controlled study. Trazodone (8-10 mg/kg) or placebo was administered PO 1 hour before eACTH measurement and ACTH stimulation testing. After a ≥7-day wash-out period, dogs received the opposite treatment. Differences in eACTH, pre- and post-ACTH stimulation cortisol concentrations, and delta (difference between pre- and post-ACTH) cortisol concentrations were analyzed using a paired t or signed-rank test with a P < .05 significance level. RESULTS: The eACTH concentrations were not significantly different (P = .23) between treatments. Similarly, no significant differences were found in the pre-ACTH cortisol concentrations between treatments (P = .40). Post-ACTH cortisol concentrations (P = .05) and delta cortisol concentrations (P = .04) were significantly lower when the dogs were treated with trazodone. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data suggest trazodone administration dampens the adrenocortical response to stimulation in healthy dogs. If similar effects are found in dogs with adrenal disease, the use of trazodone may affect diagnosis and clinical decision making in these populations.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37965773/