Serzone

Serzone is a prescription medication that is licensed to treat depression in adults. By balancing the levels of certain chemicals in the brain (serotonin and norepinephrine), the medicine can improve the symptoms of depression and reduce the chances of a relapse. Serzone comes in tablet form and is generally taken twice a day. Potential side effects of the medication may include headache, drowsiness, and nausea.

 

What Is Serzone?

Serzone® (nefazodone hydrochloride) is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of depression (also known as major depression or clinical depression).
 
(Click Serzone Uses for more information on what Serzone is used for, including possible off-label uses.)
 

Who Makes Serzone?

Serzone was originally manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb. However, Bristol-Myers Squibb voluntarily stopped making Serzone, due to concerns of liver toxicity (see Serzone and Liver Failure). Generic Serzone is still available and is made by a few manufacturers.
 

How Does Serzone Work?

It is not entirely clear how Serzone works. There are no other medications that work exactly like Serzone. Serzone acts on specific chemicals within the brain known as serotonin and norepinephrine. Serotonin and norepinephrine are chemicals used to send messages between nerves; when serotonin and norepinephrine levels become unbalanced, however, it can cause a variety of conditions, including depression. Serzone helps to block the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine so that more is available for the nerves in the brain, returning the serotonin back to its "normal" levels. However, unlike selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Serzone may also block certain types of serotonin receptors.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;