VENLAFAXINE

(VEN la fax een) Brand: Effexor, Effexor XR

What is the most significant information I must know about venlafaxine?

• You must not take this medicine if you are being treated with methylene blue injection.

• Do not use venlafaxine if you have taken an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur. MAO inhibitors include isocarboxazid, linezolid, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, and tranylcypromine. After you stop taking venlafaxine, you should wait at least 7 days till you start taking an MAOI.

• Some young people have thoughts about suicide when first taking an antidepressant. Your doctor will need to check your progress at regular visits while you are using venlafaxine. Your family or another caregivers must also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms.

• Do not give this medicine to anyone under 18 years old without the advice of a doctor.

What is venlafaxine?

• Venlafaxine is an antidepressant in a group of drugs called selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs). Venlafaxine affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and reason depression.

• Venlafaxine is used to treat major depressive mess, anxiety, and panic disorder.

• Venlafaxine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking venlafaxine?

• You must not take this medicine if you are allergic to venlafaxine or desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), or if you are being treated with methylene blue injection.

• To create certain venlafaxine is safety for you, speak your doctor if you have:

· bipolar mess (manic depression);

· cirrhosis or another liver disease;

· kidney disease;

· heart malady, tall blood pressure, tall cholesterol;

· diabetes;

· glaucoma;

· a thyroid disorder;

· a history of seizures;

· a bleeding or blood clotting mess;

· low levels of sodium in your blood; or

· if you are switching to venlafaxine from other antidepressant.

• FDA pregnancy category C. Taking an SSRI antidepressant during pregnancy may reason serious lung problems or another complications in the child. However, you may have a relapse of depression if you stop taking your antidepressant. Speak your doctor right away if you become pregnant while taking venlafaxine. Do not start or stop taking this medication during pregnancy without your doctor's advice.

• Venlafaxine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing child. You must not breast-feed while using this medicine.

• Do not give this medicine to anyone under 18 years old without the advice of a doctor.

How must I take venlafaxine?

• Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medication in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended.

• Venlafaxine must be taken with food. Try to take venlafaxine at the same time every day.

• Swallow the controlled-release capsule (Effexor XR) intact, without crushing or chewing. To create the medicine easier to swallow, you may open the capsule and sprinkle the medication into a little amount of applesauce. Swallow all of the mixture without chewing, and do not save any for later use.

• Your blood pressure will need to be checked often.

• It may take 4 weeks till your symptoms improve. Hold using the medicine as directed and speak your doctor if your symptoms do not improve.

• This medication can reason you to have a false positive drug screening test. If you provide a urine sample for drug screening, speak the laboratory staff that you are taking venlafaxine.

• You must not stop using venlafaxine suddenly. Follow your doctor's instructions about tapering your dose.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What must I avoid while taking venlafaxine?

• Ask your doctor till taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for pain, arthritis, fever, or swelling. This includes aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac, indomethacin, meloxicam, and others. Using an NSAID with venlafaxine may reason you to bruise or bleed easily.

• Avoid drinking alcohol, which can magnify some of the side effects of venlafaxine.

• Venlafaxine may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

What are the possible side effects of venlafaxine?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: skin rash or hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor, such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.

• Call your doctor at once if you have:

· seizure (convulsions);

· very stiff (rigid) muscles, tall fever, sweating, confusion, quick or uneven heartbeats, tremors, feeling like you might pass out;

· agitation, hallucinations, fever, quick heart course, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of coordination;

· headache, slurred speech, severe weakness, muscle cramps, feeling unsteady, fainting, shallow breathing (breathing may stop);

· cough, chest tightness, trouble breathing; or

· light bruising.

• General side effects may include:

· drowsiness, dizziness, weakness, feeling nervous;

· heighten sweating;

· blurred vision;

· dry mouth;

· changes in appetite or weight;

· mild nausea, constipation; or

· decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect venlafaxine?

• Taking venlafaxine with another drugs that create you sleepy or slow your breathing can magnify these effects. Ask your doctor till taking venlafaxine with a sleeping pill, narcotic pain medication, muscle relaxer, or medication for anxiety or seizures.

• Speak your doctor about all medicines you use, and those you start or stop using during your treatment with venlafaxine, especially:

· any another antidepressant;

· buspirone;

· cimetidine;

· delavirdine,

· ketoconazole;

· lithium;

· metoprolol;

· quinidine;

· St. John's wort;

· trytophan (sometimes called L-tryptophan)

· warfarin, Coumadin;

· migraine headache medicine--sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, and others; or

· pain medication--fentanyl, tramadol.

• This list is not complete. Another drugs may interact with venlafaxine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal commodity. Not all possible interactions are listed in this medicine manual.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about venlafaxine.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

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