Knowing the facts about any drug you are taking can help you stay on track with your treatment. This page presents important health and safety information about Effexor XR.
Be sure to read everything carefully, and talk to your doctor about any questions you might have. This information does not take the place of instructions from, or a conversation with, your health care professional. For more information, see the Important Safety Information, the Prescribing Information, and the Medication Guide.
Antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults. However, depression and other serious mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts and actions.
Patients and their families should know that both adults and children taking an antidepressant medicine should be watched closely for signs that their condition is getting worse or that they are becoming suicidal. Pay close attention to any changes (especially sudden changes) in mood, thoughts, or feelings. This is very important when an antidepressant medicine is started or when the dose is changed. All patients should be watched for becoming agitated, irritable, hostile, aggressive, impulsive, restless, or anxious. Such symptoms or any new or sudden changes in mood, thoughts, or feelings should be reported to the patient's health care professional right away.
Effexor XR is not approved for use in children under 18. Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in studies in children, teenagers, and young adults ages 18 to 24 with depression and other psychiatric disorders. For more information, see the Prescribing Information and the Medication Guide.
Some people should not take Effexor XR. Discuss this with your health care professional. People taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) should not take Effexor XR. MAOIs can cause a very serious reaction or even death if taken at the same time as Effexor XR. You must stop taking your MAOI at least 14 days before beginning Effexor XR. Similarly, you should wait 7 days after stopping Effexor XR before starting an MAOI. Be sure to ask your health care professional whether a medicine you are taking is an MAOI.
Do not take Effexor XR if you are allergic to Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) or any of its ingredients. The inactive ingredients are cellulose, ethylcellulose, gelatin, hypromellose, iron oxide, and titanium dioxide.
A potentially life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome can happen with Effexor XR treatment, particularly when taken with other medicines that affect serotonin. This includes medicines used to treat migraine headaches (known as triptans), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), lithium, tramadol, St. John's wort, MAOIs (including linezolid, an antibiotic), and tryptophan supplements.
If you take migraine headache medicines, ask your health care professional whether your medicine is a triptan. Before you take Effexor XR and any of these medicines together, talk to your health care professional. If you must take these medicines together, be aware of the possibility of serotonin syndrome. Tell your health care professional about any medications you are taking or plan to take, including herbal preparations and nutritional supplements.
Effexor XR can make some conditions worse. Tell your health care professional about all of your medical problems. Be sure to tell your health care professional if you have or had:
Tell your health care professional about all medicines that you take or plan to take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines and supplements (including natural and herbal supplements). Your health care professional will decide if you can take Effexor XR with other medicines.
Effexor XR is not recommended for weight loss alone or in combination with phentermine or other products.
Please tell your health care professional if you are pregnant, intend to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. Some newborns whose mothers took Effexor XR late in the third trimester have had problems. Because of those problems, the newborns needed long hospital stays, help with breathing, and tube feeding.
Effexor XR and other antidepressants are not addictive. You cannot become addicted to an antidepressant even if you take it for long-term maintenance therapy. An antidepressant is not a controlled substance like a narcotic or a stimulant.
Until you see how Effexor XR affects you, be careful doing such activities as driving a car or operating machinery. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Effexor XR.
Your guide has 0 topics.
Add a topic
See your guide
Close
Fill in the information below to send an e-mail message and a link to this page.
Recipient's e-mail address
Your e-mail address
Send
This form does not collect your information. To learn more about our use of your information and your rights, please consult our Privacy Policy.
A message has been sent to your intended recipient with a link to this page. He or she will receive it shortly.
Thank you.