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Before Using

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to medicines in this group or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Antidepressants must be used with caution in children, teenagers, and young adults with depression. Studies have shown occurrences of children, teenagers, and young adults thinking about suicide or attempting suicide in clinical trials for this medicine. More study is needed to be sure antidepressants are safe and effective in children, teenagers, and young adults .

Animal studies have shown that these medicines may slow growth in the young. Therefore, be sure to discuss with your doctor the use of these medicines in children.

Geriatric

Dizziness or lightheadedness may be especially likely to occur in elderly patients, who are usually more sensitive than younger adults to these effects of MAO inhibitors.

Pregnancy

A limited study in pregnant women showed an increased risk of birth defects when these medicines were taken during the first 3 months of pregnancy. In animal studies, MAO inhibitors caused a slowing of growth and increased excitability in the newborn when very large doses were given to the mother during pregnancy.

Breastfeeding

Tranylcypromine passes into the breast milk; it is not known whether isocarboxazid or phenelzine passes into breast milk. Problems in nursing babies have not been reported.

Drug Interactions

Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with a medication in this class or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Amitriptyline
• Amoxapine
• Amphetamine
• Apraclonidine
• Atomoxetine
• Benzphetamine
• Brimonidine
• Bupropion
• Buspirone
• Carbamazepine
• Citalopram
• Clomipramine
• Clovoxamine
• Cocaine
• Cyclobenzaprine
• Cyproheptadine
• Desipramine
• Desvenlafaxine
• Dexfenfluramine
• Dexmethylphenidate
• Dextroamphetamine
• Dextromethorphan
• Diethylpropion
• Dobutamine
• Dopamine
• Dothiepin
• Doxepin
• Duloxetine
• Ephedrine
• Epinephrine
• Escitalopram
• Femoxetine
• Fenfluramine
• Fluoxetine
• Fluvoxamine
• Furazolidone
• Guanadrel
• Guanethidine
• Imipramine
• Isocarboxazid
• Isometheptene
• Isoproterenol
• Levodopa
• Levomethadyl
• Linezolid
• Lisdexamfetamine
• Lofepramine
• Maprotiline
• Mazindol
• Meperidine
• Mephentermine
• Metaraminol
• Methadone
• Methamphetamine
• Methotrimeprazine
• Methoxamine
• Methyldopa
• Methylphenidate
• Milnacipran
• Mirtazapine
• Morphine
• Morphine Sulfate Liposome
• Nefazodone
• Nefopam
• Norepinephrine
• Nortriptyline
• Opipramol
• Oxcarbazepine
• Pargyline
• Paroxetine
• Phendimetrazine
• Phenelzine
• Phenmetrazine
• Phentermine
• Phenylalanine
• Phenylephrine
• Phenylpropanolamine
• Procarbazine
• Propoxyphene
• Protriptyline
• Pseudoephedrine
• Rasagiline
• Reserpine
• Rizatriptan
• Selegiline
• Sertraline
• Sibutramine
• St John's Wort
• Sumatriptan
• Tapentadol
• Tetrabenazine
• Tramadol
• Tranylcypromine
• Trimipramine
• Tryptophan
• Venlafaxine
• Zolmitriptan

Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Albuterol
• Altretamine
• Amitriptyline
• Amoxapine
• Arformoterol
• Avocado
• Bambuterol
• Bitolterol
• Bitter Orange
• Broxaterol
• Buspirone
• Citalopram
• Clenbuterol
• Clomipramine
• Clovoxamine
• Desipramine
• Difenoxin
• Diphenoxylate
• Disulfiram
• Dopamine
• Dothiepin
• Doxepin
• Droperidol
• Duloxetine
• Entacapone
• Ephedrine
• Escitalopram
• Ethchlorvynol
• Femoxetine
• Fenoterol
• Fentanyl
• Fluoxetine
• Fluvoxamine
• Formoterol
• Guarana
• Hexoprenaline
• Imipramine
• Isoetharine
• Kava
• Levalbuterol
• Levodopa
• Licorice
• Lithium
• Lofepramine
• Ma Huang
• Maprotiline
• Mate
• Mephentermine
• Metaraminol
• Methoxamine
• Metoclopramide
• Nefazodone
• Nortriptyline
• Oxycodone
• Paroxetine
• Pentazocine
• Phenylephrine
• Pirbuterol
• Procaterol
• Protriptyline
• Reboxetine
• Rimiterol
• Ritodrine
• Salmeterol
• Sertraline
• Sibutramine
• St John's Wort
• Sumatriptan
• Terbutaline
• Tolcapone
• Tramadol
• Trimipramine
• Tryptophan
• Tulobuterol
• Tyrosine
• Venlafaxine

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using medicines in this class with any of the following is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with a medication in this class, change some of the other medicines you take, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

• Caffeine
• Dopamine Containing Food
• Tyramine Containing Food

Using medicines in this class with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use your medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

• Tyramine Containing Food

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of medicines in this class. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Alcohol abuse—Drinking alcohol while you are taking an MAO inhibitor may cause serious side effects.

• Angina (chest pain) or
• Headaches (severe or frequent)—These conditions may interfere with warning signs of serious side effects of MAO inhibitors.

• Asthma or bronchitis—Some medicines used to treat these conditions may cause serious side effects when used while you are taking an MAO inhibitor.

• Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)—These medicines may change the amount of insulin or oral antidiabetic medication that you need.

• Epilepsy—Seizures may occur more often.

• Heart or blood vessel disease or
• Liver disease or
• Mental illness (or history of) or
• Parkinson's disease or
• Recent heart attack or stroke—MAO inhibitors may make the condition worse.

• High blood pressure—Condition may be affected by these medicines.

• Kidney disease—Higher blood levels of MAO inhibitors may occur, which increases the chance of side effects.

• Overactive thyroid or
• Pheochromocytoma (PCC)—Serious side effects may occur.

DR602071

Nov. 1, 2009

Source: Drug Information provided by: Micromedex

Copyright © 2009 Thomson Healthcare Inc. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.