Venlafaxine (marketed as Effexor) Information

FDA Alert:

SSRIs/SNRI/Triptan and Serotonin Syndrome [issued 7/2006]

A life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome can happen when medicines called selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as Effexor, and medicines used to treat migraine headaches known as 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor agonists (triptans), are used together...  More about this FDA Alert

This information reflects FDA’s current analysis of data available to FDA concerning these drugs. FDA intends to update this sheet when additional information or analyses become available.

SSRIs/SNRI/Triptan and Serotonin Syndrome (7/2006)
A life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome (serious changes in how your brain, muscles and digestive system work due to high levels of serotonin in the body) can happen when medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Effexor, and medicines used to treat migraine headaches known as 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor agonists (triptans), are used together. Signs and symptoms of serotonin syndrome include the following:

Serotonin syndrome may be more likely to occur when starting or increasing the dose of an SSRI or a triptan. This information comes from reports sent to FDA and knowledge of how these medicines work. If you take migraine headache medicines, ask your healthcare professional if your medicine is a triptan.

Before you take Effexor and a triptan together, talk to your healthcare professional. If you must take these medicines together, be aware of the possibility of serotonin syndrome, and get medical care right away if you think serotonin syndrome is happening to you.

• Healthcare Professional Sheet with FDA Alert [HTML] [PDF]
• Public Health Advisory: SSRIs/SNRI/Triptan and Serotonin Syndrome (7/2006)

Back to Top     Back to Drug Info

Date created: May, 2005, updated May 2, 2007

CDER Home Page | CDER Site Info | Contact CDER | What's New @ CDER
FDA Home Page | Search FDA Site | FDA A-Z Index | Contact FDA | Privacy | Accessibility | HHS Home Page

FDA/Center for Drug Evaluation and Research