Tricyclic Compounds/Cimetidine
This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.
Medical warning:
Moderate. These medicines may cause some risk when taken together. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.
How the interaction occurs:
When these two medicines are taken together, cimetidine may prevent your body from processing your antidepressant medicine properly.
What might happen:
Your blood levels of antidepressant may rise and cause an increase in the beneficial and toxic effects of the medicine.
What you should do about this interaction:
If you experience weakness, tiredness, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, confusion, anxiety, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, or problems urinating, contact your doctor. It may be necessary to adjust the dose of your antidepressant or change your cimetidine to a different medicine.Your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) may already be aware of this interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.
References:
1.Miller DD, Macklin M. Cimetidine-imipramine interaction: a case report. Am J Psychiatry 1983 Mar;140(3):351-2.
2.Miller DD, Sawyer JB, Duffy JP. Cimetidine's effect on steady-state serum nortriptyline concentrations. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 1983 Dec; 17(12):904-5.
3.Henauer SA, Hollister LE. Cimetidine interaction with imipramine and nortriptyline. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1984 Feb;35(2):183-7.
4.Anonymous. Cimetidine-imipramine interaction: case report and comments. Am J Psychiatry 1984 Jan;141(1):152-3.
5.Spina E, Koike Y. Differential effects of cimetidine and ranitidine on imipramine demethylation and desmethylimipramine hydroxylation by human liver microsomes. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1986;30(2):239-42.
6.Wells BG, Pieper JA, Self TH, Stewart CF, Waldon SL, Bobo L, Warner C. The effect of ranitidine and cimetidine on imipramine disposition. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1986;31(3):285-90.
7.Sutherland DL, Remillard AJ, Haight KR, Brown MA, Old L. The influence of cimetidine versus ranitidine on doxepin pharmacokinetics. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1987;32(2):159-64.
8.Miller ME, Perry CJ, Siris SG. Psychosis in association with combined cimetidine and imipramine treatment. Psychosomatics 1987 Apr;28(4):217-9.
