Ask the Pharmacist: Drug Interactions With Antidepressants
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ANTHONY ADAMS: It's important to know what drugs may interact with an antidepressant because the adverse effects, they could be severe or life threatening. So with interactions you're looking for with antidepressant medications, it's usually a big range. You can go from an immediate reaction like anaphylactic shock to typically most antidepressants, it takes time for you to build up to an interaction where you're actually noticing it and making it severe, life threatening, such as like difficulty breathing, or heart issues, or mental status changes.
Someone comes to me trying to fill a prescription for an antidepressant. Things I typically look for are what they're taking now prescription wise. And then it's always usually key to ask if they're taking any supplements or over-the-counter medications. And you really got to specify supplements because they could also still interact with their antidepressant medication. So you really want to look at those main three areas. Most antidepressants have a black box warning for increased thoughts of suicide. So definitely, if you notice anything like that, tell your doctor immediately.
Someone comes to me trying to fill a prescription for an antidepressant. Things I typically look for are what they're taking now prescription wise. And then it's always usually key to ask if they're taking any supplements or over-the-counter medications. And you really got to specify supplements because they could also still interact with their antidepressant medication. So you really want to look at those main three areas. Most antidepressants have a black box warning for increased thoughts of suicide. So definitely, if you notice anything like that, tell your doctor immediately.
