Venlafaxine

Venlafaxine

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Questions & Answers

Side Effects & Adverse Reactions

Clinical Worsening and Suicide Risk

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), both adult and pediatric, may experience worsening of their depression and/or the emergence of suicidal ideation and behavior (suicidality) or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking antidepressant medications, and this risk may persist until significant remission occurs. Suicide is a known risk of depression and certain other psychiatric disorders, and these disorders themselves are the strongest predictors of suicide. There has been a long standing concern, however, that antidepressants may have a role in inducing worsening of depression and the emergence of suicidality in certain patients during the early phases of treatment. Pooled analyses of short-term placebo-controlled trials of antidepressant drugs (SSRIs and others) showed that these drugs increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 18 to 24) with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age 24; there was a reduction with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults aged 65 and older.

The pooled analyses of placebo-controlled trials in children and adolescents with MDD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or other psychiatric disorders included a total of 24 short-term trials of 9 antidepressant drugs in over 4400 patients. The pooled analyses of placebo-controlled trials in adults with MDD or other psychiatric disorders included a total of 295 short-term trials (median duration of 2 months) of 11 antidepressant drugs in over 77,000 patients. There was considerable variation in risk of suicidality among drugs, but a tendency toward an increase in the younger patients for almost all drugs studied. There were differences in absolute risk of suicidality across the different indications, with the highest incidence in MDD. The risk differences (drug vs. placebo), however, were relatively stable within age strata and across indications. These risk differences (drug-placebo difference in the number of cases of suicidality per 1000 patients treated) are provided in Table 1.

Table 1
Age Range
Drug-Placebo Difference in Number of Cases of
Suicidality per 1000 Patients Treated

Increases Compared to Placebo

< 18

14 additional cases

18 to 24

5 additional cases

Decreases Compared to Placebo

25 to 64

1 fewer case

≥ 65

6 fewer cases

No suicides occurred in any of the pediatric trials. There were suicides in the adult trials, but the number was not sufficient to reach any conclusion about drug effect on suicide.

It is unknown whether the suicidality risk extends to longer-term use, i.e., beyond several months. However, there is substantial evidence from placebo-controlled maintenance trials in adults with depression that the use of antidepressants can delay the recurrence of depression.

All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of a course of drug therapy, or at times of dose changes, either increases or decreases.

The following symptoms, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania, have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric. Although a causal link between the emergence of such symptoms and either the worsening of depression and/or the emergence of suicidal impulses has not been established, there is concern that such symptoms may represent precursors to emerging suicidality.

Consideration should be given to changing the therapeutic regimen, including possibly discontinuing the medication, in patients whose depression is persistently worse, or who are experiencing emergent suicidality or symptoms that might be precursors to worsening depression or suicidality, especially if these symptoms are severe, abrupt in onset, or were not part of the patient's presenting symptoms.

If the decision has been made to discontinue treatment, medication should be tapered, as rapidly as is feasible, but with recognition that abrupt discontinuation can be associated with certain symptoms (see PRECAUTIONS  and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: Discontinuation of Treatment with Venlafaxine Tablets, for a description of the risks of discontinuation of venlafaxine tablets).

Families and caregivers of patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder or other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric, should be alerted about the need to monitor patients for the emergence of agitation, irritability, unusual changes in behavior, and the other symptoms described above, as well as the emergence of suicidality, and to report such symptoms immediately to health care providers. Such monitoring should include daily observation by families and caregivers. Prescriptions for venlafaxine tablets should be written for the smallest quantity of tablets consistent with good patient management, in order to reduce the risk of overdose.

Screening Patients for Bipolar Disorder

A major depressive episode may be the initial presentation of bipolar disorder. It is generally believed (though not established in controlled trials) that treating such an episode with an antidepressant alone may increase the likelihood of precipitation of a mixed/manic episode in patients at risk for bipolar disorder. Whether any of the symptoms described above represent such a conversion is unknown. However, prior to initiating treatment with an antidepressant, patients with depressive symptoms should be adequately screened to determine if they are at risk for bipolar disorder; such screening should include a detailed psychiatric history, including a family history of suicide, bipolar disorder, and depression. It should be noted that venlafaxine tablets are not approved for use in treating bipolar depression.

Serotonin Syndrome

The development of a potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome has been reported with SNRIs and SSRIs, including venlafaxine tablets, alone but particularly with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs (including triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, tryptophan, buspirone, and St. John's Wort) and with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin (in particular, MAOIs, both those intended to treat psychiatric disorders and also others, such as linezolid and intravenous methylene blue).

Serotonin syndrome symptoms may include mental status changes (e.g., agitation, hallucinations, delirium, and coma), autonomic instability (e.g., tachycardia, labile blood pressure, dizziness, diaphoresis, flushing, hyperthermia), neuromuscular symptoms (e.g., tremor, rigidity, myoclonus, hyperreflexia, incoordination), seizures, and/or gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). Patients should be monitored for the emergence of serotonin syndrome.

The concomitant use of venlafaxine tablets with MAOIs intended to treat psychiatric disorders is contraindicated. Venlafaxine tablets should also not be started in a patient who is being treated with MAOIs such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue. All reports with methylene blue that provided information on the route of administration involved intravenous administration in the dose range of 1 mg/kg to 8 mg/kg. No reports involved the administration of methylene blue by other routes (such as oral tablets or local tissue injection) or at lower doses. There may be circumstances when it is necessary to initiate treatment with a MAOI such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue in a patient taking venlafaxine tablets. Venlafaxine tablets should be discontinued before initiating treatment with the MAOI (see CONTRAINDICATIONSand DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

If concomitant use of venlafaxine tablets with other serotonergic drugs, including triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, buspirone, tryptophan, and St. John's Wort is clinically warranted, patients should be made aware of a potential increased risk of serotonin syndrome, particularly during treatment initiation and dose increases.

Treatment with venlafaxine tablets and any concomitant serotonergic agents should be discontinued immediately if the above events occur and supportive symptomatic treatment should be initiated.

Angle-Closure Glaucoma

The pupillary dilation that occurs following use of many antidepressant drugs including venlafaxine tablets may trigger an angle closure attack in a patient with anatomically narrow angles who does not have a patent iridectomy.

Sustained Hypertension

Venlafaxine treatment is associated with sustained increases in blood pressure in some patients. (1) In a premarketing study comparing three fixed doses of venlafaxine (75, 225, and 375 mg/day) and placebo, a mean increase in supine diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) of 7.2 mm Hg was seen in the 375 mg/day group at week 6 compared to essentially no changes in the 75 and 225 mg/day groups and a mean decrease in SDBP of 2.2 mm Hg in the placebo group. (2) An analysis for patients meeting criteria for sustained hypertension (defined as treatment-emergent SDBP 90 mm Hg and ≥ 10 mm Hg above baseline for 3 consecutive visits) revealed a dose-dependent increase in the incidence of sustained hypertension for venlafaxine:

Probability of Sustained Elevation in SDBP (Pool of Premarketing Venlafaxine Studies)
Treatment Group
Incidence of Sustained Elevation in SDBP

  Venlafaxine 

      < 100 mg/day 

3% 

      101 to 200 mg/day 

5% 

      201 to 300 mg/day 

7% 

      > 300 mg/day 

13% 

  Placebo 

2% 

An analysis of the patients with sustained hypertension and the 19 venlafaxine patients who were discontinued from treatment because of hypertension (< 1% of total venlafaxine-treated group) revealed that most of the blood pressure increases were in a modest range (10 to 15 mm Hg, SDBP). Nevertheless, sustained increases of this magnitude could have adverse consequences. Cases of elevated blood pressure requiring immediate treatment have been reported in post marketing experience. Preexisting hypertension should be controlled before treatment with venlafaxine. It is recommended that patients receiving venlafaxine have regular monitoring of blood pressure. For patients who experience a sustained increase in blood pressure while receiving venlafaxine, either dose reduction or discontinuation should be considered.

Legal Issues

There is currently no legal information available for this drug.

FDA Safety Alerts

There are currently no FDA safety alerts available for this drug.

Manufacturer Warnings

There is currently no manufacturer warning information available for this drug.

FDA Labeling Changes

There are currently no FDA labeling changes available for this drug.

Uses

Venlafaxine tablets, USP are indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

The efficacy of venlafaxine tablets, USP in the treatment of major depressive disorder was established in 6 week controlled trials of adult outpatients whose diagnoses corresponded most closely to the DSM-III or DSM-III-R category of major depression and in a 4 week controlled trial of inpatients meeting diagnostic criteria for major depression with melancholia (see CLINICAL TRIALS).

A major depressive episode implies a prominent and relatively persistent depressed or dysphoric mood that usually interferes with daily functioning (nearly every day for at least 2 weeks); it should include at least 4 of the following 8 symptoms: change in appetite, change in sleep, psychomotor agitation or retardation, loss of interest in usual activities or decrease in sexual drive, increased fatigue, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, slowed thinking or impaired concentration, and a suicide attempt or suicidal ideation.

The efficacy of venlafaxine hydrochloride extended-release capsules in maintaining an antidepressant response for up to 26 weeks following 8 weeks of acute treatment was demonstrated in a placebo-controlled trial. The efficacy of venlafaxine tablets in maintaining an antidepressant response in patients with recurrent depression who had responded and continued to be improved during an initial 26 weeks of treatment and were then followed for a period of up to 52 weeks was demonstrated in a second placebo-controlled trial (see CLINICAL TRIALS). Nevertheless, the physician who elects to use venlafaxine tablets/venlafaxine hydrochloride extended-release capsules for extended periods should periodically re-evaluate the long-term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient.

History

There is currently no drug history available for this drug.

Other Information

Venlafaxine hydrochloride is a structurally novel antidepressant for oral administration. It is designated (R/S)-1-[2-(dimethylamino)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl] cyclohexanol hydrochloride or (±)-1-[α-[(dimethyl-amino)methyl]-p-methoxybenzyl] cyclohexanol hydrochloride and has the molecular formula of C17H27NO2 HCl. Its molecular weight is 313.87. The structural formula is shown below.

Structured formula for venlafaxine

                                                     Venlafaxine hydrochloride

Venlafaxine hydrochloride, USP is a white to off-white crystalline powder. It is soluble in methanol and in water. Its octanol:water (0.2 M sodium chloride) partition coefficient is 0.43.

Each venlafaxine tablet, USP intended for oral administration contains venlafaxine hydrochloride equivalent to 25 mg or 37.5 mg or 50 mg or 75 mg or 100 mg of venlafaxine. In addition, each tablet contains the following inactive ingredients: ferric oxide red, ferric oxide yellow, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose and sodium starch glycolate.

Venlafaxine Manufacturers


  • Proficient Rx Lp
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Proficient Rx Lp]
  • American Health Packaging
    Venlafaxine Tablet [American Health Packaging]
  • Direct Rx
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Direct Rx]
  • Osmotica Pharmaceutical Corp.
    Venlafaxine (Venlafaxine Hydrochloride) Tablet, Extended Release For Oral Use [Osmotica Pharmaceutical Corp.]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Ncs Healthcare Of Ky, Inc Dba Vangard Labs
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Ncs Healthcare Of Ky, Inc Dba Vangard Labs]
  • Ncs Healthcare Of Ky, Inc Dba Vangard Labs
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Ncs Healthcare Of Ky, Inc Dba Vangard Labs]
  • Aidarex Pharmaceuticals Llc
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Aidarex Pharmaceuticals Llc]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Direct Rx
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Direct Rx]
  • Bryant Ranch Prepack
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Bryant Ranch Prepack]
  • Aurobindo Pharma Limited
    Venlafaxine (Venlafaxine Hydrochloride) Tablet [Aurobindo Pharma Limited]
  • Qualitest Pharmaceuticals
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Qualitest Pharmaceuticals]
  • Clinical Solutions Wholesale
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Clinical Solutions Wholesale]
  • Zydus Pharmaceuticals (Usa) Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Zydus Pharmaceuticals (Usa) Inc.]
  • Bluepoint Laboratories
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Bluepoint Laboratories]
  • Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc.]
  • Trigen Laboratories, Llc
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Trigen Laboratories, Llc]
  • Kaiser Foundation Hospitals
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Kaiser Foundation Hospitals]
  • Northstar Rxllc
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Northstar Rxllc]
  • State Of Florida Doh Central Pharmacy
    Venlafaxine Tablet [State Of Florida Doh Central Pharmacy]
  • American Health Packaging
    Venlafaxine Tablet [American Health Packaging]
  • Alembic Pharmaceuticals Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Alembic Pharmaceuticals Inc.]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Remedyrepack Inc.
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Remedyrepack Inc. ]
  • Northstar Rxllc
    Venlafaxine Tablet [Northstar Rxllc]

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