Nardil Side Effects

Serious Adverse Side Effects

Nardil | Phenelzine has some very serious adverse side effects associated with it that can be quite severe, such as:

Cardiovascular side effects such as hypertensive crisis, or rapidly increasing blood pressure
Hematological side effects such as leukopenia, an abnormally low amount of white blood cells
Hepatic side effects such as sometimes fatal hepatic necrosis, or serious damage to the liver
Neurological side effects such as seizures
Psychiatric side effects such as worsening depression, suicidal thoughts
Respiratory side effects such as edema of glottis, or the accumulation of fluid in the soft tissues of the larynx

Common Adverse Side Effects

Nardil | Phenelzine has some more common and less severe adverse side effects, such as:

Cardiovascular side effects such as head rush
Endocrine metabolic side effects such as weight gain
Gastrointestinal side effects such as abdominal discomfort, constipation, and dry mouth
Hepatic side effects such as increased liver aminotransferase levels, an indicator of liver damage
Neurological side effects such as weakness, dizziness, difficulty with sleep, headache, and drowsiness
Reproductive side effects such as disorder of ejaculation, impotence, or inability to orgasm
Other side effects such as fatigue

Warnings & Recalls for Nardil

Black Box Warning

Antidepressants such as Nardil | Phenelzine increase the risk of suicidal behaviors and thoughts in children, adolescents and young adults who display symptoms of major depression or other psychiatric disorders. Families and caregivers should be mindful of the need to monitor patients for exhibiting this kind of behavior. It is worth noting that Nardil | Phenelzine isn’t approved for use in pediatric patients.

Contraindications

Nardil | Phenelzine is contraindicated in the following patients:

Concurrent use within 14 days of other MAO inhibitors
Concurrent use with SSRIs within 14 days
Concurrent use with bupropion hydrochloride within 14 days
Concurrent use within 14 days of buspirone
Concurrent use with central nervous system depressants including alcohol and narcotics
Concurrent use with dextromethorphan
Concurrent use with meperidine
Concurrent use with guanethidine, methyldopa, L-dopa, L-tyrosine, or phenylalanine
Concurrent use with sympathomimetic drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, methylphenidate, epinephrine, norepinephrine, or dopamine
Concurrent use with tryptophan
Congestive heart failure
Surgery with anesthesia within 10 days of therapy
Ingestion of excessive amounts of chocolate or coffee
Ingestion of foods with high tyramine content, (cheese, beer, wine, pickled herring, yogurt, liver, and yeast extract)
Liver disease or abnormal liver function
Hypersensitivity to phenelzine
Pheochromocytoma
Kidney disease or kidney impairment

Who Should Not Take This Drug

The following patients should never take this drug:

Suicidal patients
Patients with diabetes mellitus
Patients who are epileptics
Elongation of therapy
Patients with hypertensive crises
Patients with schizophrenia

Nardil Treatment and Use

Nardil | Phenelzine is a prescription drug used as an antidepressant and anxiolytic. Its drug classification is that of a non-selective and irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor, or MAOI of the hydrazine class. Nardil | Phenelzine is used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, specifically for patients who’ve got a history of “atypical”, “neurotic” or “nonendogenous” depressive behavior. This medication has been found to be effective in patients who usually don’t receive adequate care from other prescriptions.

Non-FDA labeled uses for this drug include:

See the “Warnings and Recalls” tab to get the “black box” warning information about this drug.

How This Drug Works

Nardil | Phenelzine, a derivative from the hydrazine class, is known to be a potent MAOI. Although there isn’t that much known about its mechanism of action, it is suggested that its clinical effects on patients who take it may be due to inhibition of MAO, other pharmacological actions, or at least a mix of both.

Other Names for Nardil

Brand Names

Nardil

Nardelzine

Generic Name

Phenelzine