Before taking desvenlafaxine,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine (Effexor), or any other medications.
tell your doctor if you are taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor, such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), linezolid (Zyvox), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or if you have stopped taking one of these medications within the past 14 days. Your doctor will probably tell you that you should not take desvenlafaxine. If you stop taking desvenlafaxine, your doctor will tell you that you should wait at least 7 days before you start to take an MAO inhibitor.
you should know that desvenlafaxine is very similar to another SNRI, venlafaxine (Effexor). You should not take these medications together.
tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications or vitamins you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); certain antifungals such as itraconazole (Sporanox) and ketoconazole (Nizoral); amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone); aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); clarithromycin (Biaxin); diuretics ('water pills'); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); medications for anxiety, mental illness, or seizures; methylene blue;certain medications for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) such as indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), and ritonavir (Norvir); medications for migraine such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); midazolam; nefazodone; sedatives; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft); other SNRIs such as duloxetine (Cymbalta); sibutramine (Meridia); sleeping pills; tramadol (Ultram); tranquilizers; and tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. Many other medications may also interact with desvenlafaxine, so be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking, even those that do not appear on this list.
tell your doctor what herbal products and nutritional supplements you are taking, especially St. John's wort and tryptophan.
tell your doctor if you use or have ever used street drugs or have ever overused prescription medications. Also tell your doctor if you have recently had a heart attack and if you have or have ever had: bleeding problems; a stroke; high blood pressure; high cholesterol or triglycerides (fats in the blood);seizures; low sodium levels in the blood; or heart, kidney, or liver disease.
tell your doctor if you are pregnant, especially if you are in the last few months of your pregnancy, or if you plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking desvenlafaxine, call your doctor. Desvenlafaxine may cause problems in newborns following delivery if it is taken during the last months of pregnancy.
if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking desvenlafaxine.
you should know that desvenlafaxine may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
ask your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking desvenlafaxine. Alcohol can make the side effects from desvenlafaxine worse.
you should know that desvenlafaxine may cause angle-closure glaucoma (a condition where the fluid is suddenly blocked and unable to flow out of the eye causing a quick, severe increase in eye pressure which may lead to a loss of vision). Talk to your doctor about having an eye examination before you start taking this medication. If you have nausea, eye pain, changes in vision, such as seeing colored rings around lights, and swelling or redness in or around the eye, call your doctor or get emergency medical treatment right away.