Venlafaxine

It is recommended that the total daily dose be reduced by 50% in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Since there was much individual variability in clearance between patients with renal impairment, individualization of dosing may be desirable in some patients.

Dosage for Elderly Patients No dose adjustment is recommended for elderly patients on the basis of age. As with any antidepressant, however, caution should be exercised in treating the elderly. When individualizing the dosage, extra care should be taken when increasing the dose.

Maintenance Treatment It is generally agreed that acute episodes of major depressive disorder require several months or longer of sustained pharmacological therapy beyond response to the acute episode. In one study, in which patients responding during 8 weeks of acute treatment with venlafaxine hydrochloride extended-release capsules were assigned randomly to placebo or to the same dose of venlafaxine hydrochloride extended-release capsules (75, 150, or 225 mg/day, qAM) during 26 weeks of maintenance treatment as they had received during the acute stabilization phase, longer-term efficacy was demonstrated.

d. schedule) (see CLINICAL TRIALS ). Based on these limited data, it is not known whether or not the dose of venlafaxine tablets/venlafaxine hydrochloride extended-release capsules needed for maintenance treatment is identical to the dose needed to achieve an initial response.

Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the need for maintenance treatment and the appropriate dose for such treatment. Discontinuing Venlafaxine Tablets Symptoms associated with discontinuation of venlafaxine tablets, other SNRIs, and SSRIs, have been reported (see PRECAUTIONS ).

Patients should be monitored for these symptoms when discontinuing treatment. A gradual reduction in the dose rather than abrupt cessation is recommended whenever possible. If intolerable symptoms occur following a decrease in the dose or upon discontinuation of treatment, then resuming the previously prescribed dose may be considered.

Subsequently, the physician may continue decreasing the dose but at a more gradual rate. Switching a Patient To or From a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) Intended to Treat Psychiatric Disorders At least 14 days should elapse between discontinuation of an MAOI intended to treat psychiatric disorders and initiation of therapy with venlafaxine tablets.

Conversely, at least 7 days should be allowed after stopping venlafaxine tablets before starting an MAOI intended to treat psychiatric disorders (see CONTRAINDICATIONS ). Use of Venlafaxine Tablets With Other MAOls, Such as Linezolid or Methylene Blue Do not start venlafaxine tablets in a patient who is being treated with linezolid or intravenous methylene blue because there is increased risk of serotonin syndrome.

In a patient who requires more urgent treatment of a psychiatric condition, other interventions, including hospitalization, should be considered (see CONTRAINDICATIONS ). In some cases, a patient already receiving therapy with venlafaxine tablets may require urgent treatment with linezolid or intravenous methylene blue.

If acceptable alternatives to linezolid or intravenous methylene blue treatment are not available and the potential benefits of linezolid or intravenous methylene blue treatment are judged to outweigh the risks of serotonin syndrome in a particular patient, venlafaxine tablets should be stopped promptly, and linezolid or intravenous methylene blue can be administered.

The patient should be monitored for symptoms of serotonin syndrome for 7 days or until 24 hours after the last dose of linezolid or intravenous methylene blue, whichever comes first. Therapy with venlafaxine tablets may be resumed 24 hours after the last dose of linezolid or intravenous methylene blue (see WARNINGS ).

The risk of administering methylene blue by non-intravenous routes (such as oral tablets or by local injection) or in intravenous doses much lower than 1 mg/kg with venlafaxine tablets is unclear. The clinician should, nevertheless, be aware of the possibility of emergent symptoms of serotonin syndrome with such use (see WARNINGS ).

TABLE 2 Treatment-Emergent Adverse Experience Incidence in 4 to 8 Week Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials 1 1 Events reported by at least 1% of patients treated with venlafaxine tablets are included, and are rounded to the nearest %.

Events for which the venlafaxine tablets incidence was equal to or less than placebo are not listed in the table, but included the following: abdominal pain, pain, back pain, flu syndrome, fever, palpitation, increased appetite, myalgia, arthralgia, amnesia, hypesthesia, rhinitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, cough increased, and dysmenorrhea 3 .

— Incidence less than 1%. 2 Incidence based on number of male patients. 3 Incidence based on number of female patients. Body System Preferred Term Venlafaxine Tablets Placebo (n=1033) (n=609) Body as a Whole Headache 25% 24% Asthenia 12% 6% Infection 6% 5% Chills 3% — Chest pain 2% 1% Trauma 2% 1% Cardiovascular Vasodilatation 4% 3% Increased blood pressure/hypertension 2% — Tachycardia 2% — Postural hypotension 1% — Dermatological Sweating 12% 3% Rash 3% 2% Pruritus 1% — Gastrointestinal Nausea 37% 11% Constipation 15% 7% Anorexia 11% 2% Diarrhea 8% 7% Vomiting 6% 2% Dyspepsia 5% 4% Flatulence 3% 2% Metabolic Weight loss 1% __ Nervous System Somnolence 23% 9% Dry mouth 22% 11% Dizziness 19% 7% Insomnia 18% 10% Nervousness 13% 6% Anxiety 6% 3% Tremor 5% 1% Abnormal dreams 4% 3% Hypertonia 3% 2% Paresthesia 3% 2% Libido decreased 2% — Agitation 2% — Confusion 2% 1% Thinking abnormal 2% 1% Depersonalization 1% — Depression 1% — Urinary retention 1% — Twitching 1% — Respiration Yawn 3% — Special Senses Blurred vision 6% 2% Taste perversion 2% — Tinnitus 2% — Mydriasis 2% — Urogenital System Abnormal ejaculation/orgasm 12% 2 — 2 Impotence 6 % 2 — 2 Urinary frequency 3% 2% Urination impaired 2% — Orgasm disturbance 2% 3 — 3 Dose Dependency of Adverse Events A comparison of adverse event rates in a fixed-dose study comparing venlafaxine tablets 75, 225, and 375 mg/day with placebo revealed a dose dependency for some of the more common adverse events associated with venlafaxine tablets use, as shown in the table that follows.

The rule for including events was to enumerate those that occurred at an incidence of 5% or more for at least one of the venlafaxine groups and for which the incidence was at least twice the placebo incidence for at least one venlafaxine tablets group.

05) suggested a dose-dependency for several adverse events in this list, including chills, hypertension, anorexia, nausea, agitation, dizziness, somnolence, tremor, yawning, sweating, and abnormal ejaculation. , abnormal ejaculation and dry mouth).

Vital Sign Changes Venlafaxine tablets treatment (averaged over all dose groups) in clinical trials was associated with a mean increase in pulse rate of approximately 3 beats per minute, compared to no change for placebo. In a flexible-dose study, with doses in the range of 200 to 375 mg/day and mean dose greater than 300 mg/day, the mean pulse was increased by about 2 beats per minute compared with a decrease of about 1 beat per minute for placebo.

8 mm Hg for placebo. However, there is a dose dependency for blood pressure increase (see WARNINGS). Laboratory Changes Of the serum chemistry and hematology parameters monitored during clinical trials with venlafaxine tablets, a statistically significant difference with placebo was seen only for serum cholesterol.

In premarketing trials, treatment with venlafaxine tablets was associated with a mean final on-therapy increase in total cholesterol of 3 mg/dL. 1 mg/dL among placebo-treated patients. This increase was duration dependent over the study period and tended to be greater with higher doses.

3% of venlafaxine-treated patients and 0% of placebo-treated patients (see PRECAUTIONS - General - Serum Cholesterol Elevation ). , a mean increase from baseline of 4 beats per minute for venlafaxine tablets. 7 beats per minute for placebo (see PRECAUTIONS, General, Use in Patients with Concomitant Illness ).

Other Events Observed During the Premarketing Evaluation of Venlafaxine During its premarketing assessment, multiple doses of venlafaxine tablets were administered to 2897 patients in Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies. In addition, in premarketing assessment of venlafaxine hydrochloride extended-release capsules, multiple doses were administered to 705 patients in Phase 3 major depressive disorder studies and venlafaxine tablets were administered to 96 patients.

During its premarketing assessment, multiple doses of venlafaxine hydrochloride extended-release capsules were also administered to 1381 patients in Phase 3 GAD studies and 277 patients in Phase 3 Social Anxiety Disorder studies. The conditions and duration of exposure to venlafaxine in both development programs varied greatly, and included (in overlapping categories) open and doubleblind studies, uncontrolled and controlled studies, inpatient (venlafaxine tablets only) and outpatient studies, fixed-dose and titration studies.

Untoward events associated with this exposure were recorded by clinical investigators using terminology of their own choosing. Consequently, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the proportion of individuals experiencing adverse events without first grouping similar types of untoward events into a smaller number of standardized event categories.

In the tabulations that follow, reported adverse events were classified using a standard COSTART-based Dictionary terminology. The frequencies presented, therefore, represent the proportion of the 5356 patients exposed to multiple doses of either formulation of venlafaxine who experienced an event of the type cited on at least one occasion while receiving venlafaxine.

All reported events are included except those already listed in Table 2 and those events for which a drug cause was remote. If the COSTART term for an event was so general as to be uninformative, it was replaced with a more informative term.

It is important to emphasize that, although the events reported occurred during treatment with venlafaxine, they were not necessarily caused by it. Events are further categorized by body system and listed in order of decreasing frequency using the following definitions: frequent adverse events are defined as those occurring on one or more occasions in at least 1/100 patients; infrequent adverse events are those occurring in 1/100 to 1/1000 patients; rare events are those occurring in fewer than 1/1000 patients.

Body as a whole— Frequent: accidental injury, chest pain substernal, neck pain; Infrequent : face edema, intentional injury, malaise, moniliasis, neck rigidity, pelvic pain, photosensitivity reaction, suicide attempt, withdrawal syndrome; Rare: appendicitis, bacteremia, carcinoma, cellulitis.

Cardiovascular system— Frequent: migraine; Infrequent: angina pectoris, arrhythmia, extrasystoles, hypotension, peripheral vascular disorder (mainly cold feet and/or cold hands), syncope, thrombophlebitis; Rare: aortic aneurysm, arteritis, first-degree atrioventricular block, bigeminy, bradycardia, bundle branch block, capillary fragility, cardiovascular disorder (mitral valve and circulatory disturbance), cerebral ischemia, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, heart arrest, mucocutaneous hemorrhage, myocardial infarct, pallor.

Digestive system— Frequent: eructation; Infrequent: bruxism, colitis, dysphagia, tongue edema, esophagitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal ulcer, gingivitis, glossitis, rectal hemorrhage, hemorrhoids, melena, oral moniliasis, stomatitis, mouth ulceration; Rare: cheilitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, duodenitis, esophageal spasm, hematemesis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, gum hemorrhage, hepatitis, ileitis, jaundice, intestinal obstruction, parotitis, periodontitis, proctitis, increased salivation, soft stools, tongue discoloration.

Endocrine system— Rare: goiter, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroid nodule, thyroiditis. Hemic and lymphatic system— Frequent: ecchymosis; Infrequent: anemia, leukocytosis, leukopenia, lymphadenopathy, thrombocythemia, thrombocytopenia; Rare: basophilia, bleeding time increased, cyanosis, eosinophilia, lymphocytosis, multiple myeloma, purpura.

Metabolic and nutritional— Frequent: edema, weight gain; Infrequent: alkaline phosphatase increased, dehydration, hypercholesteremia, hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, hypokalemia, SGOT (AST) increased, SGPT (ALT) increased, thirst; Rare: alcohol intolerance, bilirubinemia, BUN increased, creatinine increased, diabetes mellitus, glycosuria, gout, healing abnormal, hemochromatosis, hypercalcinuria, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, hyperuricemia, hypocholesteremia, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, hypophosphatemia, hypoproteinemia, uremia.

Musculoskeletal system— Infrequent: arthritis, arthrosis, bone pain, bone spurs, bursitis, leg cramps, myasthenia, tenosynovitis; Rare: pathological fracture, myopathy, osteoporosis, osteosclerosis, plantar fasciitis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendon rupture.

Nervous system— Frequent: trismus, vertigo; Infrequent: akathisia, apathy, ataxia, circumoral paresthesia, CNS stimulation, emotional lability, euphoria, hallucinations, hostility, hyperesthesia, hyperkinesia, hypotonia, incoordination, libido increased, manic reaction, myoclonus, neuralgia, neuropathy, psychosis, seizure, abnormal speech, stupor; Rare: akinesia, alcohol abuse, aphasia, bradykinesia, buccoglossal syndrome, cerebrovascular accident, loss of consciousness, delusions, dementia, dystonia, facial paralysis, feeling drunk, abnormal gait, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, hyperchlorhydria, hypokinesia, impulse control difficulties, neuritis, nystagmus, paranoid reaction, paresis, psychotic depression, reflexes decreased, reflexes increased, suicidal ideation, torticollis.

Respiratory system— Frequent: bronchitis, dyspnea; Infrequent: asthma, chest congestion, epistaxis, hyperventilation, laryngismus, laryngitis, pneumonia, voice alteration; Rare: atelectasis, hemoptysis, hypoventilation, hypoxia, larynx edema, pleurisy, pulmonary embolus, sleep apnea.

Skin and appendages— Infrequent: acne, alopecia, brittle nails, contact dermatitis, dry skin, eczema, skin hypertrophy, maculopapular rash, psoriasis, urticaria; Rare: erythema nodosum, exfoliative dermatitis, lichenoid dermatitis, hair discoloration, skin discoloration, furunculosis, hirsutism, leukoderma, petechial rash, pustular rash, vesiculobullous rash, seborrhea, skin atrophy, skin striae.

Special senses— Frequent: abnormality of accommodation, abnormal vision; Infrequent: cataract, conjunctivitis, corneal lesion, diplopia, dry eyes, eye pain, hyperacusis, otitis media, parosmia, photophobia, taste loss, visual field defect; Rare: blepharitis, chromatopsia, conjunctival edema, deafness, exophthalmos, angle-closure glaucoma, retinal hemorrhage, subconjunctival hemorrhage, keratitis, labyrinthitis, miosis, papilledema, decreased pupillary reflex, otitis externa, scleritis, uveitis.

Urogenital system— Frequent: metrorrhagia*, prostatic disorder (prostatitis and enlarged prostate)*, vaginitis*; Infrequent: albuminuria, amenorrhea*, cystitis, dysuria, hematuria, leukorrhea*, menorrhagia*, nocturia, bladder pain, breast pain, polyuria, pyuria, urinary incontinence, urinary urgency, vaginal hemorrhage*; Rare: abortion*, anuria, balanitis*, breast discharge, breast engorgement, breast enlargement, endometriosis*, fibrocystic breast, calcium crystalluria, cervicitis*, ovarian cyst*, prolonged erection*, gynecomastia (male)*, hypomenorrhea*, kidney calculus, kidney pain, kidney function abnormal, female lactation*, mastitis, menopause*, oliguria, orchitis*, pyelonephritis, salpingitis*, urolithiasis, uterine hemorrhage*, uterine spasm*, vaginal dryness*.

*Based on the number of men and women as appropriate. Postmarketing Reports Voluntary reports of other adverse events temporally associated with the use of venlafaxine that have been received since market introduction and that may have no causal relationship with the use of venlafaxine include the following: agranulocytosis, anaphylaxis, angioedema, aplastic anemia, catatonia, congenital anomalies, impaired coordination and balance, CPK increased, deep vein thrombophlebitis, delirium, EKG abnormalities such as QT prolongation; cardiac arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular extrasystole, and rare reports of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, including torsade de pointes; toxic epidermal necrolysis/Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, erythema multiforme, extrapyramidal symptoms (including dyskinesia and tardive dyskinesia), angle-closure glaucoma, hemorrhage (including eye and gastrointestinal bleeding), hepatic events (including GGT elevation; abnormalities of unspecified liver function tests; liver damage, necrosis, or failure; and fatty liver), interstitial lung disease, involuntary movements, LDH increased, neutropenia, night sweats, pancreatitis, pancytopenia, panic, prolactin increased, renal failure, rhabdomyolysis, shock-like electrical sensations or tinnitus (in some cases, subsequent to the discontinuation of venlafaxine or tapering of dose), and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (usually in the elderly).

There have been reports of elevated clozapine levels that were temporally associated with adverse events, including seizures, following the addition of venlafaxine. There have been reports of increases in prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, or INR when venlafaxine was given to patients receiving warfarin therapy.

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. , 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, amphetamines, 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). , 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 CONTRAINDICATIONS and 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. 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.

Sexual Dysfunction Use of SNRIs, including venlafaxine tablets, may cause symptoms of sexual dysfunction (see ADVERSE REACTIONS ). In male patients, SNRI use may result in ejaculatory delay or failure, decreased libido, and erectile dysfunction.

In female patients, SNRI use may result in decreased libido and delayed or absent orgasm. It is important for prescribers to inquire about sexual function prior to initiation of venlafaxine tablets and to inquire specifically about changes in sexual function during treatment, because sexual function may not be spontaneously reported.

When evaluating changes in sexual function, obtaining a detailed history (including timing of symptom onset) is important because sexual symptoms may have other causes, including the underlying psychiatric disorder. Discuss potential management strategies to support patients in making informed decisions about treatment.