Taking paroxetine with other medicines and herbal supplements

Cautions with other medicines

Paroxetine can be affected by other medicines you're taking, and it can affect the way that other medicines work. Either way, it can increase the chances of you having side effects.

Tell your doctor if you're taking any of these medicines before you start paroxetine:

• any medicines that affect your heartbeat – paroxetine can make your heart beat faster or cause an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
• any other medicines for depression – some rarely used antidepressants can interact with paroxetine and cause very high blood pressure even a few weeks after you've stopped taking them
• any medicines for schizophrenia – some rarely used medicines for schizophrenia can affect how paroxetine works and cause heart problems

Mixing paroxetine with herbal remedies and supplements

Do not take St John's wort, the herbal remedy for depression, if you're taking paroxetine because it increases your risk of side effects.

There's not enough information to say that other herbal remedies and supplements are safe to take with paroxetine. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.