Cautions with other medicines
Some medicines can affect the way venlafaxine works and increase the chances of you having side effects.
Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start venlafaxine:
- any medicines that affect your heartbeat – as venlafaxine can make your heart beat faster or cause an irregular heartbeat
- any other medicines for depression – some rarely used antidepressants can affect venlafaxine and cause very high blood pressure even if they have not been taken few weeks
Mixing venlafaxine with herbal remedies and supplements
Do not take St John's wort, a herbal remedy for depression, while you are being treated with venlafaxine because it increases your risk of side effects.
There's not enough information to say that other complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with venlafaxine. 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.
Important: Medicine safety
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements.