WASHINGTON – People taking migraine drugs together with some antidepressants are at risk of a life-threatening condition, The Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday.
Also Wednesday the FDA said antidepressant manufacturers should include prescribing information about an uncommon but life-threatening lung problem that affects babies born to mothers who take the drugs during pregnancy.
Serotonin syndrome can occur when migraine headache drugs called triptans are taken with antidepressants known as selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs and SNRIs. The syndrome occurs when the body has too much of the nervous system chemical serotonin.
Commonly prescribed SSRIs include Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Lexapro. SNRIs include Cymbalta and Effexor. Triptans include Amerge, Axert, Imitrex and Zomig.
Patients taking the drug combination can experience restlessness, hallucinations, loss of coordination, fast heart beat, rapid changes in blood pressure, increased body temperature, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the FDA said.
On the other antidepressant and health issue, babies with persistent pulmonary hypertension have high pressure in the blood vessels of their lungs and are not able to get enough oxygen into their bloodstream, the FDA said.
Infants whose mothers took antidepressants in the second half of pregnancy had six times the expected risk of developing the lung disorder, researchers reported.
Women who are pregnant or who are thinking about getting pregnant and take SSRIs should not stop taking the antidepressants without first talking to a doctor, the FDA said in a public health advisory intended for doctors and patients.
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