phenelzine (Nardil)

Nardil is used to treat depression where anxiety or fear is the main symptom and treatment with other drugs has failed. Symptoms of depression include:

• feeling sad, restless, irritable, tired

• change in appetite or weight, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, headaches, unexplained aches and pains

How does Nardil work?

Nardil belongs to a group of antidepressant medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Nardil works by increasing some chemical messengers (norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine) found naturally in your brain and other parts of your body.

Nardil comes in the following dosage forms:

15mg tablets.

Do not use Nardil if you:

• are allergic to any of the ingredients in Nardil (please read “What are the ingredients in Nardil?” above)
• have been diagnosed with a growth on the adrenal glands near your kidneys which is causing high blood pressure (phaeochromocytoma)
• have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure
• have or ever have had liver problems
• are taking drugs that affect your nervous system (e.g. amphetamines, cocaine, methylphenidate, dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine, methyldopa, L-dopa, L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine and phenylalanine)
• are taking dextromethorphan, guanethidine, reserpine or narcotics.
• consume alcohol. You must not drink alcohol while taking Nardil.
• are taking strong pain killers such as meperidine
• are taking or have recently taken other antidepressant drugs (amitriptyline, amitriptyline and amoxapine, carbamazepine, clomipramine, cyclobenzaprine, desipramine, doxepin, imipramine, maprotiline, nortriptyline, protriptyline, trimipramine, buproprion hydrochloride), other MAOIs, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI e.g. fluoxetine), venlafaxine or dibenzazepine derivatives.

You should wait for at least 5 weeks between stopping the use of fluoxetine and starting the use of NARDIL, and at least 10 days between stopping the use of Nardil and starting the use of fluoxetine or other serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

• are taking or have recently taken a medication to treat anxiety, such as buspirone hydrochloride

You should wait for at least 10 days between stopping the use of Nardil and starting the use of another antidepressant or buspirone hydrochloride or stopping the use of another MAOI and starting the use of Nardil.

• have a scheduled surgery

You should stop taking Nardil at least 10 days before the scheduled surgery.

While taking Nardil you should not eat a lot of high protein food that has been aged, fermented, pickled, or smoked; for a detailed list of foods and beverages to avoid, see: “Other warnings you should know about”.