Desipramine

Conditions Treated

Desipramine is used to treat depression. Desipramine is in a class of medications called tricyclic antidepressants. It works by increasing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain that are needed for mental balance.

Possible Side Effects

What Side Effects Can This Cause?

Desipramine may cause side effects. Call your doctor if any of these symptoms become severe or do not go away:

• nausea
• drowsiness
• weakness or tiredness
• nightmares
• dry mouth
• skin more sensitive to sunlight than usual
• changes in appetite or weight
• constipation
• difficulty urinating
• frequent urination
• blurred vision
• changes in sex drive or ability
• excessive sweating

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately:

• jaw, neck, and back muscle spasms
• slow or difficult speech
• shuffling walk
• uncontrollable shaking or movement of a part of the body
• fever
• difficulty breathing or swallowing
• severe rash
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• irregular heartbeat
• seizures
• sore throat, fever, and other signs of infection

Usage Instructions

How Should This Medication Be Used

Desipramine comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken one or more times a day and may be taken with or without food. Take desipramine at around the same time(s) every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take desipramine exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor may start you on a low dose of desipramine and gradually increase your dose. It may take 2-3 weeks for you to feel the full benefit of desipramine. Continue to take desipramine even if you feel well. Do not stop taking desipramine without talking to your doctor. If you suddenly stop taking desipramine, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, headache, and weakness. Your doctor will probably want to decrease your dose gradually.

What Dietary Instructions Should I Follow

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue your normal diet.

Are There Any Special Instructions

Before taking desipramine, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to desipramine, clomipramine (Anafranil), imipramine (Tofranil), trimipramine (Surmontil), any other medications, or any of the ingredients in desipramine tablets. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a list of the ingredients. tell your doctor if you are taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or if you have stopped taking an MAO inhibitor within the past 14 days. Your doctor will probably tell you not to take desipramine. If you stop taking desipramine, you should wait at least 14 days before you start to take an MAO inhibitor. tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, herbal products and nutritional supplements you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: anticoagulants (blood thinners) such as warfarin (Coumadin); antihistamines; cimetidine (Tagamet); estrogens; flecainide (Tambocor); fluoxetine (Prozac); guanethidine (Ismelin); levodopa (Sinemet, Larodopa); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); medication for high blood pressure, seizures, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, mental illness, nausea, asthma, colds, or allergies; methylphenidate (Ritalin); muscle relaxants; oral contraceptives; phenobarbital; propafenone (Rythmol); quinidine; sedatives; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft); sleeping pills; thyroid medications; and tranquilizers. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. Your doctor may tell you not to take desipramine if you have stopped taking fluoxetine during the past 5 weeks. tell your doctor if you have recently had a heart attack. Your doctor may tell you that you should not take desipramine. tell your doctor if anyone in your family has or has ever had an irregular heartbeat or has died suddenly. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had heart or blood vessel disease such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), angina (chest pain), irregular heartbeat, or a heart attack; glaucoma; an enlarged prostate (a male reproductive gland) difficulty urinating; diabetes; seizures; an overactive thyroid gland; schizophrenia (a mental illness that causes disturbed or unusual thinking, loss of interest in life, and strong or inappropriate emotions); or liver or kidney disease. if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking desipramine. you should know that this medication may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you. ask your doctor about the safe use of alcohol while you are taking this medication. tell your doctor if you use tobacco products. Cigarette smoking may decrease the effectiveness of this medication.