general side effects

Last reviewed 01/2018

The most common side effects are gastrointestinal, especially nausea. These are dose related, often mild, and usually settle with continual use.

Side effects include:

  • psychiatric - anxiety, panic attacks, nervousness - although this does not effect the outcome in depressed patients with anxiety, hypomania or mania, hallucinations, depersonalisation
  • neurological - tremor, seizures, movement disorders, serotonin syndrome
  • cardiovascular - postural hypotension
  • metabolic and endocrine - SIADH, hyponatraemia, hyperprolactinaemia
  • hepatobiliary - abnormalities of liver function tests
  • musculoskeletal - myalgia, arthralgia
  • urological - urinary retention
  • reproductive disorders - sexual dysfunction such as anorgasmia and ejaculation disorders, galactorrhoea
  • skin disorders - pruritus, rash, ecchymoses, sweating, angioedema
  • gastrointestinal - nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dry mouth, anorexia; increase in risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (see linked item)
  • others including dizziness, insomnia, drowsiness, fatigue, anaphylactoid reactions, aplastic anaemia, haemolytic anaemia, pancreatitis, thrombocytopaenia

Reference:

  • (1) Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance (2000), 26, 11-12.