Table of Early Side Effects of Common Medicines for Depression

Symbols:

  –   Very few people report this symptom

  +   Less than 1 out of 10 people report this symptom

  ++   1 to 3 out of 10 people report this symptom

  +++  3 to 5 out of 10 people report this symptom

  ++++  5 out of 10 or more people report this symptom

Note:

SSRI= selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

SNRI= selective norepinephrine serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Side Effects
Medication	Nausea	Diarrhea	Constipation	Dry Mouth	Sweating
SSRI Group
citalopram (Celexa)	+ +	+	–	+ +	+ +
escitalopram (Ciprolex)	+ +	+	+	+	+
fluoxetine (Prozac)	+ +	–	–	+ +	+
fluvoxamine (Luvox)	+ + +	+	+ +	+ +	+ +
paroxetine (Paxil)	+ +	+ +	+ +	+ +	+ +
sertraline (Zoloft)	+ + +	+ +	+	+ +	+
SNRI Group
venlafaxine (Effexor)	+ + +	+	+ +	+ +	+ +
desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)	+ +	+ +	+	+ +	+ +
duloxetine (Cymbalta)	+ + +	+	+ +	+ +	+
Other Antidepressants
bupropion (Wellbutrin)	+ +	–	+ +	+ +	+
mirtazapine (Remeron)	–	–	+ +	+ +	–

Other Common Early Side Effects of Antidepressant Medications

Side Effects
Medication	Daytime sleepiness	Trouble sleeping	Headache	Shakiness	Dizziness
SSRI Group
citalopram (Celexa)	+ +	–	–	+	–
escitalopram (Ciprolex)	+ +	–	–	+	+
fluoxetine (Prozac)	+ +	+ +	–	+ +	–
fluvoxamine (Luvox)	+ + +	+ +	+ + +	+ +	+ +
paroxetine (Paxil)	+ +	+ +	+ +	+	+ +
sertraline (Zoloft)	+ +	+ +	+ + +	+ +	+ +
SNRI Group
venlafaxine (Effexor)	+ +	+ +	+ +	+	+ +
desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)	+	+ +	+ +	+	+ +
duloxetine (Cymbalta)	+	+ +	+	+	+
Other Antidepressants
bupropion (Wellbutrin)	–	+ +	–	+	+
mirtazapine (Remeron)	+ + + +	–	–	+	+

Note:

• Tables adapted from Lam, R.W., Kennedy, S.H., Grigoriadis, S., McIntyre, R.S., Milev, R., Ramasubbu, R., Parikh, S.V., Patten, S.B., Ravindran, A.V., & Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT). (2009). Clinical guidelines for the management of major depressive disorder in adults. III. Pharmacotherapy, Journal of Affective Disorders, 117 (2009) S26–S43. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2009.06.041
• SSRI= selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
• SNRI= selective norepinephrine serotonin reuptake inhibitors

For More Information Please See:

• What happens when the medicine is gradually reduced and eventually stopped?
• How long should you keep taking the medicine?
• How long does it take for the medicine to work?
• Side Effects
• Cost of Medication
• Combining Medication and Therapy

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Download: Fact Sheets: Medication Side Effects

Last Updated: March 12, 2013