QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
I am a Chaplain. I deal mostly in Critical Incidents counseling and the elderly through Adult Protective Services. However, I do deal with a great number of people that have a biological disorder. My wife is Bipolar, she is on 900 mg of Lithium a day and 225 mg of Effexor a day. My question is this, is Effexor an SSRI drug or an MAOI? She takes certain over the counter drugs for her sinus at times and they say do not take them if you are using Anti-depressants such as an MAOI. I am not sure if Effexor is considered an MAOI or not, I thought it was an SSRI. Now, if it is an MAOI, do you have a suggestion as to what over the counter drug she can take for colds and so forth? I hope you can clear this up for me.
Thank you for your time.
ANSWER:
Effexor is not an MAO inhibitor. It has different effects on the serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine systems – depending upon the dose. It’s not a typical SSRI like Prozac or Paxil however. Unless high doses of Effexor are being used, there is rarely a problem taking cold medications. The biggest risk is high blood pressure, since Effexor can raise the blood pressure and some people are sensitive to ephedrine and pseudoephedrine (Sudafed). Monitoring the blood pressure can determine if a problem exists in this area.
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