Meridia Side Effects
If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking Meridia and seek emergency medical attention or contact your doctor immediately:
· an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
· an irregular heartbeat;
· high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision); or
· seizures.
Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take Meridia and talk to your doctor if you experience:
· restlessness or tremor,
· nervousness or anxiety,
· mild headache or dizziness,
· insomnia,
· dry mouth or an unpleasant taste in your mouth, or
· constipation.
Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.
What other drugs will affect Meridia?
Do not take Meridia if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), or phenelzine (Nardil) in the last 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction may occur.
Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are taking:
· lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith, Lithonate, others);
· almotriptan (Axert), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), or zolmitriptan (Zomig);
· citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), or fluvoxamine (Luvox);
· venlafaxine (Effexor), nefazodone (Serzone), mirtazapine (Remeron), or thioridazine (Mellaril);
· amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep), amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), or trimipramine (Surmontil);
· dihydroergotamine (D.H.E.);
· dextromethorphan (in many cough medicines);
· meperidine (Demerol);
· fentanyl (Duragesic); or
· pentazocine (Talacen, Talwin).
Meridia may interact with the medicines listed above and cause anxiety, restlessness, loss of consciousness, confusion, weakness, tremor, poor coordination, fever, shivering, sweating, vomiting, a fast heartbeat, and other symptoms. These reactions can be very dangerous and require medical attention. Do not take any other prescription or over-the-counter medicines without first talking to your doctor, especially weight-loss products, tryptophan (L-tryptophan, 5-HTP), decongestants, antidepressants, cough suppressants, lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid, Lithonate, others), or migraine medicines. Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with Meridia. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines.
