Khedezla is available in tablets containing 50 mg and 100 mg active ingredient.
Active ingredient: desvenlafaxine
If you take too much Khedezla, call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Khedezla has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from Khedezla, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.
Serious side effects have been reported with Khedezla. See “Drug Precautions” section.
Common side effects include:
- nausea
- dizziness
- insomnia
- sweating
- constipation
- sleepiness
- loss of appetite
- anxiety
- decreased sex drive
- delayed orgasm and ejaculation
This is not a complete list of Khedezla side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Khedezla is a prescription medication used to treat depression.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
WARNING: SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS
Khedezla (generic: desvenlafaxine) is a prescription medication used to treat depression. This medication belongs to a group of drugs called serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), which work by increasing serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain to maintain mental balance and improve mood.
Khedezla comes in tablet form and is taken once a day, with or without food. Swallow Khedezla tablets whole. Do not crush, chew, or dissolve tablets as they are time-released.
Common side effects include nausea, tiredness, and headache. Khedezla can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how it affects you.
Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take including prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:
- medicines to treat migraine headaches known as triptans such as sumatriptan (Imitrex), zolmitriptan (Zomig), rizatriptan (Maxalt), eletriptan (Relpax), naratriptan (Amerge)
- medicines used to treat mood, anxiety, psychotic, or thought disorders, including tricyclics, lithium, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), or other dopamine antagonists, such as metoclopramide
- silbutramine (Meridia)
- tramadol (Ultram)
- St. John’s Wort
- MAOIs (including linezolid, an antibiotic and intravenous methylene blue)
- tryptophan supplements
This is not a complete list of Khedezla drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
1. Antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults within the first few months of treatment.
2. Depression and other serious mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts and actions. Some people may have a particularly high risk of having suicidal thoughts or actions. These include people who have (or have a family history of) bipolar illness (also called manic-depressive illness) or suicidal thoughts or actions.
3. How can I watch for and try to prevent suicidal thoughts and actions in myself or a family member?
- Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. This is very important when an antidepressant medicine is started or when the dose is changed.
- Call the healthcare provider right away to report new or sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts, or feelings.
- Keep all follow-up visits with the healthcare provider as scheduled. Call the healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you have concerns about symptoms.
With antidepressant medications:
- Never stop an antidepressant medicine without first talking to a healthcare provider. Stopping an antidepressant medicine suddenly can cause other symptoms.
- Antidepressants are medicines used to treat depression and other illnesses. It is important to discuss all the risks of treating depression and also the risks of not treating it. Patients should discuss all treatment choices with the healthcare provider, not just the
- use of antidepressants.
- Antidepressant medicines have other side effects. Talk to the healthcare provider about the side effects of this medicine.
- Antidepressant medicines can interact with other medicines. Know all of the medicines that you take. Keep a list of all medicines to show the healthcare provider. Do not start new medicines without first checking with your healthcare provider.
- Not all antidepressant medicines prescribed for children are FDA approved for use in children. Talk to your child’s healthcare provider for more information.
Serotonin syndrome: Rare, but potentially life-threatening conditions called serotonin syndrome can happen when medicines such as Khedezla are taken with certain other medicines. Serotonin syndrome can cause serious changes in how your brain, muscles, heart and blood vessels, and digestive system work. Signs and symptoms of these syndromes include one or more of the following:
- restlessness
- hallucinations
- loss of coordination
- fast heart beat
- increased body temperature
- muscle stiffness
- increase in blood pressure
- diarrhea
- coma
- nausea
- vomiting
- confusion
Get medical help right away if you think you have these syndromes.
Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Khedezla.
- are allergic to desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine or any of the ingredients in Khedezla.
- take a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if you take an MAOI, including the antibiotic linezolid and the intravenous medicine methylene blue.
- have taken an MAOI within 7 days of stopping Khedezla unless directed by your healthcare provider.
- have started Khedezla and if you stopped taking an MAOI in the last 14 days unless directed by your healthcare provider.
Take Khedezla exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.
The Khedezla dose your doctor recommends will be based on the following:
- other medical conditions you have
- other medications you are taking
- how you respond to this medication
The recommended Khedezla dose is 50 mg once daily.
Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:
- have high blood pressure
- have heart problems
- have high cholesterol or high triglycerides
- have a history of a stroke
- have or had depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior
- have glaucoma
- have kidney problems
- have liver problems
- have or had bleeding problems
- have or had seizures or convulsions
- have mania or bipolar disorder
- have low sodium levels in your blood
- are pregnant or breastfeeding
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories – A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.
Khedezla falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans, though. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.
Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Khedezla there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.
- Take Khedezla exactly as prescribed.
- Khedezla comes as a tablet to be taken by mouth at about the same time each day.
- It can be taken with or without food.
- Swallow Khedezla tablets whole, with fluid. Do not crush, cut, chew, or dissolve Khedezla tablets because the tablets are time-released.
- If you miss a dose of Khedezla, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not take two doses at the same time.
- Store Khedezla at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).
- Do not use Khedezla after the expiration date (EXP), which is on the container. The expiration date refers to the last day of that month.
- Keep Khedezla and all medicines out of the reach of children.