desipramine vs escitalopram
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Side-by-side comparison of desipramine and escitalopram. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
Drugs Metabolized by CYP2D6 Clinical Impact: Coadministration of escitalopram (20 mg/day for 21 days) with the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine (single dose of 50 mg), a substrate for CYP2D6, resulted in a 40% increase in C max and a 100% increase in AUC of desipramine.
Norpramin
Lexapro
Desipramine is a medicine used to treat depression. It belongs to a class of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants.
Escitalopram is a medicine used to treat depression and anxiety. It helps to balance chemicals in your brain.
Desipramine is used to treat depression. Depression can cause feelings of sadness, loss of interest, and trouble functioning in daily life. This medicine can help improve your mood and overall well-being.
Escitalopram is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults and children 12 years and older. It also treats generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults. This medicine can help improve your mood and reduce feelings of worry.
Desipramine works by affecting certain chemicals in the brain. It helps to increase the levels of norepinephrine. This can improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression.
Escitalopram is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It works by increasing the amount of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is a chemical that helps regulate mood.
- • Drowsiness
- • Dizziness
- • Dry mouth
- • Constipation
- • Blurred vision
- • Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- • Problems with ejaculation (mostly delayed ejaculation)
- • Feeling sick to your stomach (nausea)
- • Increased sweating
- • Feeling tired (fatigue)
- Fatigue 119
- Completed Suicide 116
- Nausea 77
- Headache 70
- Weight Increased 68
- Fatigue 9,196
- Nausea 9,164
- Headache 7,114
- Diarrhoea 6,709
- Anxiety 6,447
Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in children, teens, and young adults. Watch for worsening depression, unusual behavior, or thoughts of suicide. Desipramine is not approved for use in children.
Antidepressants can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teenagers, and young adults. Watch closely for worsening depression or suicidal thoughts. Escitalopram is not approved for use in children younger than 7 years old.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Desipramine may affect your baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Taking escitalopram during pregnancy, especially later in pregnancy, may cause problems for the newborn. There is a pregnancy registry, call 1-844-405-6185.
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How to Read This desipramine vs escitalopram Comparison
desipramine is classified in the Tricyclic Antidepressant (TCA) drug class, while escitalopram sits within the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, desipramine has 450 submissions while escitalopram has 38,630. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to escitalopram slows down how quickly your body gets rid of desipramine, which can cause the levels of desipramine to build up.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for desipramine or escitalopram.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.