PlainMeds provides educational information only. This is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist.

mirtazapine vs selegiline

Side-by-side comparison of mirtazapine and selegiline. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

moderate Known Drug Interaction

Examples selegiline, tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid, phenelzine, linezolid, methylene blue Other Serotonergic Drugs Clinical Impact The concomitant use of serotonergic drugs with mirtazapine increases the risk of serotonin syndrome.

Recommendation: This combination should be avoided. Your doctor may need to adjust your dosages or monitor you very closely.

Drug Class
mirtazapine Noradrenergic and Specific Serotonergic Antidepressant (NaSSA)
selegiline Selective MAO-B Inhibitor
Type
mirtazapine Prescription
selegiline Prescription
Summary
mirtazapine

Mirtazapine is a medicine used to treat depression in adults. It can help improve your mood and energy levels.

selegiline

Selegiline is a medicine that can help manage Parkinson's disease. It is used along with levodopa/carbidopa when that medicine is not working as well as it used to.

What It Treats
mirtazapine

Mirtazapine is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. This condition can cause you to feel sad, lose interest in activities, and have trouble with sleeping or eating. Mirtazapine can help improve these symptoms.

selegiline

Selegiline is used to help people with Parkinson's disease. It's for those who are already taking levodopa/carbidopa. Selegiline can help when their response to levodopa/carbidopa starts to weaken. It can reduce 'off' time and improve movement.

How It Works
mirtazapine

Mirtazapine works by affecting certain chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. It helps to increase the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. These chemicals can help improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression.

selegiline

Selegiline is a selective MAO-B inhibitor. It works by blocking an enzyme in the brain that breaks down dopamine. This helps to increase the amount of dopamine available, which can improve motor control in Parkinson's disease.

Common Side Effects
mirtazapine
  • Feeling sleepy
  • Increased appetite
  • Weight gain
  • Dizziness
selegiline
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Light-headedness
  • Fainting
  • Abdominal pain
FAERS Reports
mirtazapine
  • Feeling sick to your stomach 4,838
  • Feeling tired 4,714
  • Accidentally falling down 4,026
  • Loose or watery stools 3,961
  • Harm from different substances 3,705
selegiline
  • Trouble sleeping 184
  • Redness where medicine is applied 183
  • Feeling dizzy 168
  • Seeing or hearing things that are not there 166
  • Falling down 137
Serious Warnings
mirtazapine

Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young adults. Your doctor should closely watch you for worsening depression or suicidal thoughts. Mirtazapine is not approved for use in children.

selegiline

Taking selegiline with meperidine (Demerol) is dangerous and can cause serious reactions. Also, use caution when taking selegiline with tricyclic antidepressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) due to the risk of severe toxicity. One patient had a hypertensive crisis when taking selegiline with a sympathomimetic medicine (ephedrine).

Pregnancy
mirtazapine

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Mirtazapine should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.

selegiline

It is not known if selegiline can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is also not known if selegiline passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.

How to Read This mirtazapine vs selegiline Comparison

mirtazapine is classified in the Noradrenergic and Specific Serotonergic Antidepressant (NaSSA) drug class, while selegiline sits within the Selective MAO-B Inhibitor 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, mirtazapine has 21,244 submissions while selegiline has 838. 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 moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to both mirtazapine and selegiline increase the amount of serotonin in your brain. combining them can lead to a toxic buildup of this chemical.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between mirtazapine and selegiline - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.

Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.