phenelzine vs sertraline
Side-by-side comparison of phenelzine and sertraline. 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
Drug Interactions In patients receiving nonselective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors in combination with serotoninergic agents (e.g., dexfenfluramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, citalopram, venlafaxine) there have been reports of serious, sometimes fatal, reactions.
Recommendation: Do not take these two medications together. You must wait a specific amount of time when switching between them to avoid a serious reaction.
Nardil
Zoloft
Phenelzine (Nardil) is a medicine used to treat depression. It belongs to a class of drugs called MAO inhibitors.
Sertraline is a medicine used to treat depression and other mental health conditions. It helps balance chemicals in your brain to improve your mood and reduce anxiety.
This medicine treats depression, especially when it involves anxiety, phobias, or hypochondria. It is often used when other antidepressants haven't worked. It may not be as effective for severe depression with 'endogenous' features.
Sertraline is used to treat major depressive disorder in adults. This means it can help with ongoing sadness or loss of interest in things. It also treats obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), where you have unwanted thoughts or behaviors that you can't control. Sertraline can also treat panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and social anxiety disorder.
Phenelzine works by blocking an enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO) in your body. MAO breaks down certain chemicals in the brain, like serotonin and norepinephrine. By blocking MAO, phenelzine helps increase the levels of these chemicals, which can improve mood.
Sertraline 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, and by blocking its reabsorption, sertraline helps improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- • Dizziness
- • Headache
- • Drowsiness
- • Trouble sleeping
- • Tiredness
- • Nausea
- • Diarrhea
- • Headache
- • Insomnia
- • Dizziness
- Feeling sad or hopeless 187
- Head pain 136
- Feeling worried or nervous 129
- Gaining weight 120
- Trouble sleeping 104
- Feeling sick to your stomach 5,757
- Feeling very tired 5,244
- Loose, watery stools 4,654
- Pain in your head 4,407
- Feeling lightheaded or unsteady 4,121
Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children, teens, and young adults. Your doctor will monitor you closely for worsening depression, suicidal thoughts, or unusual changes in behavior. Families and caregivers should also watch for these changes and report them to the doctor. This medicine is not approved for use in children.
Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in children, teens, and young adults. Watch closely for worsening depression, unusual behavior, or thoughts of suicide. Sertraline is not approved for treating depression in children.
It is not known if phenelzine can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Sertraline may affect your baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking sertraline during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
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How to Read This phenelzine vs sertraline Comparison
phenelzine is classified in the Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) drug class, while sertraline 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, phenelzine has 676 submissions while sertraline has 24,183. 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 of these drugs increase a chemical in your brain called serotonin. taking them together can cause dangerously high levels of serotonin, which can be life-threatening.. 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 phenelzine and sertraline - 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.