What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Desipramine and propafenone
Desipramine's FDA label of July 9, 2025 names propafenone in its drug interactions section, and propafenone's label names desipramine too. The propafenone label: “Drugs that inhibit CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 can be expected to cause increased plasma levels of propafenone.”
Check it at the source: the desipramine FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 9, 2025, Alembic Pharmaceuticals Inc.); the propafenone FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 1, 2025, Strides Pharma Science Limited).
What does the desipramine label say about propafenone?
Desipramine label, drug interactionsThe drugs that inhibit cytochrome P450 2D6 include some that are not metabolized by the enzyme (quinidine; cimetidine) and many that are substrates for P450 2D6 (many other antidepressants, phenothiazines, and the Type IC antiarrhythmics propafenone and flecainide).
Source: FDA drug label (DESIPRAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE), Alembic Pharmaceuticals Inc., effective July 9, 2025 (SPL set cad14805-64d8-4257-b5f1-d56e0063f0e2), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the propafenone label say about desipramine?
Propafenone label, drug interactionsDrugs that inhibit CYP2D6 (such as desipramine, paroxetine, ritonavir, or sertraline) and CYP3A4 (such as ketoconazole, ritonavir, saquinavir, erythromycin, grapefruit juice) can be expected to cause increased plasma levels of propafenone.
Propafenone label, warnings and precautionsDrugs that inhibit these CYP pathways (such as desipramine, paroxetine, ritonavir, sertraline for CYP2D6; ketoconazole, erythromycin, saquinavir, and grapefruit juice for CYP3A4; and amiodarone and tobacco smoke for CYP1A2) can be expected to cause increased plasma levels of propafenone.
Source: FDA drug label (PROPAFENONE HYDROCHLORIDE), Strides Pharma Science Limited, effective September 1, 2025 (SPL set c65253ab-937f-4982-b841-69c2b9f9ccdb), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Desipramine | Propafenone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Depression | Atrial fibrillation |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.276 per tablet 75 mg tablet | $0.115 per tablet 150 mg tablet |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once