From the Guidelines
Common side effects of Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, insomnia, and somnolence.
Adverse Effects of SNRIs
The following are some of the common side effects associated with SNRIs:
- Diaphoresis
- Dry mouth
- Abdominal discomfort
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Tremor
- Insomnia
- Somnolence
- Decreased appetite
- Weight loss as described in the clinical practice guideline for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders 1.
Severe Adverse Events
Some severe adverse events associated with SNRIs include:
- Suicidal thinking and behavior (through age 24 years)
- Behavioral activation/agitation
- Hypomania
- Mania
- Sexual dysfunction
- Seizures
- Abnormal bleeding
- Serotonin syndrome as reported in the clinical practice guideline for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders 1.
Individual SNRI Medications
Individual SNRI medications have also been associated with distinctive, potentially serious (albeit rare) adverse effects, such as:
- Venlafaxine: greater suicide risk, overdose fatalities, and discontinuation symptoms
- Duloxetine: hepatic failure, cholestatic jaundice, and severe skin reactions as described in the clinical practice guideline for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders 1. The most commonly reported adverse events were similar across different second-generation antidepressants, including SNRIs, with some differences in the incidence of specific adverse events 1.
From the Research
Common Side Effects of Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Nausea: a common side effect of SNRIs, with a higher risk compared to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) 2
- Headache: a common side effect of SNRIs, with a prevalence of up to 17/1000 person-months of therapy in adults and adolescents 2
- Sexual dysfunction: a common side effect of SNRIs, with a prevalence of up to 25.71% 3
- Dizziness: a common side effect of duloxetine, a type of SNRI 4
- Dry mouth: a common side effect of duloxetine, a type of SNRI 4
- Constipation: a common side effect of duloxetine, a type of SNRI 4
- Insomnia: a common side effect of duloxetine, a type of SNRI 4
- Asthenia: a common side effect of duloxetine, a type of SNRI 4
- Hypertension: a common side effect of duloxetine, a type of SNRI, and venlafaxine, another type of SNRI 4
- Diaphoresis: a common side effect of venlafaxine, a type of SNRI, at higher doses 4
- Tachycardia: a common side effect of venlafaxine, a type of SNRI, at higher doses 4
- Tremors: a common side effect of venlafaxine, a type of SNRI, at higher doses 4
- Anxiety: a common side effect of venlafaxine, a type of SNRI, at higher doses 4
- Dysuria: a common side effect of milnacipran, a type of SNRI, occurring in up to 7% of patients 4
- Blood pressure and pulse elevations: a common side effect of milnacipran and levomilnacipran, types of SNRIs, at high doses 4