Drug interactions
Armodafinil + Desipramine
Severity: Minor
Armodafinil and Desipramine: minor interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Armodafinil is a wakefulness-promoting agent whereas desipramine is a sedating tricyclic antidepressant, so their effects on alertness may partly oppose each other. Armodafinil may also modestly inhibit CYP2C19 and induce CYP3A4, but desipramine is mainly cleared by CYP2D6, so no clear pharmacokinetic effect is expected. The net clinical effect is unpredictable and usually small.
What this interaction means in plain words
Armodafinil and Desipramine have a small, usually unimportant interaction. Most people can take both; the pharmacist may still mention it so that any unexpected effect is recognised.
Armodafinil belongs to Central Nervous System; Desipramine belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Opposing pharmacodynamic effects on alertness; no well-established pharmacokinetic mechanism.
What to do
No routine dose change is needed; watch for changes in alertness, heart rate and anxiety or insomnia after starting or stopping armodafinil.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Is there anything I should notice while taking both?
- Do I need to tell my doctor at the next visit?
Pro+ members
Unlock the full page
Create an account and start a Pro+ trial to unlock the full management advice for Armodafinil and Desipramine, the additional notes, the evidence detail and the whole-prescription interaction checker.
- Full clinical management advice
- Additional notes
- Evidence detail
- Interaction checker for a whole prescription
Try Pro+ free for 7 days on the web. No card needed.
Other interactions of Desipramine
- Desipramine + Disopyramide Contraindicated
- Desipramine + Dofetilide Contraindicated
- Desipramine + Ibutilide Contraindicated
- Desipramine + Isocarboxazid Contraindicated
- Desipramine + Methylene blue Contraindicated
- Desipramine + Pentamidine Contraindicated
Other interactions of Armodafinil
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Armodafinil with Desipramine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as minor. Armodafinil and Desipramine have a small, usually unimportant interaction. Most people can take both; the pharmacist may still mention it so that any unexpected effect is recognised. Armodafinil is a wakefulness-promoting agent whereas desipramine is a sedating tricyclic antidepressant, so their effects on alertness may partly oppose each other. Armodafinil may also modestly inhibit CYP2C19 and induce CYP3A4, but desipramine is mainly cleared by CYP2D6, so no clear pharmacokinetic effect is expected. The net clinical effect is unpredictable and usually small.
How serious is the interaction between Armodafinil and Desipramine?
MediHelp rates it minor, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: No routine dose change is needed; watch for changes in alertness, heart rate and anxiety or insomnia after starting or stopping armodafinil.
What other medicines interact with Desipramine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Desipramine with, for example, Disopyramide, Dofetilide, Ibutilide. The full list is on the Desipramine page.
Full monographs, dosing and an interaction checker in the MediHelp app
Open the complete reference, check multi-drug interactions and use dosing tools in the MediHelp app.
