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How long does it take Fetzima to leave your system?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 15, 2023.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Fetzima takes approximately 60 hours or 2.5 days to leave your system following the last dose. Experts calculate this period using the half-life of a drug. A drug’s half-life is the time it takes for 50% of that drug to be removed from the body. The half-life of Fetzima is about 12 hours and experts agree that it takes up to 5 half-lives for a drug without active metabolites to be completely removed from the body. This calculates out to 60 hours for Fetzima. But it is better to talk to your doctor about tapering off the drug slowly, instead of just stopping it suddenly because this makes it less likely that your depression will recur. Always talk to your doctor before stopping a medicine.

Fetzima breaks down in the liver into metabolites, but these are all inactive. Both levomilnacipran (the active component of Fetzima) and its metabolites are excreted primarily by the kidneys.
Fetzima is an oral, extended-release capsule that may be used to treat moderate-to-severe depression in adults.

References
  • Fetzima (levomilnacipran hydrochloride) Updated 10/2019. Allergan, Inc. https://www.drugs.com/pro/fetzima.html
  • Fetzima side effects. Fetzima.com. 2021 Fetzima.com/about/antidepressant-side-effects
  • Fetzima and Hair loss - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data eHealthMe Jun 27, 2021. https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/fetzima/hair-loss/

Read next

Although Fetzima is not FDA approved to treat anxiety, it is sometimes used off-label for this condition. Research has suggested that Fetzima does appear to help with anxiety because an improvement was seen in anxiety symptoms monitored in tools such as the MADRS for inner tension and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD17) that were used in several clinical trials for depression. Unfortunately, most trials of Fetzima excluded people from participating if they had a comorbid anxiety disorder unless it was social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or a specific phobia, but even then the effect of Fetzima on allowable anxiety disorders was never analyzed. Continue reading

Research has shown that Fetzima has no overall effect on weight and does not cause weight gain or loss in studies that followed people for up to one year. Data pooled from short-term trials show an average overall weight loss of 0.59kg with Fetzima and a weight gain of 0.02kg with placebo. The number of patients who reported a more than 7% increase in their weight was 0.6% with Fetzima and 0.9% with placebo. The number of patients reporting a weight loss of more than 7% was 1.6% with Fetzima and 1% with placebo. In a 1-year, unblinded safety study, an average weight loss of 0.55kg was reported with Fetzima. Generally, there was a trend towards weight loss with Fetzima but this was not considered significant. Continue reading

Hair loss is not a common side effect of Fetzima and is not listed in the product information but post-marketing reports indicate hair loss has been reported in approximately 1.2% of people who reported side effects while taking Fetzima. Hair loss was more likely to occur in women, with 54% of cases documented in those aged 50 to 59. Continue reading

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