Antidepressants (SSRIs)
ToxicHuman antidepressants cause serotonin syndrome in dogs, and one tablet can be an overdose for a small dog. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 now.
This food guide has not been reviewed by a veterinarian. It summarises general information from sources and should not be used to decide whether a food is suitable for an individual dog or to assess an emergency.
Check before feeding
Do not offer as a treat
There is no recommended treat portion for this hazardous item. If swallowed, contact a vet with the amount, time and product details. Do not induce vomiting yourself.
Signs and health concerns
This list includes both observable signs and conditions identified through examination or testing. It cannot establish the cause or whether an exposure is safe.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Tremors
- Agitation
- Poor coordination or balance
- Seizures
- Irregular heartbeat
- High blood pressure
- Lethargy
- Involuntary eye movements
More about this food
Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor, Cymbalta, Elavil: these are the bottles that end up in a nightstand drawer, a purse on the floor, or a weekly pill organizer that a dog can crunch open in seconds. Antidepressant ingestion is one of the most frequently reported poisonings in pets, and it is not a wait-and-see event.
SSRIs (fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram) flood the brain with serotonin. The Merck Veterinary Manual describes the resulting serotonin syndrome as altered mental status, agitation, nervousness, myoclonus, hyperreflexia, tremors, diarrhea, incoordination and cardiovascular changes. Venlafaxine, an SNRI, adds muscle rigidity, hypertension and nystagmus. Tricyclics such as amitriptyline push toward cardiac arrhythmias and hypertension, and they are absorbed so fast that Merck puts the window for considering emesis at 15-30 minutes; for SSRIs and SNRIs it is within 2 hours.
That timeline is the whole point. By the time you are sure something is wrong, the window for decontamination has usually closed. Get the bottle, read the drug name and the milligram strength, count the missing tablets, note the time, and weigh your dog. Then call your veterinarian, an emergency animal hospital, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a consultation fee applies; they will issue a case number your vet can use).
Do not induce vomiting at home with hydrogen peroxide or salt, especially in a dog that is already sedated, tremoring or seizing. Decontamination, activated charcoal, cyproheptadine (1.1 mg/kg in dogs) for serotonin syndrome, ECG monitoring and temperature control are veterinary decisions. One more trap: fluoxetine is also prescribed to dogs under the name Reconcile, which makes owners assume the human tablet is interchangeable. It is not. A dose that was never prescribed is an overdose.
Frequently asked questions
- My dog swallowed one tablet. Is that really an emergency?
- Treat it as one. Human tablets are sized for a 70 kg adult, and Merck's decontamination windows are 15-30 minutes for tricyclics and 2 hours for SSRIs and SNRIs. Call your vet or the APCC at (888) 426-4435 with the drug name, strength and your dog's weight.
- My dog is already on fluoxetine. Can I give a human tablet instead?
- No. The same molecule at a human strength is an overdose, and exceeding the prescribed dose is exactly how serotonin syndrome starts. Use only the veterinary prescription at the dose your veterinarian set.
- He vomited on his own and seems fine now. Can I skip the vet?
- No. Vomiting once does not mean the tablet came back up intact, and tremors, seizures and arrhythmias can appear hours later. Tell the clinic that he vomited, and still have him examined.