Taking Serzone? How's Your Liver?

Antidepressant Drug Serzone Linked to Liver Failure and Death

The controversial antidepressant drug Serzone (nefazodone) caused 55 cases of liver injury, including 20 deaths from December 1994 through May 2003.

Serzone, considered an alternative to other SSRI antidepressant drugs, has been withdrawn voluntarily by the manufacturer from all countries except Australia and the United States. The Australian MIMS prescribers manual warns of the potential for severe liver injury from Serzone and it is not recommended for patients with liver disease. In the US, Serzone carries a black box warning on its label advising patients that possibly life-threatening liver failure can occur with the use of the drug. The drug is sold under the name Serzone by Bristol-Myers Squibb and a generic version called nefazodone by other companies.