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Drug interactions

Bretylium + Nicardipine

Severity: Moderate

Bretylium and Nicardipine: moderate 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

Bretylium frequently causes hypotension through adrenergic neuron blockade, and nicardipine adds vasodilatory blood pressure lowering. Together they can cause marked or symptomatic hypotension.

What this interaction means in plain words

Bretylium and Nicardipine can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.

Evidence level: Low

Why it happens

Additive hypotensive effects from adrenergic neuron blockade and calcium channel blockade.

What to do

Monitor blood pressure continuously during combined use, and reduce the nicardipine dose or titrate slowly if hypotension occurs.

What to ask your pharmacist

  • Should I take them at different times of day?
  • Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
  • Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?

Bring a full list of your medicines, including over-the-counter products, supplements and herbal remedies, to every pharmacy visit.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I take Bretylium with Nicardipine?

MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Bretylium and Nicardipine can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Bretylium frequently causes hypotension through adrenergic neuron blockade, and nicardipine adds vasodilatory blood pressure lowering. Together they can cause marked or symptomatic hypotension.

How serious is the interaction between Bretylium and Nicardipine?

MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Monitor blood pressure continuously during combined use, and reduce the nicardipine dose or titrate slowly if hypotension occurs.

What other medicines interact with Nicardipine?

MediHelp also lists interactions of Nicardipine with, for example, Amifostine, Amlodipine-olmesartan-hydrochlorothiazide, Betrixaban. The full list is on the Nicardipine page.

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