Drug interactions
Budesonide + Tolfenamic acid
Severity: Moderate
Budesonide and Tolfenamic acid: 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
Corticosteroids and NSAIDs both damage the gastrointestinal mucosa, and using them together raises the risk of peptic ulceration and GI bleeding. The risk is lower with budesonide because of its low systemic exposure, but it is still relevant with oral use.
What this interaction means in plain words
Budesonide and Tolfenamic acid 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.
Budesonide belongs to Respiratory; Tolfenamic acid belongs to Musculoskeletal.
Why it happens
Additive gastrointestinal mucosal injury from NSAID prostaglandin inhibition and corticosteroid effects on mucosal repair.
What to do
Use the lowest effective NSAID dose for the shortest time and consider a proton pump inhibitor in high-risk patients. Advise patients to report black stools or abdominal pain.
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?
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Other interactions of Budesonide
Other interactions of Tolfenamic acid
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Budesonide with Tolfenamic acid?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Budesonide and Tolfenamic acid 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. Corticosteroids and NSAIDs both damage the gastrointestinal mucosa, and using them together raises the risk of peptic ulceration and GI bleeding. The risk is lower with budesonide because of its low systemic exposure, but it is still relevant with oral use.
How serious is the interaction between Budesonide and Tolfenamic acid?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Use the lowest effective NSAID dose for the shortest time and consider a proton pump inhibitor in high-risk patients. Advise patients to report black stools or abdominal pain.
What other medicines interact with Budesonide?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Budesonide with, for example, Aldesleukin, Atazanavir, Bcg vaccine live. The full list is on the Budesonide page.
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