Drug interactions
Butalbital + Ketamine
Severity: Moderate
Butalbital and Ketamine: 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
Butalbital is a barbiturate with sedative effects and ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic. Together they can deepen sedation and impair psychomotor function and respiration. Butalbital may also induce CYP3A4 and lower ketamine exposure over time.
What this interaction means in plain words
Butalbital and Ketamine 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.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression, with possible enzyme induction by butalbital reducing ketamine levels.
What to do
Monitor level of consciousness and respiratory status when both are given, and reduce the doses of one or both agents if excessive sedation occurs. Avoid driving or hazardous tasks after ketamine exposure.
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 Ketamine
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Butalbital with Ketamine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Butalbital and Ketamine 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. Butalbital is a barbiturate with sedative effects and ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic. Together they can deepen sedation and impair psychomotor function and respiration. Butalbital may also induce CYP3A4 and lower ketamine exposure over time.
How serious is the interaction between Butalbital and Ketamine?
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 level of consciousness and respiratory status when both are given, and reduce the doses of one or both agents if excessive sedation occurs. Avoid driving or hazardous tasks after ketamine exposure.
What other medicines interact with Ketamine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Ketamine with, for example, Benzhydrocodone / acetaminophen, Brexanolone, Buprenorphine buccal. The full list is on the Ketamine page.
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