Drug interactions
Butorphanol + Desflurane
Severity: Moderate
Butorphanol and Desflurane: 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
Opioids reduce the amount of inhalational anesthetic needed to maintain anesthesia, and the combination increases sedation, hypotension and respiratory depression. Recovery and emergence may be prolonged if doses are not adjusted.
What this interaction means in plain words
Butorphanol and Desflurane 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.
Butorphanol belongs to Musculoskeletal; Desflurane belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive CNS and respiratory depression, with opioid-mediated reduction of minimum alveolar concentration of the volatile agent.
What to do
Titrate desflurane concentration to clinical effect and anesthetic depth monitoring, reducing it as needed. Continuously monitor ventilation, oxygenation and hemodynamics, and ensure postoperative respiratory monitoring.
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 Butorphanol
- Butorphanol + Olanzapine / samidorphan Contraindicated
- Butorphanol + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Alfentanil + Butorphanol Major
- Alprazolam + Butorphanol Major
- Alvimopan + Butorphanol Major
- Amobarbital + Butorphanol Major
Other interactions of Desflurane
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Butorphanol with Desflurane?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Butorphanol and Desflurane 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. Opioids reduce the amount of inhalational anesthetic needed to maintain anesthesia, and the combination increases sedation, hypotension and respiratory depression. Recovery and emergence may be prolonged if doses are not adjusted.
How serious is the interaction between Butorphanol and Desflurane?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Titrate desflurane concentration to clinical effect and anesthetic depth monitoring, reducing it as needed. Continuously monitor ventilation, oxygenation and hemodynamics, and ensure postoperative respiratory monitoring.
What other medicines interact with Butorphanol?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Butorphanol with, for example, Olanzapine / samidorphan, Sodium oxybate, Alfentanil. The full list is on the Butorphanol page.
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