Drug interactions
Calcium gluconate + Nifedipine
Severity: Moderate
Calcium gluconate and Nifedipine: 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
Calcium salts given parenterally can partly oppose the vasodilating and negative inotropic effects of calcium channel blockers. Nifedipine may therefore be less effective at lowering blood pressure or controlling angina while calcium is being administered.
What this interaction means in plain words
Calcium gluconate and Nifedipine 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.
Calcium gluconate belongs to Gastrointestinal Tract; Nifedipine belongs to Cardiovascular.
Why it happens
Increased extracellular calcium raises the calcium gradient and partly overcomes L-type calcium channel blockade (pharmacodynamic antagonism).
What to do
Monitor blood pressure and heart rate when intravenous calcium is given to a patient on nifedipine. Calcium is sometimes used deliberately to reverse calcium channel blocker toxicity.
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 Nifedipine
Other interactions of Calcium gluconate
- Calcium gluconate + Ceftriaxone Contraindicated
- Calcium gluconate + Digoxin Major
- Alendronate + Calcium gluconate Moderate
- Amlodipine-atorvastatin + Calcium gluconate Moderate
- Amlodipine-hydrochlorothiazide-valsartan + Calcium gluconate Moderate
- Amlodipine-olmesartan-hydrochlorothiazide + Calcium gluconate Moderate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Calcium gluconate with Nifedipine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Calcium gluconate and Nifedipine 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. Calcium salts given parenterally can partly oppose the vasodilating and negative inotropic effects of calcium channel blockers. Nifedipine may therefore be less effective at lowering blood pressure or controlling angina while calcium is being administered.
How serious is the interaction between Calcium gluconate and Nifedipine?
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 and heart rate when intravenous calcium is given to a patient on nifedipine. Calcium is sometimes used deliberately to reverse calcium channel blocker toxicity.
What other medicines interact with Nifedipine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Nifedipine with, for example, Amifostine, Amlodipine-benazepril, Apalutamide. The full list is on the Nifedipine page.
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