Drug interactions
Chloral hydrate + Orphenadrine
Severity: Moderate
Chloral hydrate and Orphenadrine: 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
Both drugs cause drowsiness, so concurrent use can cause excessive sedation, confusion and impaired psychomotor performance. Orphenadrine's anticholinergic effects may add to confusion in older adults.
What this interaction means in plain words
Chloral hydrate and Orphenadrine 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 from GABAergic sedation and central anticholinergic/antihistaminic activity.
What to do
Monitor sedation and cognition, reduce doses where needed, and advise against driving or operating machinery.
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 Chloral hydrate
- Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates + Chloral hydrate Contraindicated
- Chloral hydrate + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Alfentanil + Chloral hydrate Major
- Alprazolam + Chloral hydrate Major
- Amobarbital + Chloral hydrate Major
- Belladonna and opium + Chloral hydrate Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Chloral hydrate with Orphenadrine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Chloral hydrate and Orphenadrine 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. Both drugs cause drowsiness, so concurrent use can cause excessive sedation, confusion and impaired psychomotor performance. Orphenadrine's anticholinergic effects may add to confusion in older adults.
How serious is the interaction between Chloral hydrate and Orphenadrine?
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 sedation and cognition, reduce doses where needed, and advise against driving or operating machinery.
What other medicines interact with Chloral hydrate?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Chloral hydrate with, for example, Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates, Sodium oxybate, Alfentanil. The full list is on the Chloral hydrate page.
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