Drug interactions
Cinnarizine + Nortriptyline
Severity: Moderate
Cinnarizine and Nortriptyline: 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 sedation and have antimuscarinic properties, so combining them may increase drowsiness, dry mouth and confusion. Cinnarizine can also cause extrapyramidal symptoms in susceptible patients.
What this interaction means in plain words
Cinnarizine and Nortriptyline 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.
Cinnarizine belongs to Respiratory; Nortriptyline belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression and anticholinergic effects through H1 and muscarinic blockade.
What to do
Counsel on sedation and avoid driving until response is known. Use the lowest effective doses and reassess in elderly patients.
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 Nortriptyline
- Disopyramide + Nortriptyline Contraindicated
- Dofetilide + Nortriptyline Contraindicated
- Dronedarone + Nortriptyline Contraindicated
- Ibutilide + Nortriptyline Contraindicated
- Isocarboxazid + Nortriptyline Contraindicated
- Methylene blue + Nortriptyline Contraindicated
Other interactions of Cinnarizine
- Alprazolam + Cinnarizine Moderate
- Amitriptyline + Cinnarizine Moderate
- Amobarbital + Cinnarizine Moderate
- Aripiprazole + Cinnarizine Moderate
- Azelastine-fluticasone + Cinnarizine Moderate
- Azelastine + Cinnarizine Moderate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Cinnarizine with Nortriptyline?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Cinnarizine and Nortriptyline 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 sedation and have antimuscarinic properties, so combining them may increase drowsiness, dry mouth and confusion. Cinnarizine can also cause extrapyramidal symptoms in susceptible patients.
How serious is the interaction between Cinnarizine and Nortriptyline?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Counsel on sedation and avoid driving until response is known. Use the lowest effective doses and reassess in elderly patients.
What other medicines interact with Nortriptyline?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Nortriptyline with, for example, Disopyramide, Dofetilide, Dronedarone. The full list is on the Nortriptyline page.
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