Drug interactions
Desflurane + Sevoflurane
Severity: Moderate
Desflurane and Sevoflurane: 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 are volatile anesthetics, so their effects are additive and concurrent use is essentially duplicate therapy. Combining them offers little benefit and increases the risk of excessive anesthetic depth and cardiovascular depression.
What this interaction means in plain words
Desflurane and Sevoflurane 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.
Desflurane belongs to Central Nervous System; Sevoflurane belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive GABA-A potentiation and CNS depression, with additive hemodynamic depression.
What to do
Use a single volatile agent where possible; if both are used sequentially, account for the combined minimum alveolar concentration. Monitor anesthetic depth and hemodynamics.
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 Desflurane
Other interactions of Sevoflurane
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Desflurane with Sevoflurane?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Desflurane and Sevoflurane 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 are volatile anesthetics, so their effects are additive and concurrent use is essentially duplicate therapy. Combining them offers little benefit and increases the risk of excessive anesthetic depth and cardiovascular depression.
How serious is the interaction between Desflurane and Sevoflurane?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Use a single volatile agent where possible; if both are used sequentially, account for the combined minimum alveolar concentration. Monitor anesthetic depth and hemodynamics.
What other medicines interact with Desflurane?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Desflurane with, for example, Amisulpride, Anagrelide, Arsenic trioxide. The full list is on the Desflurane page.
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