Drug interactions
Desflurane + Tetrabenazine
Severity: Moderate
Desflurane and Tetrabenazine: 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 agents can prolong the QT interval, so used together they may raise the risk of torsades de pointes. The risk is greater with electrolyte disturbances, bradycardia or underlying cardiac disease.
What this interaction means in plain words
Desflurane and Tetrabenazine 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; Tetrabenazine belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive delay of cardiac repolarization (QTc prolongation).
What to do
Obtain a baseline ECG and correct potassium and magnesium before anesthesia in patients on tetrabenazine. Monitor the ECG throughout the procedure and avoid other QT-prolonging drugs such as ondansetron or droperidol where possible.
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 Tetrabenazine
- Dronedarone + Tetrabenazine Contraindicated
- Isocarboxazid + Tetrabenazine Contraindicated
- Linezolid + Tetrabenazine Contraindicated
- Phenelzine + Tetrabenazine Contraindicated
- Pimozide + Tetrabenazine Contraindicated
- Procarbazine + Tetrabenazine Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Desflurane with Tetrabenazine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Desflurane and Tetrabenazine 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 agents can prolong the QT interval, so used together they may raise the risk of torsades de pointes. The risk is greater with electrolyte disturbances, bradycardia or underlying cardiac disease.
How serious is the interaction between Desflurane and Tetrabenazine?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Obtain a baseline ECG and correct potassium and magnesium before anesthesia in patients on tetrabenazine. Monitor the ECG throughout the procedure and avoid other QT-prolonging drugs such as ondansetron or droperidol where possible.
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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