Drug interactions
Doxepin + Oxymetazoline
Severity: Moderate
Doxepin and Oxymetazoline: 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
Doxepin, a tricyclic antidepressant, can enhance responses to alpha-agonist vasoconstrictors by increasing synaptic norepinephrine. Intranasal oxymetazoline has limited systemic absorption, but hypertension or tachycardia may occur with excessive use.
What this interaction means in plain words
Doxepin and Oxymetazoline 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.
Doxepin belongs to Dermatology; Oxymetazoline belongs to Respiratory.
Why it happens
Pharmacodynamic synergism: reuptake inhibition of norepinephrine amplifies alpha1-mediated vasoconstriction.
What to do
Limit oxymetazoline to short courses at labeled doses and monitor blood pressure and heart rate. Choose an alternative to oxymetazoline-containing dental anesthetic products in patients on tricyclics.
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 Oxymetazoline
- Isocarboxazid + Oxymetazoline Major
- Oxymetazoline + Phenelzine Major
- Oxymetazoline + Tranylcypromine Major
- Amitriptyline + Oxymetazoline Moderate
- Amoxapine + Oxymetazoline Moderate
- Clomipramine + Oxymetazoline Moderate
Other interactions of Doxepin
- Doxepin + Isocarboxazid Contraindicated
- Doxepin + Phenelzine Contraindicated
- Doxepin + Procarbazine Contraindicated
- Doxepin + Safinamide Contraindicated
- Doxepin + Selegiline Contraindicated
- Doxepin + Tranylcypromine Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Doxepin with Oxymetazoline?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Doxepin and Oxymetazoline 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. Doxepin, a tricyclic antidepressant, can enhance responses to alpha-agonist vasoconstrictors by increasing synaptic norepinephrine. Intranasal oxymetazoline has limited systemic absorption, but hypertension or tachycardia may occur with excessive use.
How serious is the interaction between Doxepin and Oxymetazoline?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Limit oxymetazoline to short courses at labeled doses and monitor blood pressure and heart rate. Choose an alternative to oxymetazoline-containing dental anesthetic products in patients on tricyclics.
What other medicines interact with Oxymetazoline?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Oxymetazoline with, for example, Isocarboxazid, Phenelzine, Tranylcypromine. The full list is on the Oxymetazoline page.
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