Drug interactions
Erythromycin stearate + Nicardipine
Severity: Moderate
Erythromycin stearate and Nicardipine: 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
Erythromycin can raise nicardipine exposure, which may cause excessive vasodilation with hypotension, flushing, headache and reflex tachycardia. Calcium channel blockers metabolized by CYP3A4 have been associated with hypotension and acute kidney injury when combined with macrolides.
What this interaction means in plain words
Erythromycin stearate and Nicardipine 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
Erythromycin inhibits intestinal and hepatic CYP3A4, reducing nicardipine metabolism.
What to do
Monitor blood pressure and heart rate closely, and reduce the nicardipine dose if hypotension develops. Consider an azithromycin alternative, which has little CYP3A4 inhibition.
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 Nicardipine
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Erythromycin stearate with Nicardipine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Erythromycin stearate and Nicardipine 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. Erythromycin can raise nicardipine exposure, which may cause excessive vasodilation with hypotension, flushing, headache and reflex tachycardia. Calcium channel blockers metabolized by CYP3A4 have been associated with hypotension and acute kidney injury when combined with macrolides.
How serious is the interaction between Erythromycin stearate and Nicardipine?
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 blood pressure and heart rate closely, and reduce the nicardipine dose if hypotension develops. Consider an azithromycin alternative, which has little CYP3A4 inhibition.
What other medicines interact with Nicardipine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Nicardipine with, for example, Amifostine, Amlodipine-olmesartan-hydrochlorothiazide, Betrixaban. The full list is on the Nicardipine page.
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