Drug interactions
Esketamine + Gabapentin
Severity: Moderate
Esketamine and Gabapentin: 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 depress the central nervous system, and gabapentinoids can contribute to respiratory depression, especially with other CNS depressants. Combined use may cause greater sedation and impaired alertness.
What this interaction means in plain words
Esketamine and Gabapentin 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.
Esketamine belongs to Central Nervous System; Gabapentin belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive CNS and respiratory depression through different mechanisms.
What to do
Use the lowest effective gabapentin dose and monitor for sedation and respiratory depression after esketamine dosing, particularly in older patients or those with lung disease.
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 Esketamine
Other interactions of Gabapentin
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Esketamine with Gabapentin?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Esketamine and Gabapentin 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 depress the central nervous system, and gabapentinoids can contribute to respiratory depression, especially with other CNS depressants. Combined use may cause greater sedation and impaired alertness.
How serious is the interaction between Esketamine and Gabapentin?
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 the lowest effective gabapentin dose and monitor for sedation and respiratory depression after esketamine dosing, particularly in older patients or those with lung disease.
What other medicines interact with Esketamine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Esketamine with, for example, Alfentanil, Amobarbital, Belladonna and opium. The full list is on the Esketamine page.
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