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Drug interactions

Esketamine + Protriptyline

Severity: Moderate

Esketamine and Protriptyline: 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

Protriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that is less sedating than most but can still add to dizziness and cognitive impairment with esketamine. Both drugs can raise heart rate and blood pressure, so cardiovascular effects may be additive.

What this interaction means in plain words

Esketamine and Protriptyline 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.

Evidence level: Low

Why it happens

Additive CNS and sympathomimetic cardiovascular effects through monoamine reuptake inhibition and NMDA antagonism.

What to do

Monitor blood pressure, heart rate and sedation before and after dosing. Use caution in patients with cardiovascular 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?

Bring a full list of your medicines, including over-the-counter products, supplements and herbal remedies, to every pharmacy visit.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I take Esketamine with Protriptyline?

MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Esketamine and Protriptyline 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. Protriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that is less sedating than most but can still add to dizziness and cognitive impairment with esketamine. Both drugs can raise heart rate and blood pressure, so cardiovascular effects may be additive.

How serious is the interaction between Esketamine and Protriptyline?

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, heart rate and sedation before and after dosing. Use caution in patients with cardiovascular 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.

Full monographs, dosing and an interaction checker in the MediHelp app

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