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Drug interactions

Esketamine + Quetiapine

Severity: Moderate

Esketamine and Quetiapine: 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

Quetiapine is strongly sedating and can cause orthostatic hypotension, and combining it with esketamine may increase drowsiness and impair psychomotor function. Esketamine can also raise blood pressure, so hemodynamic effects may be unpredictable.

What this interaction means in plain words

Esketamine and Quetiapine 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; Quetiapine belongs to Central Nervous System.

Evidence level: Moderate

Why it happens

Additive CNS depression through antihistaminic and alpha-1 blocking effects of quetiapine plus NMDA antagonism.

What to do

Monitor sedation and blood pressure before and after each esketamine session. Counsel patients on avoiding driving until the following day.

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 Quetiapine?

MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Esketamine and Quetiapine 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. Quetiapine is strongly sedating and can cause orthostatic hypotension, and combining it with esketamine may increase drowsiness and impair psychomotor function. Esketamine can also raise blood pressure, so hemodynamic effects may be unpredictable.

How serious is the interaction between Esketamine and Quetiapine?

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 sedation and blood pressure before and after each esketamine session. Counsel patients on avoiding driving until the following day.

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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