Drug interactions
Fentanyl transdermal + Succinylcholine
Severity: Moderate
Fentanyl transdermal and Succinylcholine: 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
Transdermal fentanyl provides continuous opioid exposure with respiratory depressant and sedative effects, and succinylcholine produces respiratory muscle paralysis. Combined use raises the chance of hypoventilation and hypotension. Under controlled anesthesia with ventilatory support the risk is manageable.
What this interaction means in plain words
Fentanyl transdermal and Succinylcholine 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
Additive pharmacodynamic effects: opioid-induced central respiratory depression combined with neuromuscular paralysis.
What to do
Ensure ventilatory support when succinylcholine is given to patients wearing a fentanyl patch, and adjust other anesthetic and opioid doses. Monitor oxygenation and blood pressure into the recovery period.
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 Succinylcholine
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Fentanyl transdermal with Succinylcholine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Fentanyl transdermal and Succinylcholine 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. Transdermal fentanyl provides continuous opioid exposure with respiratory depressant and sedative effects, and succinylcholine produces respiratory muscle paralysis. Combined use raises the chance of hypoventilation and hypotension. Under controlled anesthesia with ventilatory support the risk is manageable.
How serious is the interaction between Fentanyl transdermal and Succinylcholine?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Ensure ventilatory support when succinylcholine is given to patients wearing a fentanyl patch, and adjust other anesthetic and opioid doses. Monitor oxygenation and blood pressure into the recovery period.
What other medicines interact with Succinylcholine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Succinylcholine with, for example, Amikacin, Bacitracin-neomycin-polymyxin, Capreomycin. The full list is on the Succinylcholine page.
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