Drug interactions
Ketamine + Propofol
Severity: Moderate
Ketamine and Propofol: 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
Ketamine combined with propofol provides sedation and analgesia with some offsetting hemodynamic effects, but total sedation is deeper. Respiratory depression and emergence reactions can still occur.
What this interaction means in plain words
Ketamine and Propofol 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.
Ketamine belongs to Central Nervous System; Propofol belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression via GABA-A potentiation and NMDA antagonism.
What to do
Titrate both drugs to sedation depth and reduce doses accordingly. Monitor oxygenation, ventilation and hemodynamics, with airway equipment on hand.
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 Propofol
Other interactions of Ketamine
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Ketamine with Propofol?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Ketamine and Propofol 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. Ketamine combined with propofol provides sedation and analgesia with some offsetting hemodynamic effects, but total sedation is deeper. Respiratory depression and emergence reactions can still occur.
How serious is the interaction between Ketamine and Propofol?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Titrate both drugs to sedation depth and reduce doses accordingly. Monitor oxygenation, ventilation and hemodynamics, with airway equipment on hand.
What other medicines interact with Propofol?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Propofol with, for example, Alfentanil, Alprazolam, Amobarbital. The full list is on the Propofol page.
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