Drug interactions
Meperidine + Orphenadrine
Severity: Moderate
Meperidine and Orphenadrine: 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, so combining them can deepen sedation and impair psychomotor performance. Orphenadrine's anticholinergic effects may also add to confusion in older patients, and meperidine's metabolite normeperidine contributes anticholinergic and neuroexcitatory effects.
What this interaction means in plain words
Meperidine and Orphenadrine 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 central nervous system depression and additive anticholinergic effects.
What to do
Start with the lowest effective doses and monitor for excessive sedation, confusion and respiratory depression. Counsel patients against driving and consider avoiding the combination in elderly patients.
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 Meperidine
- Alvimopan + Meperidine Contraindicated
- Isocarboxazid + Meperidine Contraindicated
- Meperidine + Methylene blue Contraindicated
- Meperidine + Olanzapine / samidorphan Contraindicated
- Meperidine + Phenelzine Contraindicated
- Meperidine + Procarbazine Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Meperidine with Orphenadrine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Meperidine and Orphenadrine 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, so combining them can deepen sedation and impair psychomotor performance. Orphenadrine's anticholinergic effects may also add to confusion in older patients, and meperidine's metabolite normeperidine contributes anticholinergic and neuroexcitatory effects.
How serious is the interaction between Meperidine and Orphenadrine?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Start with the lowest effective doses and monitor for excessive sedation, confusion and respiratory depression. Counsel patients against driving and consider avoiding the combination in elderly patients.
What other medicines interact with Meperidine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Meperidine with, for example, Alvimopan, Isocarboxazid, Methylene blue. The full list is on the Meperidine page.
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