Drug interactions
Meperidine + Ziconotide
Severity: Moderate
Meperidine and Ziconotide: 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
Ziconotide, given intrathecally, causes dizziness, confusion and sedation, which may add to opioid effects. Opioids do not alter its pharmacokinetics, but cognitive and neuropsychiatric effects may be additive.
What this interaction means in plain words
Meperidine and Ziconotide 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.
Meperidine belongs to Musculoskeletal; Ziconotide belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depressant effects through different pathways, with ziconotide blocking N-type calcium channels.
What to do
Monitor for sedation, confusion and altered mental status, and reduce the opioid or ziconotide dose if these occur.
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
Other interactions of Ziconotide
- Clozapine + Ziconotide Major
- Alprazolam + Ziconotide Moderate
- Amitriptyline + Ziconotide Moderate
- Amobarbital + Ziconotide Moderate
- Aripiprazole + Ziconotide Moderate
- Armodafinil + Ziconotide Moderate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Meperidine with Ziconotide?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Meperidine and Ziconotide 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. Ziconotide, given intrathecally, causes dizziness, confusion and sedation, which may add to opioid effects. Opioids do not alter its pharmacokinetics, but cognitive and neuropsychiatric effects may be additive.
How serious is the interaction between Meperidine and Ziconotide?
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 for sedation, confusion and altered mental status, and reduce the opioid or ziconotide dose if these occur.
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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