Drug interactions
Methadone + Salbutamol
Severity: Moderate
Methadone and Salbutamol: 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
Methadone prolongs the QT interval in a dose-related manner, and salbutamol can add to arrhythmic risk through hypokalaemia and tachycardia. The risk is higher at high methadone doses or with other QT-prolonging factors.
What this interaction means in plain words
Methadone and Salbutamol 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.
Methadone belongs to Musculoskeletal; Salbutamol belongs to Respiratory.
Why it happens
Additive QT prolongation with beta-2 mediated hypokalaemia.
What to do
Monitor ECG and correct potassium and magnesium in patients on higher methadone doses or with other risk factors; limit high-dose salbutamol where possible.
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 Salbutamol
Other interactions of Methadone
- Alvimopan + Methadone Contraindicated
- Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates + Methadone Contraindicated
- Droperidol + Methadone Contraindicated
- Ibutilide + Methadone Contraindicated
- Isocarboxazid + Methadone Contraindicated
- Lefamulin + Methadone Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Methadone with Salbutamol?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Methadone and Salbutamol 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. Methadone prolongs the QT interval in a dose-related manner, and salbutamol can add to arrhythmic risk through hypokalaemia and tachycardia. The risk is higher at high methadone doses or with other QT-prolonging factors.
How serious is the interaction between Methadone and Salbutamol?
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 ECG and correct potassium and magnesium in patients on higher methadone doses or with other risk factors; limit high-dose salbutamol where possible.
What other medicines interact with Salbutamol?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Salbutamol with, for example, Arsenic trioxide, Carvedilol, Droperidol. The full list is on the Salbutamol page.
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