Drug interactions
Nicardipine + Nitroprusside
Severity: Moderate
Nicardipine and Nitroprusside: 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 lower blood pressure by vasodilation, so together they can cause a greater and faster fall in pressure than either alone. This is most relevant in hypertensive emergencies where both are given intravenously.
What this interaction means in plain words
Nicardipine and Nitroprusside 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 vasodilation via calcium channel blockade and nitric oxide release.
What to do
Use continuous or frequent blood pressure monitoring, preferably with arterial line, and titrate each drug carefully. Reduce the nitroprusside or nicardipine infusion rate if hypotension occurs.
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 Nicardipine
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Nicardipine with Nitroprusside?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Nicardipine and Nitroprusside 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 lower blood pressure by vasodilation, so together they can cause a greater and faster fall in pressure than either alone. This is most relevant in hypertensive emergencies where both are given intravenously.
How serious is the interaction between Nicardipine and Nitroprusside?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Use continuous or frequent blood pressure monitoring, preferably with arterial line, and titrate each drug carefully. Reduce the nitroprusside or nicardipine infusion rate if hypotension occurs.
What other medicines interact with Nicardipine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Nicardipine with, for example, Amifostine, Amlodipine-olmesartan-hydrochlorothiazide, Betrixaban. The full list is on the Nicardipine page.
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