Drug interactions
Nifedipine + Prazosin
Severity: Moderate
Nifedipine and Prazosin: 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 different mechanisms and together can cause excessive hypotension, notably first-dose or postural hypotension with dizziness and syncope. The combination is used deliberately in some settings but needs care.
What this interaction means in plain words
Nifedipine and Prazosin 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.
Nifedipine belongs to Cardiovascular; Prazosin belongs to Genitourinary.
Why it happens
Additive vasodilation from alpha-1 adrenergic blockade and calcium channel blockade.
What to do
Start prazosin at a low dose at bedtime and advise slow postural changes. Monitor standing and sitting blood pressure after any dose change.
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 Nifedipine
Other interactions of Prazosin
- Alfuzosin + Prazosin Major
- Amifostine + Prazosin Major
- Avanafil + Prazosin Major
- Doxazosin + Prazosin Major
- Dutasteride-tamsulosin + Prazosin Major
- Phenoxybenzamine + Prazosin Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Nifedipine with Prazosin?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Nifedipine and Prazosin 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 different mechanisms and together can cause excessive hypotension, notably first-dose or postural hypotension with dizziness and syncope. The combination is used deliberately in some settings but needs care.
How serious is the interaction between Nifedipine and Prazosin?
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 prazosin at a low dose at bedtime and advise slow postural changes. Monitor standing and sitting blood pressure after any dose change.
What other medicines interact with Nifedipine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Nifedipine with, for example, Amifostine, Amlodipine-benazepril, Apalutamide. The full list is on the Nifedipine page.
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