Drug interactions
Oxymorphone + Sodium oxybate
Severity: Contraindicated
Oxymorphone and Sodium oxybate: contraindicated 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, and combining them can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma and death. Sodium oxybate labeling restricts its use with other CNS depressants such as opioids.
What this interaction means in plain words
Oxymorphone and Sodium oxybate are not normally used together. Taking them at the same time is expected to cause harm or make one of them unsafe, so a different medicine is usually chosen for one of the two.
Oxymorphone belongs to Musculoskeletal; Sodium oxybate belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive pharmacodynamic CNS and respiratory depression via opioid receptor and GABA-B/GHB receptor activity.
What to do
Avoid the combination; choose a non-opioid analgesic or alternative oxybate-free therapy where possible. If it cannot be avoided, use the lowest doses for the shortest time and monitor respiratory status and sedation closely.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Is there an alternative to one of these two medicines for me?
- If both are essential, who is monitoring me and how often?
- Which symptoms mean I should stop and seek help straight away?
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Other interactions of Oxymorphone
- Alvimopan + Oxymorphone Contraindicated
- Ethanol + Oxymorphone Contraindicated
- Isocarboxazid + Oxymorphone Contraindicated
- Olanzapine / samidorphan + Oxymorphone Contraindicated
- Oxymorphone + Phenelzine Contraindicated
- Oxymorphone + Selegiline transdermal Contraindicated
Other interactions of Sodium oxybate
- Alprazolam + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Amobarbital + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Butorphanol + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Chloral hydrate + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Clonazepam + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Clorazepate + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Oxymorphone with Sodium oxybate?
MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Oxymorphone and Sodium oxybate are not normally used together. Taking them at the same time is expected to cause harm or make one of them unsafe, so a different medicine is usually chosen for one of the two. Both drugs depress the central nervous system, and combining them can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma and death. Sodium oxybate labeling restricts its use with other CNS depressants such as opioids.
How serious is the interaction between Oxymorphone and Sodium oxybate?
MediHelp rates it contraindicated, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid the combination; choose a non-opioid analgesic or alternative oxybate-free therapy where possible. If it cannot be avoided, use the lowest doses for the shortest time and monitor respiratory status and sedation closely.
What other medicines interact with Oxymorphone?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Oxymorphone with, for example, Alvimopan, Ethanol, Isocarboxazid. The full list is on the Oxymorphone page.
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