Drug interactions
Spironolactone + Succinylcholine
Severity: Moderate
Spironolactone and Succinylcholine: 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
Succinylcholine releases potassium from muscle, and spironolactone reduces renal potassium excretion. Together they can raise the risk of clinically significant hyperkalemia and arrhythmias, especially in renal impairment.
What this interaction means in plain words
Spironolactone and Succinylcholine 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.
Spironolactone belongs to Cardiovascular; Succinylcholine belongs to Musculoskeletal.
Why it happens
Additive hyperkalemia from depolarization-induced potassium efflux plus aldosterone antagonism reducing renal potassium excretion.
What to do
Check serum potassium before anesthesia and correct hyperkalemia first. Monitor ECG and potassium perioperatively.
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 Succinylcholine
Other interactions of Spironolactone
- Amiloride + Spironolactone Contraindicated
- Eplerenone + Spironolactone Contraindicated
- Spironolactone + Triamterene Contraindicated
- Abiraterone + Spironolactone Major
- Aceclofenac + Spironolactone Major
- Acemetacin + Spironolactone Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Spironolactone with Succinylcholine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Spironolactone and Succinylcholine 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. Succinylcholine releases potassium from muscle, and spironolactone reduces renal potassium excretion. Together they can raise the risk of clinically significant hyperkalemia and arrhythmias, especially in renal impairment.
How serious is the interaction between Spironolactone and Succinylcholine?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Check serum potassium before anesthesia and correct hyperkalemia first. Monitor ECG and potassium perioperatively.
What other medicines interact with Succinylcholine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Succinylcholine with, for example, Amikacin, Bacitracin-neomycin-polymyxin, Capreomycin. The full list is on the Succinylcholine page.
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