Drug interactions
Suvorexant + Tapentadol
Severity: Moderate
Suvorexant and Tapentadol: 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 depress the central nervous system, so combining them can increase drowsiness, impair psychomotor performance and next-day function. An opioid with a sedative-hypnotic can also add to respiratory depression.
What this interaction means in plain words
Suvorexant and Tapentadol 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.
Suvorexant belongs to Central Nervous System; Tapentadol belongs to Musculoskeletal.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression via opioid mu-receptor agonism and orexin receptor antagonism.
What to do
Use the lowest effective doses of each drug and counsel patients about driving and operating machinery. Monitor for excessive sedation and respiratory depression, reducing suvorexant dose if needed.
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 Tapentadol
- Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates + Tapentadol Contraindicated
- Isocarboxazid + Tapentadol Contraindicated
- Linezolid + Tapentadol Contraindicated
- Methylene blue + Tapentadol Contraindicated
- Olanzapine / samidorphan + Tapentadol Contraindicated
- Phenelzine + Tapentadol Contraindicated
Other interactions of Suvorexant
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Suvorexant with Tapentadol?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Suvorexant and Tapentadol 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 depress the central nervous system, so combining them can increase drowsiness, impair psychomotor performance and next-day function. An opioid with a sedative-hypnotic can also add to respiratory depression.
How serious is the interaction between Suvorexant and Tapentadol?
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 the lowest effective doses of each drug and counsel patients about driving and operating machinery. Monitor for excessive sedation and respiratory depression, reducing suvorexant dose if needed.
What other medicines interact with Tapentadol?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Tapentadol with, for example, Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates, Isocarboxazid, Linezolid. The full list is on the Tapentadol page.
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