Irinotecan/Ketoconazole
This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.
Medical warning:
Severe. These medicines may interact and cause very harmful effects and are usually not taken together. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.
How the interaction occurs:
Ketoconazole may slow down how quickly your liver processes irinotecan.
What might happen:
The amount of irinotecan in your blood may increase. This may cause you to have more side effects from your medicine. Possible side effects include but are not limited to diarrhea, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, fever, rash, or vomiting.
What you should do about this interaction:
Let your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) know that you are taking these medicines together. Your doctor may want to check the amount of irinotecan in your blood or change the amount of irinotecan you take. If you notice any new side effects from your irinotecan, or if any side effects become worse, contact your health care professionals right away.Your healthcare professionals may already be aware of this interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.
References:
1.Camptosar (irinotecan hydrochloride) US prescribing information. Pharmacia & Upjohn Company May, 2010.
2.Kehrer DF, Mathijssen RH, Verweij J, de Bruijn P, Sparreboom A. Modulation of irinotecan metabolism by ketoconazole. J Clin Oncol 2002 Jul 15; 20(14):3122-9.
3.Phansalkar S, Desai AA, Bell D, Yoshida E, Doole J, Czochanski M, Middleton B, Bates DW. High-priority drug-drug interactions for use in electronic health records. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2012 Sep-Oct; 19(5):735-43.
