Trazodone/Saquinavir
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:
Your protease inhibitor may slow down how quickly your liver processes trazodone.
What might happen:
The amount of trazodone in your blood may increase and cause side effects such as nausea, dizziness, confusion, low blood pressure, fainting, or an irregular heartbeat, which may be life-threatening.
What you should do about this interaction:
Let your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) know right away that you are taking these medicines together and if you have an increase in nausea, confusion, or low blood pressure, or or if you have any dizziness, fainting, or an irregular heartbeat. Your doctor may want to change the dose of your trazodone.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.Invirase (saquinavir mesylate) US prescribing information. Roche Laboratories, Inc. February, 2012.
2.Oleptro (trazodone hydrochloride) US prescribing information. Angelini Labopharm Inc. November, 2012.
3.Greenblatt DJ, von Moltke LL, Harmatz JS, Fogelman SM, Chen G, Graf JA, Mertzanis P, Byron S, Culm KE, Granda BW, Daily JP, Shader RI. Short-term exposure to low-dose ritonavir impairs clearance and enhances adverse effects of trazodone. J Clin Pharmacol 2003 Apr;43(4):414-22.
