Levitra (vardenafil) and Alcohol / Food Interactions

There are 2 alcohol/food/lifestyle interactions with Levitra (vardenafil) which include:

Alcohol (Ethanol) ↔ vardenafil

Moderate Drug Interaction

Consumer information for this interaction is not currently available.

GENERALLY AVOID: Additive hypotensive effects may occur when phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors are used with alcohol, as both are mild systemic vasodilators. In clinical pharmacology studies, more subjects administered alcohol at a dose of 0.7 g/kg (equivalent to approximately 6 ounces of 80-proof vodka in an 80-kg male; consumed within 10 minutes in study subjects, providing blood alcohol levels of 0.08%) in combination with tadalafil 10 or 20 mg single doses had clinically significant decreases in blood pressure than with alcohol alone. There were reports of postural dizziness, and orthostatic hypotension was observed in some. When tadalafil 20 mg was administered with alcohol at a lower dose of 0.6 g/kg (equivalent to approximately 4 ounces of 80-proof vodka in an 80-kg male), orthostatic hypotension was not observed, dizziness occurred with similar frequency relative to alcohol alone, and the hypotensive effects of alcohol were not potentiated. Neither tadalafil nor alcohol affected the plasma concentrations of the other. Administration of avanafil 200 mg with alcohol at a dose of 0.5 g/kg (equivalent to approximately 3 ounces of 80-proof vodka in a 70-kg male; consumed within 15 minutes in study subjects, providing blood alcohol levels of 0.057%) resulted in additional maximum supine systolic/diastolic blood pressure decreases of 3.5/4.5 mm Hg and additional maximum pulse rate increase of 9.3 bpm compared to alcohol alone, but did not cause orthostatic hypotension or dizziness. The plasma concentrations of alcohol were not affected. Sildenafil 50 mg and vardenafil 20 mg reportedly did not potentiate the hypotensive effect of alcohol in healthy volunteers with mean maximum blood alcohol levels of 0.08% and in healthy volunteers administered alcohol at a dose of 0.5 g/kg, respectively. Alcohol and vardenafil plasma levels were not altered when dosed simultaneously.

MANAGEMENT: Patients taking PDE5 inhibitors should avoid consuming large amounts of alcohol, which may increase the potential for orthostatic signs and symptoms including increase in heart rate, decrease in standing blood pressure, dizziness, and headache.

vardenafil ↔ food

Moderate Food Interaction

Consumer information for this interaction is not currently available.

MONITOR: Grapefruit juice may increase the plasma concentrations of orally administered drugs that are substrates of the CYP450 3A4 isoenzyme. However, the interaction seems to affect primarily those drugs that undergo significant presystemic metabolism by CYP450 3A4 (i.e., drugs with low oral bioavailability), presumably due to the fact that grapefruit juice inhibits intestinal rather than hepatic CYP450 3A4. Because pharmacokinetic interactions involving grapefruit juice are often subject to a high degree of interpatient variability, the extent to which a given patient may be affected is difficult to predict.

MANAGEMENT: Patients who regularly consume grapefruit or grapefruit juice should be monitored for adverse effects and altered plasma concentrations of drugs that undergo significant presystemic metabolism by CYP450 3A4. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice should be avoided if an interaction is suspected. Orange juice is not expected to interact with these drugs.

You should also know about...

Levitra (vardenafil) drug Interactions

There are 439 drug interactions with Levitra (vardenafil)

See also...

Drug Interaction Classification

The classifications below are a general guideline only. It is difficult to determine the relevance of a particular drug interaction to any individual given the large number of variables.

Major Highly clinically significant. Avoid combinations; the risk of the interaction outweighs the benefit.
Moderate Moderately clinically significant. Usually avoid combinations; use it only under special circumstances.
Minor Minimally clinically significant. Minimize risk; assess risk and consider an alternative drug, take steps to circumvent the interaction risk and/or institute a monitoring plan.

Do not stop taking any medications without consulting your healthcare provider.

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Multum is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. In addition, the drug information contained herein may be time sensitive and should not be utilized as a reference resource beyond the date hereof. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients, or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is a reference resource designed as supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare practitioners in patient care. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug of drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Multum Information Services, Inc. does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. Copyright 2000-2013 Multum Information Services, Inc. The information in contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

Help us improve Drugs.com: Take our quick 1 question survey

Close
(web5)