Drug Interactions between allopurinol and suvorexant

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: The tolerability of allopurinol may be improved by giving it after a meal. Additionally, when the dose is greater than 300 mg, dividing the total daily dose into smaller doses administered more often may be appropriate to help minimize gastrointestinal irritation.

MONITOR: Concomitant use of allopurinol with central nervous system (CNS) depressants, including alcohol, may potentiate adverse effects such as somnolence and sedation.

MANAGEMENT: To improve tolerability, some manufacturers suggest administering allopurinol after a meal. Additionally, if the daily dose is greater than 300 mg, administering allopurinol in divided doses may help reduce gastrointestinal intolerance. Patients should also be counseled to avoid or limit consumption of alcohol and to avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until they know how the medication affects them.

GENERALLY AVOID: Alcohol may potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of suvorexant. Use in combination may result in additive central nervous system depression and/or impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills. In addition, alcohol may increase the risk of cognitive and complex behavioral changes associated with the use of hypnotics including suvorexant, such as amnesia, anxiety, hallucinations, sleep-driving, and other neuropsychiatric symptoms.

ADJUST DOSE: Grapefruit juice may significantly increase the plasma concentrations of suvorexant. The proposed mechanism is inhibition of CYP450 3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism in the gut wall by certain compounds present in grapefruit.

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Administration with or soon after a meal may delay the gastrointestinal absorption of suvorexant. According to the product labeling, administration of suvorexant with a high-fat meal resulted in no meaningful change in peak plasma concentration (Cmax) or systemic exposure (AUC), but a delay in Tmax of approximately 1.5 hours.

MANAGEMENT: Concomitant use of suvorexant with alcohol should be avoided. Patients should be advised not to use suvorexant if they had alcohol that evening or before bed. Grapefruit juice should preferably be avoided; otherwise, the recommended dose of suvorexant is 5 mg when used with grapefruit juice and should not exceed 10 mg. Suvorexant may be taken with or without food; however, for faster sleep onset, suvorexant should not be administered with or soon after a meal.