Drug Interactions between allopurinol and Veltassa

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.

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Patiromer can bind to some orally administered drugs, which may decrease their gastrointestinal absorption and reduce their effectiveness. According to the manufacturer, out of 28 drugs that were tested in in vitro binding studies, 14 did not show an interaction with patiromer (acetylsalicylic acid, allopurinol, amoxicillin, apixaban, atorvastatin, cephalexin, digoxin, glipizide, lisinopril, phenytoin, riboflavin, rivaroxaban, spironolactone, and valsartan). Twelve of the 14 drugs that did show an in vitro interaction were subsequently tested in in vivo studies with healthy volunteers, which revealed no changes in systemic exposure when coadministered with patiromer (amlodipine, cinacalcet, clopidogrel, furosemide, lithium, metoprolol, trimethoprim, verapamil, and warfarin). Patiromer was found to decrease systemic exposure of coadministered ciprofloxacin, levothyroxine, and metformin. However, no significant interaction occurred when patiromer and these drugs were dosed 3 hours apart.

MANAGEMENT: Patiromer should be administered with food at least 3 hours before or 3 hours after other oral medications. Alternatives to patiromer or the other medications should be considered if adequate dosing separation is not possible. Otherwise, clinical response and/or blood levels should be monitored where possible.