Drug Interactions between CVS Allergy & Sinus Headache and verapamil

Ask your doctor before using acetaminophen together with ethanol (alcohol). This can cause serious side effects that affect your liver. Call your doctor immediately if you experience a fever, chills, joint pain or swelling, excessive tiredness or weakness, unusual bleeding or bruising, skin rash or itching, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or yellowing of the skin or the whites of your eyes. If your doctor does prescribe these medications together, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take both medications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

You may take verapamil with or without food, but take it the same way every time. You should avoid consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice as much as possible during treatment with verapamil. If you have been regularly consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice with verapamil, do not increase or decrease the amounts of these products in your diet without first talking to your doctor. Grapefruit juice can increase the blood levels and effects of verapamil. Contact your doctor if you experience sudden, unexplained weight gain; swelling of the hands, ankles, or feet; chest pain; or difficulty breathing. Avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medication affects you, and use caution when getting up from a sitting or lying position. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Ask your doctor before using verapamil together with ethanol (alcohol). Verapamil may increase the blood levels and intoxicating effects of ethanol (alcohol). This can cause symptoms of extreme drowsiness, confusion, and nausea. If you experience any of these side effect you should avoid activities requiring mental alertness. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Ask your doctor before using diphenhydrAMINE together with ethanol (alcohol). Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness while you are taking diphenhydrAMINE. You should be warned not to exceed recommended dosages and to avoid activities requiring mental alertness. If your doctor prescribes these medications together, you may need a dose adjustment to safely take this combination. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Using verapamil together with multivitamin with minerals can decrease the effects of verapamil. Talk with your doctor before using verapamil and multivitamin with minerals together. You may need a dose adjustment or need your blood pressure checked more often if you take both medications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Both phenylephrine and caffeine can increase blood pressure and heart rate, and combining them may enhance these effects. Talk to your doctor before using these medications, especially if you have a history of high blood pressure or heart disease. You may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring by your doctor to safely use both medications. Contact your doctor if your condition changes or you experience increased side effects. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Consumer information for this interaction is not currently available.

MONITOR: Smoking cessation may lead to elevated plasma concentrations and enhanced pharmacologic effects of drugs that are substrates of CYP450 1A2 (and possibly CYP450 1A1) and/or certain drugs with a narrow therapeutic index (e.g., flecainide, pentazocine). One proposed mechanism is related to the loss of CYP450 1A2 and 1A1 induction by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tobacco smoke; when smoking cessation agents are initiated and smoking stops, the metabolism of certain drugs may decrease leading to increased plasma concentrations. The mechanism by which smoking cessation affects narrow therapeutic index drugs that are not known substrates of CYP450 1A2 or 1A1 is unknown. The clinical significance of this interaction is unknown as clinical data are lacking.

MANAGEMENT: Until more information is available, caution is advisable if smoking cessation agents are used concomitantly with drugs that are substrates of CYP450 1A2 or 1A1 and/or those with a narrow therapeutic range. Patients receiving smoking cessation agents may require periodic dose adjustments and closer clinical and laboratory monitoring of medications that are substrates of CYP450 1A2 or 1A1.