Drug Interactions between dexamethasone / ketorolac / moxifloxacin and mifepristone

MONITOR CLOSELY: Concomitant administration of corticosteroids may potentiate the risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture associated with fluoroquinolone treatment. The mechanism is unknown. Tendinitis and tendon rupture have most frequently involved the Achilles tendon, although cases involving the rotator cuff (the shoulder), the hand, the biceps, and the thumb have also been reported. Some have required surgical repair or resulted in prolonged disability. Tendon rupture can occur during or up to several months after completion of fluoroquinolone therapy.

MANAGEMENT: Caution is recommended if fluoroquinolones are prescribed in combination with corticosteroids, particularly in patients with other concomitant risk factors (e.g., age over 60 years; recipient of kidney, heart, and/or lung transplant). Patients should be advised to stop taking the fluoroquinolone, avoid exercise and use of the affected area, and promptly contact their physician if they experience pain, swelling, or inflammation of a tendon. In general, fluoroquinolones should only be used to treat conditions that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria and only if the benefits outweigh the risks.

CONTRAINDICATED: Mifepristone is a potent antiglucocorticoid and may antagonize the effects of corticosteroids. In animals, mifepristone at dosages of 10 to 25 mg/kg inhibited the action of dexamethasone. In human, the antiglucocorticoid action occurred at dosages of 4.5 mg/kg or greater, as indicated by a compensatory elevation of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol. The efficacy of chronic corticosteroid therapy, including inhaled corticosteroids, may be reduced for 3 to 4 days after a single dose of mifepristone. Pharmacokinetically, mifepristone may increase the plasma concentrations of corticosteroids by inhibiting their metabolism via CYP450 3A4. However, the clinical impact has not been studied. Dexamethasone, specifically, may also decrease the blood levels of mifepristone by inducing its metabolism via CYP450 3A4.

MANAGEMENT: The use of mifepristone is considered contraindicated in patients on long-term corticosteroid therapy. When intended for daily use to control hyperglycemia secondary to hypercortisolism in patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome, mifepristone is also contraindicated in those patients who require systemic corticosteroids for serious medical conditions or illnesses, such as immunosuppression after organ transplantation. Because mifepristone is eliminated slowly from the body, drug interactions may be observed for a prolonged period following discontinuation (approximately 2 to 3 weeks if mifepristone had been administered chronically to steady state).

GENERALLY AVOID: Mifepristone may prolong the QTc interval in a dose-related manner. Theoretically, coadministration with other agents that can prolong the QT interval may result in additive effects and increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias including torsade de pointes and sudden death. Mifepristone and its metabolites have been found to inhibit the hERG-encoded cardiac potassium channels responsible for the rapid delayed rectifier K+ (IKr) repolarizing current. However, there is little or no experience with high exposure, concomitant dosing with other QT-prolonging drugs, or potassium channel variants resulting in a long QT interval. In general, the risk of an individual agent or a combination of agents causing ventricular arrhythmia in association with QT prolongation is largely unpredictable but may be increased by certain underlying risk factors such as congenital long QT syndrome, cardiac disease, and electrolyte disturbances (e.g., hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia). Since mifepristone can commonly cause hypokalemia during prolonged use, this should also be considered during coadministration with other QT-prolonging drugs. In a study of patients with Cushing's syndrome, hypokalemia was observed in 44% of subjects treated with mifepristone. The hypokalemia responded to treatment with potassium supplementation and/or mineralocorticoid antagonist therapy (e.g., spironolactone or eplerenone).

MANAGEMENT: When mifepristone is used daily to control hyperglycemia secondary to hypercortisolism in patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome, coadministration with other drugs that can prolong the QT interval should generally be avoided. Caution is recommended if no alternatives exist and concomitant use is required. Serum potassium should be assessed prior to starting mifepristone and 1 to 2 weeks following initiation of therapy or an increase in dosage, and periodically as needed. Hypokalemia must be corrected prior to initiation of mifepristone. Patients should be advised to seek medical attention if they experience potential signs and symptoms of hypokalemia such as fatigue, weakness, myalgia, muscle cramps, numbness, tingling, abdominal pain, constipation, palpitation, and irregular heart rhythm. Because mifepristone is eliminated slowly from the body, drug interactions may be observed for a prolonged period following discontinuation (approximately 2 to 3 weeks if mifepristone had been administered chronically to steady state).

MONITOR: The combined use of corticosteroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase the potential for serious gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity, including inflammation, bleeding, ulceration, and perforation. In a large, case-control study of elderly patients, those who used corticosteroids and NSAIDs concurrently had an estimated relative risk (RR) for peptic ulcer disease and GI hemorrhage of 14.6 compared to those who used neither. Corticosteroid use was associated with a doubling of the risk (estimated RR = 2.0), but the risk was confined to those who also used NSAIDs. It is possible that both categories of agents are ulcerogenic and have additive effects on the GI mucosa during coadministration. Some investigators have also suggested that the primary effect of corticosteroids in this interaction is to delay healing of erosions caused by NSAIDs rather than cause de novo ulcerations.

MANAGEMENT: Caution is advised if corticosteroids and NSAIDs are used together, especially in patients with a prior history of peptic ulcer disease or GI bleeding and in elderly and debilitated patients. During concomitant therapy, patients should be advised to take the medications with food and to immediately report signs and symptoms of GI ulceration and bleeding such as severe abdominal pain, dizziness, lightheadedness, and the appearance of black, tarry stools. The selective use of prophylactic anti-ulcer therapy (e.g., antacids, H2-antagonists) may be considered.

MONITOR: Coadministration with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may potentiate the risk of central nervous system toxicity sometimes associated with fluoroquinolone use. The interaction has been reported most often with enoxacin. It may occur with other fluoroquinolones as well, but is poorly documented. The exact mechanism of interaction is unknown. Some investigators suggest that the piperazine ring of fluoroquinolones may inhibit the binding of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to brain receptors and that NSAIDs may synergistically add to this effect. Patients with a history of seizures may be at greater risk.

MANAGEMENT: Clinical monitoring for signs of CNS stimulation such as tremors, involuntary muscle movements, hallucinations, or seizures is recommended if fluoroquinolone antibiotics are prescribed in combination with NSAIDs.

MONITOR: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may interfere with the abortifacient effects of mifepristone given in sequential combination with a prostaglandin analog such as misoprostol. By inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis and release, NSAIDs have been associated with an increased incidence of dystocia and delayed parturition in pregnant animals when administered in late pregnancy. However, their impact on medical abortion has not been adequately studied. Limited evidence suggests that coadministration of NSAIDs on the day of prostaglandin administration does not adversely influence the effects of mifepristone or the prostaglandin on cervical ripening or uterine contractility and does not reduce the clinical efficacy of medical termination of pregnancy.

MANAGEMENT: Until more information is available, it may be advisable to avoid the use of NSAIDs in women receiving mifepristone and a prostaglandin analog for the medical termination of pregnancy.

MONITOR: Coadministration with mifepristone may increase the plasma concentrations of NSAIDs that are substrates of the CYP450 2C8 and/or 2C9 enzymes. Mifepristone has been reported to be a clinically significant inhibitor of CYP450 2C8/2C9 when given at dosages used to control hyperglycemia secondary to hypercortisolism in patients with Cushing's syndrome. When a single 40 mg dose of fluvastatin, a typical CYP450 2C8/2C9 substrate, was administered with mifepristone 1200 mg once daily for 7 days in healthy subjects, mean fluvastatin peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and systemic exposure (AUC) increased by nearly 1.8- and 3.6-fold, respectively, compared to administration of fluvastatin alone.

MANAGEMENT: Caution is advised when mifepristone is prescribed concomitantly with NSAIDs that are substrates of CYP450 2C8 and/or 2C9 such as celecoxib, diclofenac, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen, indomethacin, lornoxicam, mefenamic acid, meloxicam, naproxen, piroxicam, and tenoxicam. The lowest dosage of the NSAID should be used whenever possible. Because mifepristone is eliminated slowly from the body, drug interactions may be observed for a prolonged period following discontinuation (approximately 2 to 3 weeks if mifepristone had been administered chronically to steady state).