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Drug Interactions between digoxin and Norpace

This report displays the potential drug interactions for the following 2 drugs:

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Interactions between your drugs

Moderate

digoxin disopyramide

Applies to: digoxin and Norpace (disopyramide)

MONITOR: Conflicting data indicate a potential interaction between digoxin and disopyramide. Limited data indicate that administration of disopyramide is followed by slightly increased serum digoxin levels, decreased serum half-life, and decreased volume of digoxin distribution. Other data show no significant interaction between disopyramide and digoxin. One study suggests that digoxin may enhance the antiarrhythmic effect of disopyramide by counteracting its potential negative inotropic effect.

MANAGEMENT: During coadministration, the patient should be monitored for digoxin toxicity and serum levels should be checked when necessary. Patients should be advised to notify their physician if they experience signs of digoxin toxicity such as nausea, anorexia, visual disturbances, slow pulse, or irregular heartbeats.

References (7)
  1. Leahey EB, Reiffel JA, Giardina EG, Bigger JT (1980) "The effect of quinidine and other oral antiarrhythmic drugs on serum digoxin." Ann Intern Med, 92, p. 605-8
  2. Lara M, Oakley GD, Rowbotham D (1980) "Potentially dangerous effect of disopyramide on atrioventricular conduction in a patient on digitalis." Br Med J, July, p. 198
  3. Garcia-Barreto D, Groning E, Gonzalez-Gomez A, et al. (1981) "Enhancement of the antiarrhythmic action of disopyramide by digoxin." J Cardiovasc Pharmacol, 3, p. 1236-42
  4. Risler T, Burk M, Peters U, et al. (1983) "On the interaction between digoxin and disopyramide." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 34, p. 176-80
  5. Rodin SM, Johnson BF (1988) "Pharmacokinetic interactions with digoxin." Clin Pharmacokinet, 15, p. 227-44
  6. Manolas EG, Hunt D, Sloman G (1980) "Effects of quinidine and disopyramide on serum digoxin concentrations." Aust N Z J Med, 10, p. 426-9
  7. Eliott HL, Kelman AW, Sumner DJ, et al. (1982) "Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic evaluation of the interaction between digoxin and disopyramide." Br J Clin Pharmacol, 14, p141

Drug and food interactions

Moderate

disopyramide food

Applies to: Norpace (disopyramide)

MONITOR: Grapefruit juice may increase the plasma concentrations of orally administered drugs that are substrates of the CYP450 3A4 isoenzyme. The proposed mechanism is inhibition of CYP450 3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism in the gut wall by certain compounds present in grapefruit. Because grapefruit juice inhibits primarily intestinal rather than hepatic CYP450 3A4, the magnitude of interaction is greatest for those drugs that undergo significant presystemic metabolism by CYP450 3A4 (i.e., drugs with low oral bioavailability). In general, the effect of grapefruit juice is concentration-, dose- and preparation-dependent, and can vary widely among brands. Certain preparations of grapefruit juice (e.g., high dose, double strength) have sometimes demonstrated potent inhibition of CYP450 3A4, while other preparations (e.g., low dose, single strength) have typically demonstrated moderate inhibition. Pharmacokinetic interactions involving grapefruit juice are also subject to a high degree of interpatient variability, thus 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.

References (32)
  1. Edgar B, Bailey D, Bergstrand R, et al. (1992) "Acute effects of drinking grapefruit juice on the pharmacokinetics and dynamics on felodipine and its potential clinical relevance." Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 42, p. 313-7
  2. Jonkman JH, Sollie FA, Sauter R, Steinijans VW (1991) "The influence of caffeine on the steady-state pharmacokinetics of theophylline." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 49, p. 248-55
  3. Bailey DG, Arnold JM, Munoz C, Spence JD (1993) "Grapefruit juice--felodipine interaction: mechanism, predictability, and effect of naringin." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 53, p. 637-42
  4. Bailey DG, Arnold JMO, Spence JD (1994) "Grapefruit juice and drugs - how significant is the interaction." Clin Pharmacokinet, 26, p. 91-8
  5. Sigusch H, Hippius M, Henschel L, Kaufmann K, Hoffmann A (1994) "Influence of grapefruit juice on the pharmacokinetics of a slow release nifedipine formulation." Pharmazie, 49, p. 522-4
  6. Bailey DG, Arnold JM, Strong HA, Munoz C, Spence JD (1993) "Effect of grapefruit juice and naringin on nisoldipine pharmacokinetics." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 54, p. 589-94
  7. Yamreudeewong W, Henann NE, Fazio A, Lower DL, Cassidy TG (1995) "Drug-food interactions in clinical practice." J Fam Pract, 40, p. 376-84
  8. (1995) "Grapefruit juice interactions with drugs." Med Lett Drugs Ther, 37, p. 73-4
  9. Hukkinen SK, Varhe A, Olkkola KT, Neuvonen PJ (1995) "Plasma concentrations of triazolam are increased by concomitant ingestion of grapefruit juice." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 58, p. 127-31
  10. Min DI, Ku YM, Geraets DR, Lee HC (1996) "Effect of grapefruit juice on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of quinidine in healthy volunteers." J Clin Pharmacol, 36, p. 469-76
  11. Majeed A, Kareem A (1996) "Effect of grapefruit juice on cyclosporine pharmacokinetics." Pediatr Nephrol, 10, p. 395
  12. Clifford CP, Adams DA, Murray S, Taylor GW, Wilkins MR, Boobis AR, Davies DS (1996) "Pharmacokinetic and cardiac effects of terfenadine after inhibition of its metabolism by grapefruit juice." Br J Clin Pharmacol, 42, p662
  13. Josefsson M, Zackrisson AL, Ahlner J (1996) "Effect of grapefruit juice on the pharmacokinetics of amlodipine in healthy volunteers." Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 51, p. 189-93
  14. Kantola T, Kivisto KT, Neuvonen PJ (1998) "Grapefruit juice greatly increases serum concentrations of lovastatin and lovastatin acid." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 63, p. 397-402
  15. Ozdemir M, Aktan Y, Boydag BS, Cingi MI, Musmul A (1998) "Interaction between grapefruit juice and diazepam in humans." Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet, 23, p. 55-9
  16. Bailey DG, Malcolm J, Arnold O, Spence JD (1998) "Grapefruit juice-drug interactions." Br J Clin Pharmacol, 46, p. 101-10
  17. Bailey DG, Kreeft JH, Munoz C, Freeman DJ, Bend JR (1998) "Grapefruit juice felodipine interaction: Effect of naringin and 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin in humans." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 64, p. 248-56
  18. Garg SK, Kumar N, Bhargava VK, Prabhakar SK (1998) "Effect of grapefruit juice on carbamazepine bioavailability in patients with epilepsy." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 64, p. 286-8
  19. Lilja JJ, Kivisto KT, Neuvonen PJ (1998) "Grapefruit juice-simvastatin interaction: Effect on serum concentrations of simvastatin, simvastatin acid, and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 64, p. 477-83
  20. Fuhr U, Maier-Bruggemann A, Blume H, et al. (1998) "Grapefruit juice increases oral nimodipine bioavailability." Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther, 36, p. 126-32
  21. Lilja JJ, Kivisto KT, Neuvonen PJ (1999) "Grapefruit juice increases serum concentrations of atorvastatin and has no effect on pravastatin." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 66, p. 118-27
  22. Eagling VA, Profit L, Back DJ (1999) "Inhibition of the CYP3A4-mediated metabolism and P-glycoprotein-mediated transport of the HIV-I protease inhibitor saquinavir by grapefruit juice components." Br J Clin Pharmacol, 48, p. 543-52
  23. Damkier P, Hansen LL, Brosen K (1999) "Effect of diclofenac, disulfiram, itraconazole, grapefruit juice and erythromycin on the pharmacokinetics of quinidine." Br J Clin Pharmacol, 48, p. 829-38
  24. Lee AJ, Chan WK, Harralson AF, Buffum J, Bui BCC (1999) "The effects of grapefruit juice on sertraline metabolism: An in vitro and in vivo study." Clin Ther, 21, p. 1890-9
  25. Dresser GK, Spence JD, Bailey DG (2000) "Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic consequences and clinical relevance of cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibition." Clin Pharmacokinet, 38, p. 41-57
  26. Gunston GD, Mehta U (2000) "Potentially serious drug interactions with grapefruit juice." S Afr Med J, 90, p. 41
  27. Takanaga H, Ohnishi A, Maatsuo H, et al. (2000) "Pharmacokinetic analysis of felodipine-grapefruit juice interaction based on an irreversible enzyme inhibition model." Br J Clin Pharmacol, 49, p. 49-58
  28. Libersa CC, Brique SA, Motte KB, et al. (2000) "Dramatic inhibition of amiodarone metabolism induced by grapefruit juice." Br J Clin Pharmacol, 49, p. 373-8
  29. Bailey DG, Dresser GR, Kreeft JH, Munoz C, Freeman DJ, Bend JR (2000) "Grapefruit-felodipine interaction: Effect of unprocessed fruit and probable active ingredients." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 68, p. 468-77
  30. Zaidenstein R, Soback S, Gips M, Avni B, Dishi V, Weissgarten Y, Golik A, Scapa E (2001) "Effect of grapefruit juice on the pharmacokinetics of losartan and its active metabolite E3174 in healthy volunteers." Ther Drug Monit, 23, p. 369-73
  31. Sato J, Nakata H, Owada E, Kikuta T, Umetsu M, Ito K (1993) "Influence of usual intake of dietary caffeine on single-dose kinetics of theophylline in healthy human subjects." Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 44, p. 295-8
  32. Flanagan D (2005) "Understanding the grapefruit-drug interaction." Gen Dent, 53, 282-5; quiz 286
Minor

digoxin food

Applies to: digoxin

Administration of digoxin with a high-fiber meal has been shown to decrease its bioavailability by almost 20%. Fiber can sequester up to 45% of the drug when given orally. Patients should be advised to maintain a regular diet without significant fluctuation in fiber intake while digoxin is being titrated.

Grapefruit juice may modestly increase the plasma concentrations of digoxin. The mechanism is increased absorption of digoxin due to mild inhibition of intestinal P-glycoprotein by certain compounds present in grapefruits. In 12 healthy volunteers, administration of grapefruit juice with and 30 minutes before, as well as 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 hours after a single digoxin dose (0.5 mg) increased the mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of digoxin by just 9% compared to administration with water. Moreover, P-glycoprotein genetic polymorphism does not appear to influence the magnitude of the effects of grapefruit juice on digoxin. Thus, the interaction is unlikely to be of clinical significance.

References (2)
  1. Darcy PF (1995) "Nutrient-drug interactions." Adverse Drug React Toxicol Rev, 14, p. 233-54
  2. Becquemont L, Verstuyft C, Kerb R, et al. (2001) "Effect of grapefruit juice on digoxin pharmacokinetics in humans." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 70, p. 311-6
Minor

disopyramide food

Applies to: Norpace (disopyramide)

Ethanol significantly increases the renal elimination of disopyramide, apparently by inducing diuresis (inhibition of antidiuretic hormone). Limited data show that ethanol does not, however, significantly affect the elimination half-life or total plasma clearance of disopyramide. No special precautions appear to be necessary.

References (1)
  1. Olsen H, Bredesen JE, Lunde PK (1983) "Effect of ethanol intake on disopyramide elimination by healthy volunteers." Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 25, p. 103-5

Therapeutic duplication warnings

Therapeutic duplication is the use of more than one medicine from the same drug category or therapeutic class to treat the same condition. This can be intentional in cases where drugs with similar actions are used together for demonstrated therapeutic benefit. It can also be unintentional in cases where a patient has been treated by more than one doctor, or had prescriptions filled at more than one pharmacy, and can have potentially adverse consequences.

Duplication

Antiarrhythmics

Therapeutic duplication

The recommended maximum number of medicines in the 'antiarrhythmics' category to be taken concurrently is usually one. Your list includes two medicines belonging to the 'antiarrhythmics' category:

  • digoxin
  • Norpace (disopyramide)

Note: In certain circumstances, the benefits of taking this combination of drugs may outweigh any risks. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your medications or dosage.

See also

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Drug Interaction Classification

These classifications are only a guideline. The relevance of a particular drug interaction to a specific individual is difficult to determine. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting or stopping any medication.
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.
Unknown No interaction information available.

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

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