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Drug Interactions between dronedarone and echinacea

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

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Interactions between your drugs

Moderate

echinacea dronedarone

Applies to: echinacea and dronedarone

MONITOR: Coadministration with echinacea may alter the plasma concentrations and therapeutic effects of drugs that are substrates of CYP450 3A4. Echinacea appears to inhibit intestinal CYP450 3A4, which would lead to an increase in oral midazolam (a sensitive 3A4 substrate) bioavailability; however, plasma levels of midazolam following oral administration do not appear to be affected by echinacea. In contrast, it appears that echinacea may also induce hepatic CYP450 3A4; thereby increasing the hepatic clearance of drugs that are substrates of CYP450 3A4. According to reports, echinacea may increase the hepatic clearance of intravenous (IV) midazolam by 34% and decrease the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and half-life of IV midazolam by 20% and 42%, respectively.

MANAGEMENT: In general, patients should be advised to consult their healthcare provider before using any herbal or alternative medicines. If echinacea is prescribed with a drug that is a CYP450 3A4 substrate, the possibility of an altered (increased or decreased) therapeutic response should be considered. Patients should be monitored more closely following the addition or withdrawal of echinacea and the dosage of the CYP450 3A4 substrate adjusted as necessary.

References (2)
  1. Gorski JC, Huang SM, Pinto A, et al. (2004) "The effect of echinacea (Echinacea purpurea root) on cytochrome P450 activity in vivo." Clin Pharmacol Ther, 75, p. 89-100
  2. Cerner Multum, Inc. "Australian Product Information."

Drug and food interactions

Major

dronedarone food

Applies to: dronedarone

GENERALLY AVOID: Grapefruit juice may increase the plasma concentrations of dronedarone. The proposed mechanism is inhibition of CYP450 3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism in the gut wall by certain compounds present in grapefruits. According to the product labeling, administration with grapefruit juice resulted in a 2.5-fold increase in dronedarone peak plasma concentration and a 3-fold increase in systemic exposure. Because dronedarone is associated with concentration-dependent prolongation of the QT interval, increased levels may potentiate the risk of ventricular arrhythmias such as torsade de pointes and sudden death.

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Food increases the oral bioavailability of dronedarone. The mechanism of interaction is unknown. According to the product labeling, the absolute bioavailability of dronedarone increases from about 4% when administered in the fasted state to approximately 15% when administered with a high-fat meal.

MANAGEMENT: Patients treated with dronedarone should avoid consumption of grapefruit, grapefruit juice, and any supplement containing grapefruit extract. Dronedarone should be taken twice daily with the morning and evening meals.

References (1)
  1. (2009) "Product Information. Multaq (dronedarone)." sanofi-aventis

Therapeutic duplication warnings

No warnings were found for your selected drugs.

Therapeutic duplication warnings are only returned when drugs within the same group exceed the recommended therapeutic duplication maximum.


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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.