Drug Interactions between paliperidone and st. john's wort

GENERALLY AVOID: An isolated case report suggests that foods containing large amounts of tyramine may precipitate a hypertensive crisis in patients treated with St. John's wort. The mechanism of interaction is unknown, as St. John's wort is not thought to possess monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibiting activity at concentrations achieved in vivo. The case patient was a 41-year-old man who had been taking St. John's wort for seven days prior to presentation at the emergency room with confusion and disorientation. The patient recalled last eating aged cheese and having a glass of red wine approximately 10 hours prior to admission. No other cause of delirium or hypertension could be identified. In addition, alcohol may potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of St. John's wort. Use in combination may result in additive central nervous system depression and/or impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills.

MANAGEMENT: Until further information is available, patients treated with St. John's wort should consider avoiding consumption of protein foods in which aging or breakdown of protein is used to increase flavor. These foods include cheese (particularly strong, aged or processed cheeses), sour cream, wine (particularly red wine), champagne, beer, pickled herring, anchovies, caviar, shrimp paste, liver (particularly chicken liver), dry sausage, figs, raisins, bananas, avocados, chocolate, soy sauce, bean curd, yogurt, papaya products, meat tenderizers, fava beans, protein extracts, and dietary supplements. Caffeine may also precipitate hypertensive crisis so its intake should be minimized as well. Patients should also be advised to avoid or limit consumption of alcohol.

GENERALLY AVOID: Alcohol may potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of paliperidone. Use in combination may result in additive central nervous system depression and/or impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills.

Administration with food may increase the bioavailability of paliperidone from the extended release tablets. In healthy ambulatory subjects, administration of a 12 mg paliperidone extended release tablet with a standard high-fat/high-caloric meal resulted in 60% and 54% increases, respectively, in the mean peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of paliperidone compared to administration under fasting conditions. The clinical significance of these changes is unknown.

MANAGEMENT: Patients receiving paliperidone should be advised to avoid the consumption of alcohol. Since clinical trials establishing the safety and efficacy of paliperidone were carried out without regard to the timing of meals, presumably paliperidone may be administered with or without food.