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Prednisone Drug Interactions
If you take medications such as estrogens or barbiturates with prednisone, drug interactions may potentially occur. These interactions can increase your risk of side effects, affect the level of prednisone in your blood, or decrease the effectiveness of some medications. Besides those mentioned above, some other drugs that may potentially cause prednisone interactions include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, salicylates, rifamycin antibiotics, and certain diuretics.
Prednisone can potentially interact with certain other medications. Some of these medicines that may lead to prednisone drug interactions include:
- Barbiturates, including:
- Amobarbital (Amytal®)
- Butalbital (Fioricet®, Fiorinal®)
- Pentobarbital (Nembutal®)
- Phenobarbital (Luminal®)
- Secobarbital (Seconal®)
- Certain diuretics, such as:
- Bumetanide (Bumex®)
- Chlorothiazide (Diuril®)
- Chlorthalidone (Thalitone®)
- Ethacrynic acid (Edecrin®)
- Furosemide (Lasix®)
- Hydrochlorothiazide (Esidrix®, HydroDIURIL®, Microzide®, Oretic®)
- Metolazone (Zaroxolyn®)
- Torsemide (Demadex®)
- Diabetes medications
- Estrogens, such as those found in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
- "Live" vaccinations, including:
- Chickenpox vaccine (varicella vaccine)
- FluMist® (the nasal vaccine for influenza; the injected vaccine is not live)
- MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella vaccine)
- Polio vaccine
- Rotavirus vaccine
- Smallpox vaccine
- Yellow fever vaccine
- BCG vaccine (used in some countries for tuberculosis)
- Mifepristone (Mifeprex®)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as:
- Ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®)
- Naproxen (Naprosyn®) or naproxen sodium (Aleve®, Anaprox®, Naprelan®)
- Diclofenac (Cataflam®, Voltaren®)
- Indomethacin (Indocin®)
- Nabumetone (Relafen®)
- Oxaprozin (Daypro®)
- Celecoxib (Celebrex®)
- Meloxicam (Mobic®)
- Etodolac (Lodine®)
- Ketoprofen (Orudis®)
- Ketorolac (Toradol®)
- Phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®) or fosphenytoin (Cerebyx®)
- Rifamycin antibiotics, including rifabutin (Mycobutin®), rifampin (Rifadin®), and rifapentine (Priftin®)
- Salicylates, such as aspirin (Ecotrin®, Bayer®, Anacin®), choline magnesium trisalicylate (Trilisate®), diflunisal (Dolobid®), and salsalate (Salflex®, Disalcid®, Amigesic®)
- Warfarin (Coumadin®, Jantoven®).
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD