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Does Acyclovir Interact with Meperidine Hydrochloride?

Acyclovir and Meperidine Hydrochloride have a moderate drug interaction according to U.S. FDA drug labeling data. Acyclovir Clinical Impact: The concomitant use of acyclovir may increase the plasma concentrations of meperidine and its metabolite, normeperidine. Intervention: If concomitant use of acyclovir and Meperidine Hydrochloride Injection is necessary, monitor patients for respiratory depression and sedation at frequent intervals. Patients taking both medications should consult their healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing the dosage of either drug. This information is based on official FDA drug labeling sourced from OpenFDA and the NIH National Library of Medicine.

Severity
Moderate
Acyclovir Class
Herpes Simplex Virus Nucleoside Analog DNA Polymerase Inhibitor
Management
Monitor for effects
Data Source
U.S. FDA via OpenFDA

What To Tell Your Doctor or Pharmacist

If you are taking Acyclovir and your doctor is considering prescribing Meperidine Hydrochloride (or vice versa), make sure to:

  • Inform your doctor and pharmacist of all current medications, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements
  • Ask whether the benefits of combining these medications outweigh the risks for your specific situation
  • Ask what symptoms to watch for that would indicate the interaction is causing problems
  • Ask whether any dosage adjustments are needed
  • Never stop or change either medication without first consulting your healthcare provider
💊 Acyclovir(Sitavig)+💊 Meperidine Hydrochloride(Demerol)

Severity & Interaction Details

🟡
moderate
Be aware — moderate interaction
Documented interaction with manageable risk. May require dose adjustment or monitoring.
Severity scale
MinorContra
On record
Yes
Drug A class
Herpes Simplex Virus Nucleoside Analog DNA Polymerase Inhibitor
Drug B class
—
Source
FDA drug label - meperidine hydrochloride

What this means in plain English

Acyclovir Clinical Impact: The concomitant use of acyclovir may increase the plasma concentrations of meperidine and its metabolite, normeperidine. Intervention: If concomitant use of acyclovir and Meperidine Hydrochloride Injection is necessary, monitor patients for respiratory depression and sedation at frequent intervals.

About Acyclovir and Meperidine Hydrochloride

Acyclovir is a Herpes Simplex Virus Nucleoside Analog DNA Polymerase Inhibitor. You may recognize them by the brand names Sitavig and Demerol. Acyclovir is applied to the skin, whereas Meperidine Hydrochloride is taken by mouth. Meperidine Hydrochloride additionally carries an FDA boxed warning, the FDA's strongest safety alert.

Recent research & FDA safety updates

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Auto-aggregated from PubMed E-utilities and FDA safety data.

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Data integrity: Every interaction shown is extracted directly from official U.S. FDA drug labeling via openFDA and the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NIH) — no interactions are invented, inferred, or manually edited. Maintained by CheckDrugInteractions.com. See our methodology or report a correction at support@checkdruginteractions.com.

Data sourced from U.S. FDA drug labeling via openFDA and the NIH National Library of Medicine, supplemented with a small number of well-established interactions from curated clinical references. For informational purposes only. Always consult your pharmacist or physician.