Does Macrolide Antibiotics Interact with Pimozide?
CDI records a contraindicated classification for Macrolide Antibiotics and Pimozide. The stored summary is: Use of macrolide antibiotics in patients with prolonged QT intervals has been rarely associated with ventricular arrhythmias. Concomitant administration should not be undertaken. The mechanism involves qt prolongation leading to ventricular arrhythmias. Patients taking both medications should consult their healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing the dosage of either drug. This record was extracted from drug labeling through openFDA. NIH/NLM RxNorm is used for drug identities. The summary and severity classification are CDI's processed information, not a verbatim source quotation. Product, route, and patient circumstances matter.
Evidence status
A current label comparison is not yet available for this record. The summary and severity are stored CDI information; they have not been independently validated on this page against the exact product label.
Confirm the medicine, formulation, route, and applicable warning with your pharmacist or prescriber. Independent clinical review has not been recorded.
Saved label reference on DailyMed. This identifier has not been checked here as support for the current claim.
- Stored CDI classification
- Contraindicated
- Pimozide Class
- Typical Antipsychotic
- Management
- Confirm exact products with your pharmacist
- Data Source
- U.S. FDA via OpenFDA
Recorded Mechanism
QT prolongation leading to ventricular arrhythmias
What To Tell Your Doctor or Pharmacist
If you are taking Macrolide Antibiotics and your doctor is considering prescribing Pimozide (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 about alternative medications that do not interact with your current regimen
- Ask how frequently you should be monitored while these are co-prescribed
- Never stop or change either medication without first consulting your healthcare provider