Dangerous Drug Interaction with Zanaflex (Aug. 2007)

Acorda Therapeutics recently alerted healthcare professionals about new contraindications for Zanaflex. Zanaflex (tizanidine) is used to treat spasticity.

New labeling says that this drug should not be used concomitantly with either of two CYP1A2 inhibitors: fluvoxamine, which is used to treat depression and anxiety disorders, or the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Taking either of these drugs together with tizanidine can cause dangerously elevated serum levels of tizanidine, which can lead to side effects such as severe hypotension and sedation.

The company says that other CYP1A2 inhibitors may also lead to substantial increases in tizanidine blood concentrations, although there have been no clinical studies to substantiate this. Therefore, using tizanidine with other CYP1A2 inhibitors should ordinarily be avoided. These drugs include zileuton, other fluoroquinolones, antiarrythmics, H-2 blockers, oral contraceptives, acyclovir and ticlopidine.

Additional Information:

FDA MedWatch Safety Alert. Zanaflex (tizanidine hydrochloride) Tablets and Capsules. April 11, 2007.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm#Zanaflex

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Zanaflex
• Drug
• Reaction
• Tizanidine
• CYP1A2
• Inhibitors
• Fluvoxamine
• Ciprofloxacin

[skootize]

STAY OFF THIS DRUG I WAS ISSUED CIPROFLOXACIN COUPLE OF DAY AGO , NO PROBLEMS THE FIRST DAY SECOND DAY II STARTED DEVELOPING A SEVERE LEG CRAMP WHICH WAS WAKING ME UP IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING BY DAY THREE EVERY TIME I TOOK THE DAM PILL THE LEG CRAMP STARTED WITH IN 30MINS OF TAKING ...LAST NIGHT I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN I WAS CRYING OUT ..THE OUT OF HOURS DOCTOR TOLD ME TO CARRY ON TAKING IT BUT THERES NO CHANCE OF THAT PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS SLOW KILL PILL

[aubsferg]

I like hallucinate on this drug see stuff demonlike that i am aware is not there if i do get up in the night i am like a zombie i slowly stopeed taking this med as well cause my kidneys were hurting awful. It really is effective at knocking u out but i guess you need some luck to not be hit with some of the side effects.

[stillwaterguy04]

I have had the strangest sleep episodes with this drug: I will hear someone banging on my door at 3 am, and I will go investigate and do things that prove to me later I was awake, but it becomes obvious that when I was hearing the banging, I must've been asleep, though I'm not aware at what point I woke up. Has anyone else had this happen?

[GoogleManagement]

Don't (Unless you're a stoner I suppose and like to be put into a near coma state sleep!) mix Tizanadine with Oxycodone! If you do take both I would suggest staggering them, Tizanadine then wait two or three hours and then take the pain med Oxycodone. Scared the heck out of my wife and I when I took 4mg of Tizanadine and 10mg of Oxycodone because I was knodding like a full blown drug addict of which I am not! These meds are taken for some serious pain that God has given to me to try to bear.

[sydfloyds]

ive had no problems with tizanidine in the last year--use with caution i suppose