Drug
Ergotamine-Caffeine
Pronounced
"er-GOT-uh-meen/KAF-een"
Drug Interactions
See also Warning section.
Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor's approval.
If you also take "triptan" migraine drugs (such as sumatriptan, rizatriptan), you will need to separate your "triptan" dose from your dose of this medication to reduce the risk of serious side effects. Ask your doctor how long you should wait between your doses of these drugs.
Some products may contain caffeine or ingredients that could raise your heart rate or blood pressure. Certain beverages (such as coffee, colas, energy drinks) may also contain caffeine. Tell your pharmacist what products you are using, and ask how to use them safely (especially cough-and-cold products, diet aids, or other headache products).
This medication may interfere with certain medical/lab tests (such as dipyridamole-thallium imaging tests, urine catecholamine levels, urine 5-HIAA levels), possibly causing false test results. Make sure lab personnel and all your doctors know you use this drug.
Negative Interactions
2- Potential Negative Interaction
Caffeine
Ephedra
Until 2004, many herbal weight loss and quick energy products combined caffeine or caffeine-containing herbs with ephedra. This combination may lead to dangerously increased heart rate and blood pressure and should be avoided by people with heart conditions, hypertension, diabetes, or thyroid disease.
EphedraCaffeine- Tyler VE. Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals. New York, Pharmaceutical Press, 1994, 88-9.
- Potential Negative Interaction
Caffeine
Foods with Caffeine
Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate. To reduce side effects, people taking caffeine-containing drug products should limit their intake of caffeine-containing foods/beverages.
Supportive Interactions
1- Replenish Depleted Nutrients
Caffeine
Calcium
In 205 healthy postmenopausal women, caffeine consumption (three cups of coffee per day) was associated with bone loss in women with calcium intake of less than 800 mg per day. In a group of 980 postmenopausal women, lifetime caffeine intake equal to two cups of coffee per day was associated with decreased bone density in those who did not drink at least one glass of milk daily during most of their life. However, in 138 healthy postmenopausal women, long-term dietary caffeine (coffee) intake was not associated with bone density. Until more is known, postmenopausal women should limit caffeine consumption and consume a total of approximately 1,500 mg of calcium per day (from diet and supplements).
CalciumCaffeine- Harris SS, Dawson-Hughes B. Caffeine and bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;60:573-8.
- Barrett-Connor E, Chang JC, Edelstein SL. Coffee-associated osteoporosis offset by daily milk consumption. The Rancho Bernardo Study. JAMA 1994;271:280-3.
- Lloyd T, Rollings N, Eggli DF, et al. Dietary caffeine intake and bone status of postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65:1826-30.
Explanation Required
1- Needs Explanation
Caffeine
Guaraná
Guaraná (Paullinia cupana) is a plant with a high caffeine content. Combining caffeine drug products and guaraná increases caffeine-induced side effects.