Key takeaways
- Dexamethasone oral tablets can interact with several types of drugs, including diuretics, diabetes medications, and NSAIDs like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), potentially leading to increased risks of side effects or reduced effectiveness of those drugs.
- Certain health conditions, such as fungal infections, digestive problems, and eye problems, can increase the risk of harm when taking dexamethasone, making it essential to discuss your full health history with your doctor before starting this medication.
- While dexamethasone is not known to interact with alcohol, combining it with alcohol may increase the likelihood of side effects like headaches, dizziness, and nausea.
Dexamethasone oral tablet is a prescription drug used for many conditions in adults and certain children to reduce pain and inflammation. Some examples include:
- skin conditions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- certain types of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis
- digestive problems, including ulcerative colitis
- nervous system conditions, including multiple sclerosis
- blood cancers, including leukemia
- blood cell conditions, including anemia
- adrenal insufficiency
- allergic reactions
- eye problems, including uveitis (swelling of the middle eye layer)
- nephrotic syndrome
- lung conditions, including sarcoidosis
Dexamethasone belongs to a group of drugs called corticosteroids, also known as steroids.
Dexamethasone oral tablet is available as a generic drug. Generic drugs typically cost less than the brand-name version. You may also see dexamethasone oral tablet listed by its brand names, which include Dexabliss, Hemady, and TaperDex.
In addition to oral tablets, dexamethasone comes in several other forms. These include oral solution, liquid injection, and more.
An interaction can occur because one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions can also occur if you have certain health conditions. These interactions can also differ between different forms of the same drug.
This article will focus on interactions related to dexamethasone oral tablets. Talk with your doctor to learn more about the interactions of other forms of the drug.
Before you start taking dexamethasone, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether dexamethasone interacts with herbs, vitamins, or supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with dexamethasone?” section.)
If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
The following table lists drugs that may interact with dexamethasone. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with dexamethasone. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section.
| Drug type or drug name | Drug examples | What can happen |
|---|---|---|
| nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) | • aspirin • ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) • naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, others) | can increase the risk of digestive tract bleeding |
| diuretics (water pills) | • hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide) • chlorthalidone • furosemide (Lasix) | can increase the risk of low blood potassium levels |
| diabetes drugs | • metformin (Glumetza) • glipizide (Glucatrol XL) • sitaglipitin (Januvia) | can make diabetes drugs less effective |
| certain blood thinners | • warfarin (Jantoven) • rivaroxaban (Xarelto) • ticagrelor (Brilinta) | can make blood thinners less effective |
| certain antibiotics | • clarithromycin • erythromycin (Eryc, Ery-Tab, others) | can increase the risk of dexamethasone side effects |
| cholestyramine (LoCholest) | – | can make dexamethasone less effective |
| digoxin (Lanoxin) | – | can increase the risk of irregular heartbeat |
| estrogens | • ethinyl estradiol/ drospirenone (Yaz) • conjugated estrogens (Premarin) | can increase the risk of dexamethasone side effects |
| drugs that speed up dexamethasone breakdown in your body | • phenytoin (Dilantin) • rifampin (Rifadin IV) • carbamazepine (Tegretol) | can make dexamethasone less effective |
| drugs that slow dexamethasone breakdown in your body | • ketoconazole • itraconazole (Sporanox) • ritonavir (Norvir) | can increase the risk of dexamethasone side effects |
| drugs that are affected by dexamethasone breakdown in your body | • temsirolimus (Torisel) • carbamazepine (Tegretol) | can decrease effectiveness of affected drugs |
Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take dexamethasone. These are known as contraindications. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe this medication for you.
The following are contraindications of dexamethasone. Be sure to tell your doctor if either of these apply to you. They can determine whether dexamethasone is safe for you and recommend other treatment options if it’s not.
If you have certain fungal infections: If you have a fungal infection that’s affecting your whole body, your doctor may not prescribe dexamethasone for you, since the drug may weaken your body’s ability to fight infection.
If you’ve had an allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to dexamethasone or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe it for you, since taking it again could cause another allergic reaction.
Dexamethasone is not known to interact with alcohol. But dexamethasone and alcohol can cause some similar side effects, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and increase in liver enzyme levels seen on liver function tests. So, you may be more likely to experience these side effects if you drink alcohol during your dexamethasone treatment.
Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about consuming alcohol during dexamethasone treatment
Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with dexamethasone.
Before starting dexamethasone, talk with your doctor about all drugs you take. This includes prescriptions, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and supplements. Your doctor can determine whether dexamethasone is safe to take with your current medications. They can also prescribe or recommend a different drug to manage your condition.
If you have questions about taking dexamethasone with any of the following types of medication, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Interaction with diuretics
Dexamethasone can interact with diuretics (water pills) that are used in a variety of health conditions, including high blood pressure and heart failure.
Taking dexamethasone with diuretics may increase your risk of low blood potassium levels, which can lead to side effects such as muscle cramps and weakness. It may also cause serious side effects, including irregular heartbeat.
Here are some diuretics that may interact with dexamethasone:
- hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide)
- chlorthalidone
- furosemide (Lasix)
What you can do
If you take dexamethasone with diuretics, your doctor may check your blood potassium levels before, during, and after your dexamethasone treatment. They can adjust your medications to reduce your risk of low blood potassium.
Interaction with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Dexamethasone can interact with NSAIDs, which (like dexamethasone) are used to reduce pain and inflammation.
Taking dexamethasone with NSAIDs can increase your risk of digestive tract bleeding. Symptoms can include passing black or bloody stools, or urine that is bright red. In certain cases, digestive tract bleeding can be serious and possibly life threatening.
Here are some NSAIDs that may interact with dexamethasone:
What you can do
If you doctor needs to prescribe dexamethasone in combination with NSAIDs for a short period of time, they may pause your dexamethasone treatment. This will help reduce your risk of digestive tract bleeding. If NSAID treatment is needed long term, your doctor will likely have you complete certain lab tests to check for bleeding in your digestive tract.
Talk with your doctor right away if you notice symptoms of bleeding while taking NSAIDs with dexamethasone.
Interaction with diabetes drugs
Dexamethasone can interact with diabetes drugs, which are used to treat diabetes by reducing blood sugar levels in the body. Because dexamethasone can raise your blood sugar levels, it can make diabetes drugs less effective at lowering your blood sugar levels.
Here are some diabetes drugs that may interact with dexamethasone:
What you can do
If you take dexamethasone with diabetes drugs, your doctor will order tests to check your blood sugar levels before, during, and after your dexamethasone treatment. They can adjust your medications to reduce your risk of high blood sugar.
Dexamethasone may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or lab tests.
Here are additional interactions that may occur with dexamethasone. Note that this information does not include all other possible interactions with dexamethasone.
Does dexamethasone interact with supplements?
Before starting dexamethasone, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs, vitamins, or supplements you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.
If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Dexamethasone interactions with herbs
Dexamethasone can interact with certain herbs, including echinacea and St. John’s wort.
Echinacea is an herbal supplement some people use to boost their immune system to fight off infections. Taking echinacea during your dexamethasone treatment may decrease the effectiveness of dexamethasone.
St. John’s wort is an herbal supplement that may be used to treat depression and other conditions. This supplement may speed up the activity of an enzyme (protein) in your body called cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). This enzyme helps break down dexamethasone.
Taking St. John’s wort during your dexamethasone treatment can cause dexamethasone to break down more quickly than usual. This may lead to low levels of dexamethasone in your system, and if the level is too low, the drug may not work to treat your condition.
Talk with your doctor about any supplements you take before starting dexamethasone.
Dexamethasone interactions with vitamins
There are currently no reports of dexamethasone interacting with vitamins, but this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions won’t be recognized in the future. For this reason, it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while taking dexamethasone.
Does dexamethasone interact with food?
There are currently no reports of dexamethasone interacting with food. If you have questions about eating certain foods during your treatment with dexamethasone, talk with your doctor.
Does dexamethasone interact with vaccines?
You should not receive live vaccines during your dexamethasone treatment.
Live vaccines contain weakened versions of the bacteria or virus they’re meant to protect against. This means getting a live vaccine while you’re taking dexamethasone increases your risk of infection.
Examples of live vaccines include rotavirus, chickenpox, and measles, mumps, rubella (MMR). If you need to receive a vaccine, talk with your doctor first to make sure it’s safe.
Does dexamethasone interact with lab tests?
Dexamethasone may interact with certain skin tests, including the purified protein derivative skin test for tuberculosis (TB). Completing this test while taking dexamethasone may cause you to have a false negative result. This means the test may show you have don’t have TB even if you do. How long these false negative results can occur after your last dexamethasone dose is unknown.
Because of this, you should inform your healthcare professional that you’re taking dexamethasone before completing any tuberculosis skin test.
If you have questions about having certain lab tests during your treatment with dexamethasone, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.
Does dexamethasone interact with cannabis or CBD?There are currently no reports of dexamethasone interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). But as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis with dexamethasone.
Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.
Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with dexamethasone. Before taking dexamethasone, talk with your doctor about your health history, including whether any of the factors below apply to you. They’ll determine whether this medication is safe for you to take.
Infection: Dexamethasone may weaken your body’s ability to fight infection. You may also have a higher risk of developing infections, including chicken pox and measles. Existing infections such as amebiasis and TB may worsen or start causing symptoms. If you have a fungal infection that’s affecting your whole body, tell your doctor. They’ll likely not prescribe dexamethasone for you and can recommend other treatments for your condition. (See the “When should I avoid dexamethasone” section for more information.)
Digestive problems: Dexamethasone may raise your risk of developing a hole or tear in the lining of your digestive tract. The drug may also cause digestive tract bleeding, which may worsen certain digestive conditions including peptic ulcers, diverticulitis, and ulcerative colitis.
Eye problems: Dexamethasone may worsen existing eye problems, including cataracts and glaucoma. If you have eye problems, your doctor may adjust your dexamethasone treatment or recommend other medications.
High blood pressure: Dexamethasone may increase your blood pressure, which could further worsen already high blood pressure.
Heart attack: Dexamethasone may increase your risk of having damage or a tear to your heart muscle, especially if you’ve had a recent heart attack.
Diabetes: Dexamethasone may raise your blood sugar levels, which can worsen diabetes. If you have diabetes, your doctor may need to adjust your medications to reduce this risk.
Osteoporosis: Dexamethasone may affect bone development. Because of this, it can cause or worsen osteoporosis, especially with long-term treatment. Your doctor may adjust your dexamethasone treatment or recommend other medications.
Mood problems: Dexamethasone may cause mood swings, depression, and difficulty sleeping. Because of this, it may worsen certain mood conditions and problems.
Thyroid problems: Having thyroid problems may affect how dexamethasone breaks down in your body. This can affect how well the medications works and the side effects you experience. Because of this, your doctor may need to adjust your dexamethasone dosage to help manage your condition and any side effects you experience.
Kidney problems: Dexamethasone may cause your body to hold onto extra water and sodium, which can worsen certain kidney problems
Heart failure: Dexamethasone may cause your body to hold onto extra water and sodium, which can worsen symptoms of heart failure.
Nerve and muscle conditions: Because dexamethasone can cause muscle weakness, it may worsen certain nerve and muscle conditions, including myasthenia gravis.
Pregnancy: It’s not known whether dexamethasone is safe to take during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before taking this drug.
Breastfeeding: It’s recommended that you avoid taking dexamethasone while breastfeeding. The drug passes into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor about your options.
Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to dexamethasone or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe this drug for you, since it could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.
Find answers to some frequently asked questions about dexamethasone and possible interactions.
Does dexamethasone interact with Benadryl?
No. There aren’t any reported interactions between dexamethasone and diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Both medications may be used when a person is having an allergic reaction.
Talk with your doctor if you have additional questions about taking these medications together.
How long should I wait to drink alcohol after taking dexamethasone?
There aren’t any recommendations on how long you need to wait before consuming alcohol after taking a dose of dexamethasone. This medication isn’t known to interact with alcohol. But dexamethasone and alcohol can cause some similar side effects, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and an increase in liver enzyme levels seen on liver function tests. So, you may be more likely to experience these side effects if you drink alcohol during your dexamethasone treatment.
Talk with your doctor if you’re concerned about the risk of worsened side effects from alcohol during your dexamethasone treatment. They can recommend ways to reduce this risk.
Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with dexamethasone. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:
- whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis
- the
list of medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs - what to do if you start taking a new drug during your dexamethasone treatment
It’s also important to understand dexamethasone’s
If you did not get paperwork with dexamethasone, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you. If you have difficulty reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.
Taking dexamethasone exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.
Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.