Quviviq Interactions: Alcohol, Medications, Others

Does Quviviq interact with other drugs?

Before you start taking Quviviq, 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 Quviviq interacts with supplements, herbs, and vitamins, see the “Are there other interactions with Quviviq?” section below.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

The table below lists drugs that may interact with Quviviq. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with Quviviq. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section below.

When should I avoid Quviviq?

Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take Quviviq. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe Quviviq for you. These are known as contraindications. The list below includes contraindications of Quviviq.

If you have narcolepsy. If you have narcolepsy, your doctor will likely not prescribe Quviviq. This is because the drug can worsen narcolepsy symptoms. Talk with your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Quviviq or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Quviviq. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.

Before you start taking Quviviq, talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether Quviviq is safe for you to take.

Does Quviviq interact with alcohol?

You should not take Quviviq with alcohol. Doing so can cause serious side effects. These include excessive sleepiness, decreased awareness and responsiveness, and unsteadiness that may lead to falls and injuries.

Taking Quviviq with alcohol can also increase the risk of side effects the following day. These side effects include sleepiness, problems with thinking and awareness, and slow reaction times. These side effects can make it unsafe to drive.

If you have questions about consuming alcohol while taking Quviviq, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Drug interactions explained

Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with Quviviq.

Interaction with benzodiazepines

Quviviq can interact with benzodiazepines, which are prescribed for a number of conditions including anxiety disorders, seizures, and insomnia.

Quviviq and benzodiazepines are both central nervous system (CNS) depressants. This means they slow down brain activity.

Examples of benzodiazepines include:

• alprazolam (Xanax)
• diazepam (Valium)
• lorazepam (Ativan)

What could happen

Taking Quviviq with a benzodiazepine can increase your risk of serious side effects. These side effects may also continue the following day. Side effects include:

• excessive sleepiness
• reduced awareness and responsiveness
• slurred speech
• muscle weakness
• slow reaction times
• unsteadiness that may lead to falls
• respiratory depression (slow and ineffective breathing)

What you can do

For the treatment of insomnia, it’s not recommended to take Quviviq and a benzodiazepine. If your doctor prescribes a benzodiazepine for another reason and Quviviq for insomnia, your doctor may lower the dosage of one or both medications.

If you’re prescribed Quviviq and a benzodiazepine and you experience any of the side effects listed above, call your doctor right away.

If you have questions about taking Quviviq with a benzodiazepine, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Interaction with opioids

Quviviq can interact with opioids, which are drugs used to treat moderate and severe pain. Opioids work in the CNS (brain and spinal cord) and in the peripheral nerves (the nerves throughout the rest of your body).

Both Quviviq and opioids slow down activity in your brain. Examples of opioids include:

• hydrocodone (Hysingla ER)
• oxycodone (OxyContin, others)
• tramadol (ConZip)

What could happen

Taking Quviviq with an opioid can increase the risk of serious side effects. These include excessive sleepiness, reduced awareness and responsiveness, slurred speech, muscle weakness, unsteadiness that may lead to falls, and respiratory depression (slow and ineffective breathing). These side effects can continue the following day.

What you can do

If you take Quviviq with an opioid, your doctor may prescribe a lower dosage of either drug or both drugs. If you experience any of the side effects described above, call your doctor right away.

As a precaution, your doctor may prescribe naloxone nasal spray (Narcan). You can also buy Narcan from your local pharmacy without a prescription. Narcan can be used in an emergency to reverse the effects of opioids. To learn more about Narcan, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

If you have questions about taking Quviviq with an opioid, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Interaction with certain antibiotics

Quviviq can interact with certain antibiotics, which are drugs used to treat bacterial infections.

Some antibiotics slow down the activity of an enzyme (protein) in your liver that helps breakdown drugs, including Quviviq. Examples of antibiotic medications that slow down this enzyme and affect the breakdown of Quviviq include:

• clarithromycin
• ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• erythromycin (Ery-Tab, others)

What could happen

Taking Quviviq with one of these antibiotics could cause Quviviq to build up in your body. This can increase your risk of side effects from Quviviq. Side effects include headache, dizziness, and sleepiness the day after taking Quviviq.

What you can do

If you need to take an antibiotic to treat an infection, be sure to tell your doctor that you’re taking Quviviq. Due to this interaction, your doctor may avoid prescribing certain antibiotics, or they may recommend that you take a lower dosage of Quviviq during treatment with the antibiotic.

Are there other interactions with Quviviq?

Quviviq may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See below for details. Note that the information below does not include all possible interactions with Quviviq.

Does Quviviq interact with supplements?

Before you start taking Quviviq, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any supplements, herbs, and vitamins you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.

Taking Quviviq with supplements used for insomnia, such as melatonin, isn’t usually recommended. The combination could cause excessive sleepiness the following day.

If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Quviviq interactions with herbs

Quviviq can interact with St. John’s wort, an herbal supplement used to ease symptoms of depression and other conditions. Taking Quviviq with St. John’s wort is not recommended because this herb can make Quviviq less effective.

Quviviq can also interact with herbs used to help sleep, such as valerian. Taking Quviviq with herbs used for insomnia isn’t usually recommended. The combination could cause excessive sleepiness the following day.

Quviviq and vitamins

There are currently no reports of Quviviq interacting with vitamins. But this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions won’t be recognized in the future.

For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while taking Quviviq.

Does Quviviq interact with food?

Yes, it can. It’s recommended that you avoid taking Quviviq with food or shortly after eating. This is because it can take longer for Quviviq to work if it’s taken on a full stomach. This means you may not fall asleep as quickly.

Quviviq can also interact with certain foods. For example, it can interact with grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

You should avoid consuming grapefruit during your treatment with Quviviq. Grapefruit can make Quviviq build up in your body, which could raise your risk of experiencing side effects.

If you have questions about consuming other foods or drinks with Quviviq, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Does Quviviq interact with vaccines?

There are currently no reports of Quviviq interacting with vaccines. If you have questions about getting certain vaccines during your Quviviq treatment, talk with your doctor.

Does Quviviq interact with lab tests?

There are currently no reports of Quviviq interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests during your treatment with Quviviq, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.

Does Quviviq interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Quviviq interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). However, both Quviviq and cannabis can make you sleepy. Taking Quviviq with cannabis could make you excessively sleepy.

As with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis with Quviviq.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.

Does my health history affect whether I should take Quviviq?

Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with Quviviq. Before taking Quviviq, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Quviviq is right for you.

Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Quviviq include:

Narcolepsy. If you have narcolepsy, your doctor will likely not prescribe Quviviq because it could worsen your narcolepsy symptoms.

Cataplexy. If you have cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle tone), Quviviq could worsen your symptoms. This effect hasn’t been reported with Quviviq, but has occurred with other similar drugs. If you have cataplexy, talk with your doctor about whether Quviviq is right for you.

Breathing problems. Quviviq may worsen certain breathing problems, such as obstructive sleep apnea or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If you have breathing problems, talk with your doctor about whether Quviviq is safe for you.

Liver problems. Your liver is responsible for clearing Quviviq from your body. If you have liver problems, Quviviq could build up in your body. And this can raise your risk of side effects. Due to this risk, your doctor will likely not prescribe Quviviq if you have severe liver problems. If you have moderate liver problems, they may prescribe a lower dosage of Quviviq.

Depression or suicidal thoughts. Sometimes, insomnia medications can worsen depression or suicidal thoughts. This hasn’t been reported with Quviviq. But if you have a history of depression or thoughts of suicide, talk with your doctor about whether Quviviq is right for you.

Pregnancy. It’s not known whether Quviviq is safe to take during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before taking Quviviq.

If you do take Quviviq while pregnant, consider enrolling in the drug’s pregnancy registry. This registry collects information about the effect of Quviviq on pregnancy outcomes. To learn more, call 833-400-9611 or talk with your doctor.

Breastfeeding. It’s not known whether it’s safe to take Quviviq while breastfeeding. Quviviq passed into breast milk when studied in animals. But the presence of Quviviq in human milk hasn’t been studied. It isn’t known whether the drug may cause side effects in a child who’s 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 Quviviq or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Quviviq. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better choices for you.

How can I prevent interactions?

Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Quviviq. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:

• Whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis.
• Other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you fill out a medication list.
• What to do if you start taking a new drug during your Quviviq treatment.

It’s also important to understand Quviviq’s label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. Colored stickers that describe interactions may be on the label. And the paperwork (sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide) may have other details about interactions. If you did not get paperwork with Quviviq, 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 Quviviq exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.

What should I ask my doctor?

If you still have questions about Quviviq and its possible interactions, talk with your doctor.

Questions you may want to ask your doctor include:

• Can I take Quviviq with non-opioid pain relievers?
• Can I take Quviviq with allergy medications?
• Does Quviviq have interactions with recreational drugs?

To learn more about Quviviq, see these articles:

• All About Quviviq
• Dosage Details for Quviviq
• Side Effects of Quviviq: What You Need to Know
• Quviviq and Cost: What You Need to Know

To get information on different conditions and tips for improving your health, subscribe to any of Healthline’s newsletters. You may also want to check out the online communities at Bezzy. It’s a place where people with certain conditions can find support and connect with others.

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.