Lopressor Interactions: Alcohol, Medications, and Others

Before you start taking Lopressor, 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 Lopressor interacts with supplements, herbs, and vitamins, see the “Are there other interactions with Lopressor?” 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 Lopressor. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with Lopressor. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section below.

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

If you have a certain type of heart or blood pressure condition. Lopressor slows your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure. If you have a certain kind of heart or blood pressure condition, Lopressor may not be safe for you. For example, your doctor will likely not prescribe Lopressor if you have:

If you have a heart condition, talk with your doctor about whether Lopressor is safe for you.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction. If you have had an allergic reaction to Lopressor or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Lopressor. 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 Lopressor, talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether Lopressor is safe for you to take.

Lopressor is not known to interact with alcohol. But Lopressor and alcohol can cause some similar side effects, such as tiredness, dizziness, and headache. So, you may be more likely to experience these side effects if you drink alcohol during your Lopressor treatment.

Your doctor may recommend limiting your alcohol intake if you have high blood pressure or heart disease. (Lopressor is prescribed for people with these conditions.)

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

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

Interaction with calcium channel blockers

Calcium channel blockers are a group of drugs commonly used to treat high blood pressure and angina (chest pain). Your doctor may prescribe Lopressor with a calcium channel blocker if your condition hasn’t improved enough with one of these drugs alone.

Examples of calcium channel blocker medications include:

• amlodipine (Katerzia, Norliqva, Norvasc)
• diltiazem (Cardizem CD, Cartia XT, Cardizem, others)
• verapamil (Verelan, Verelan PM)

What could happen

Lopressor and calcium channel blockers both lower your blood pressure and slow your heart rate, so taking them together can help manage your condition more effectively. But in some people, combining these drugs may slow your heart rate too much or reduce your blood pressure too much.

What you can do

If you take Lopressor with a calcium channel blocker, your doctor will likely monitor your heart and blood pressure during your treatment.

If you take these medications together, tell your doctor if you have symptoms of low blood pressure or problems with your heart rate. These may include:

If needed, your doctor may reduce your dosage of Lopressor, the calcium channel blocker, or both.

Interaction with certain antidepressants

Antidepressants are used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, and certain other mental health conditions. Your doctor may prescribe Lopressor with an antidepressant. However, certain antidepressants can interact with Lopressor.

Examples of antidepressant medications that can interact with Lopressor include:

What could happen

Lopressor is broken down by a certain enzyme (type of protein) in your liver. Certain antidepressants can prevent this enzyme from working properly. Taking Lopressor with one of these antidepressants can cause Lopressor levels to build up in your body. This can raise your risk of side effects from Lopressor.

What you can do

If you take one of the antidepressants listed above, talk with your doctor about whether Lopressor is right for you. If you do take Lopressor with one of these antidepressants, your doctor will monitor you closely during treatment for side effects from Lopressor.

Tell your doctor if you have bothersome side effects while taking these medications together. If needed, your doctor may lower your dosage of Lopressor. Or in some cases, they may make other adjustments to your treatment plan.

Interaction with diphenhydramine

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is an over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamine that’s used to treat allergies.

Diphenhydramine is also found in certain OTC combination medications. Examples of these include ibuprofen/diphenhydramine (Advil PM) and naproxen/diphenhydramine (Aleve PM).

What could happen

Diphenhydramine can prevent the enzyme that breaks down Lopressor from working properly. Taking diphenhydramine with Lopressor can cause Lopressor levels to build up in your body. This can raise your risk of side effects from Lopressor.

What you can do

Before taking any OTC medications with Lopressor, be sure to check the ingredients. If the medication contains diphenhydramine, ask your pharmacist to recommend an alternative that may be safer to take with Lopressor.

Lopressor 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 other possible interactions with Lopressor.

Does Lopressor interact with supplements?

Before you start taking Lopressor, 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.

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

Lopressor and herbs

There are currently no reports of Lopressor interacting with herbs. But this doesn’t mean that interactions with herbs 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 Lopressor.

Lopressor and vitamins

There are currently no reports of Lopressor 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 Lopressor.

Does Lopressor interact with food?

There are currently no reports of Lopressor interacting with food. If you have questions about eating certain foods during your treatment with Lopressor, talk with your doctor.

Does Lopressor interact with vaccines or lab tests?

There are currently no reports of Lopressor interacting with vaccines or lab tests. But this doesn’t mean that such interactions won’t be recognized in the future.

For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before getting any vaccines or lab tests done while taking Lopressor.

Does Lopressor interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Lopressor 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 Lopressor.

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 Lopressor. Before taking Lopressor, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Lopressor is right for you.

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

Certain heart and blood pressure conditions. If you have certain heart or blood pressure conditions, Lopressor may not be safe for you. To learn more, see the “When should I avoid Lopressor?” section above.

Lung conditions. Lopressor may cause breathing problems in some people with lung conditions, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If you have a lung condition, your doctor may prescribe a lower Lopressor dosage for you to reduce the risk of breathing problems.

Peripheral vascular disease. Lopressor may reduce blood flow to your hands and feet, making them feel cold. If you have peripheral vascular disease, Lopressor may make your symptoms worse. If you have this condition, talk with your doctor about whether Lopressor is right for you.

Liver problems. Your liver is responsible for breaking down Lopressor. If you have a liver problem, such as cirrhosis, your body may not break down Lopressor properly. This could cause the drug to build up in your body, which can raise your risk of side effects from the drug. If you have a liver problem, your doctor may prescribe a lower dosage of Lopressor for you.

Diabetes. If you have diabetes, you may take medications that can cause low blood sugar. Lopressor can mask some of the symptoms of low blood sugar, such as fast heart rate or tremor. This may make it harder to notice if you’re experiencing low blood sugar while taking Lopressor.

If you have diabetes, talk with your doctor about whether you’ll need to check your blood sugar more during your Lopressor treatment.

Phaeochromocytoma. If you have phaeochromocytoma, Lopressor may increase your blood pressure. To help prevent this, your doctor may prescribe an alpha-blocker for you before you start taking Lopressor.

Overactive thyroid. Lopressor can mask some of the symptoms of an overactive thyroid, such as fast heart rate and tremor. This means you may not notice if your thyroid condition worsens while you’re taking Lopressor. If you have an overactive thyroid, your doctor will likely monitor your condition more closely during your Lopressor treatment.

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

Breastfeeding. It’s unknown whether Lopressor is safe to take while breastfeeding. Lopressor may pass into breast milk, but it’s not known what effects (if any) this may have on a child who is breastfed. If you’re currently breastfeeding or planning to do so, talk with your doctor about your options.

Planned surgery. If you need any surgery while taking Lopressor, be sure to talk with your doctor beforehand. Your doctor will usually recommend that you do not stop taking Lopressor before your surgery. However, Lopressor may increase certain heart-related risks of the surgery. Your doctor can give you more details.

Allergic reaction. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Lopressor or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Lopressor. 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.

If you have a history of severe allergic reactions, such as to insect stings or certain foods, you may be more likely to have a severe allergic reaction while taking Lopressor. Using epinephrine (EpiPen, Auvi-Q, others) to treat an allergic reaction may also be less effective while you’re taking Lopressor.

If you have a history of allergies, talk with your doctor about whether Lopressor is safe for you. Your doctor can also recommend how you should treat an allergic reaction if it occurs.

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

• Whether you drink alcohol.
• 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 Lopressor treatment.

It’s also important to understand Lopressor’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 Lopressor, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you.)

If you have trouble reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Taking Lopressor exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.

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

Questions you may want to ask your doctor include:

• Are there any special instructions for taking Lopressor with other medications?
• Does my risk of interactions depend on my dosage of Lopressor?
• Could I still take Lopressor even if it interacts with a health condition I have?
• Do other drugs that could treat my condition have similar interactions?

To learn more about Lopressor, see these articles:

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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.