Drug Interaction Report

Amikacin Injection and Succinylcholine: Interaction Details

Name: Amikacin Injection and Succinylcholine Interaction
Creator: Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS

A pharmacist-reviewed analysis of the Amikacin Injection and Succinylcholine interaction: the documented clinical effects, severity rating, onset, mechanism, and management considerations, with cited references throughout.

AI-assisted, pharmacist-reviewed · Source data updated Jul 11, 2026 · Sources: FDA labeling, DDInter 2.0, cited literature

Amikacin Injection

Amikin® Arikayce

Succinylcholine

Anectine Quelicin

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS

Updated Jul 11, 2026

Editorial policy · Data sources

Interaction severity

Major

Potentially serious — often needs a change or close monitoring.

Minor

Moderate

Major

Contraindicated

How we grade severity & evidence

Severity levels

Contraindicated: These should generally not be used together.
Major: Potentially serious — often needs a change or close monitoring.
Moderate: Can be significant — usually manageable with monitoring.
Minor: Usually limited clinical impact.

Evidence grades

Established: Well documented — supported by controlled studies or strong clinical data.
Probable: Good supporting evidence, though not definitively proven.
Suspected: Some evidence suggests this interaction, but it is not well established.
Possible: Limited or conflicting evidence; the interaction may occur.
Theoretical: Predicted from the drugs' pharmacology; not yet confirmed in people.

Ratings come from the documented interaction literature and are reviewed by a pharmacist. They describe the documented risk of the combination, not what will necessarily happen to you — your dose, timing, and health picture all matter.

Of 75 documented Amikacin Injection interactions, 35 are rated major — including this one.

Worried about symptoms right now? Contact your pharmacist or prescriber, or call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (US). Call 911 for an emergency.

Onset

rapid

Evidence

theoretical

Severity

Major

What happens

Succinylcholine toxicity (respiratory depression)

Interaction Deep Dive

The incidence of aminoglycoside-induced respiratory paralysis is increased when used with neuromuscular blocking agents. Aminoglycosides cause a presynaptic inhibition of acetylcholine release and a postsynaptic reduction in sensitivity¹².

Why it happens (mechanism)

Additive neuromuscular blocking effects

Common questions

Can I take Amikacin Injection and Succinylcholine together?

Succinylcholine toxicity (respiratory depression) Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.

How serious is the Amikacin Injection and Succinylcholine interaction?

It is rated major. Potentially serious — often needs a change or close monitoring.

How quickly could this interaction happen?

The documented onset is "rapid". Effects can appear quickly, often within about 24 hours of combining the drugs.

How strong is the evidence for this interaction?

The evidence is graded "theoretical". Predicted from the drugs' pharmacology; not yet confirmed in people.

Questions for your pharmacist

Does my dose of Amikacin Injection or Succinylcholine need adjusting while I take them together?
What symptoms should prompt me to call you or my prescriber right away?
Does the timing of my doses matter for this combination?
Is there a safer alternative to one of these medications for me?

References (2)

Levanen J & Nordman R: Complete respiratory paralysis caused by a large dose of streptomycin and its treatment with calcium chloride. Ann Clin Res 1975; 7:47-49.
Zucchero FJ & Hogan MJ (Eds): Evaluations of Drug Interactions, PDS Publishing Co, St Louis, MO, 1991.

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Amikacin Injection

Keep reading about Amikacin Injection

All Amikacin Injection interactions (75) Amikacin Injection drug information

Also serious with: Ataluren Alcuronium Aspirin Atracurium

Succinylcholine

Keep reading about Succinylcholine

All Succinylcholine interactions (19) Succinylcholine drug information

Also serious with: Amikacin Oral Inhalation Digoxin Gentamicin Injection Gentamicin Ophthalmic

Beyond drug–drug

These medications also interact with supplements

Prescription drugs aren't the whole picture — herbal and dietary supplements can interact with them too. From the evidence-graded Natural Medicines database:

Succinylcholine + Procaine Bacopa Bael Betel Nut Boxwood Calamus Clubmoss Dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) + 17 more

major · moderate · minor — check everything you take with our drug–supplement interaction checker.

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A message from HelloPharmacist

About our interaction database: depth, not breadth

HelloPharmacist doesn't license one of the big commercial interaction databases, so what you'll find here is not a complete list of every known drug interaction. Instead, each entry is researched, analyzed, and written up individually — documented from the published literature, reviewed by a pharmacist, and cited so you can check every source yourself.

If a combination isn't listed here, it means we haven't documented it yet — never that it's safe. For screening a full medication list, we recommend pairing this site with a comprehensive tool like the Drugs.com Interaction Checker and, most importantly, a review by your own pharmacist. For a deep, plain-English, fully sourced explanation of a specific documented interaction — that's exactly what we built this for.

This information is for education, not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not start, stop, or change any medication without talking to your pharmacist or prescriber.