Droperidol and Relugolix: Interaction Details
AI-assisted, pharmacist-reviewed · AI content regenerated Jul 11, 2026 · Source data updated Jul 2, 2026 · Sources: FDA labeling, DDInter 2.0, cited literature
Droperidol
No brand names on recordRelugolix
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.
These two medicines can each affect your heart's rhythm in the same way. Droperidol (often used to calm nausea or agitation) and relugolix (Orgovyx, used to treat prostate cancer) can both stretch out a part of your heartbeat called the QT interval. When you take them together, that effect can add up, which in rare cases can lead to a dangerous irregular heartbeat.
Please don't stop either medicine on your own. This is something your care team can watch for and manage. It also helps to keep your potassium and magnesium levels steady. Ask your pharmacist or doctor if you have any heart rhythm history, heart failure, or take other QT-affecting drugs.
Effect: Additive QT interval prolongation, increasing torsades de pointes risk.
Mechanism: Pharmacodynamic (additive), not pharmacokinetic. Droperidol blocks cardiac potassium (IKr) channels; androgen deprivation from relugolix independently prolongs QTc. Neither is a prodrug relevant here.
Evidence: Theoretical; severity major. Onset unspecified.
- Avoid concomitant use where possible.
- Weigh ADT benefit vs risk in congenital long QT, CHF, or recurrent electrolyte disturbance.
- Correct and maintain K+ and Mg2+; avoid agents causing hypokalemia/hypomagnesemia.
- Perform periodic ECG and electrolyte monitoring if coadministered.
What happens
Increased risk of QT interval prolongation
Interaction Deep Dive
When relugolix is given together with medications that prolong the QT interval, the effects on the QT interval are additive. The androgen deprivation produced by GnRH agonists and antagonists can itself lengthen the QT interval. In patients who have congenital long QT syndrome, congestive heart failure, or recurrent electrolyte abnormalities, as well as in those receiving drugs recognized to prolong the QT interval, weigh whether the benefits of androgen deprivation therapy such as relugolix outweigh the possible risks 1. Where feasible, do not use relugolix alongside QT prolonging agents. Should coadministration be necessary, steer clear of drugs that produce electrolyte abnormalities (that is, hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia) 2, correct any electrolyte abnormalities, and consider periodic monitoring of ECGs and electrolytes 1.
Why it happens (mechanism)
Additive QT interval prolongation
How to manage this interaction
Both drugs can lengthen the QT interval, so your care team weighs the benefit of relugolix against this risk and typically tries to avoid pairing it with other QT-prolonging drugs when possible.
If you take both:
- Keep taking both exactly as prescribed unless your team tells you otherwise.
- Your team may check ECGs and blood electrolytes (potassium and magnesium) periodically and correct any imbalances.
- Tell your doctor if you have long QT syndrome, heart failure, or a history of low potassium or magnesium.
Report fainting, palpitations, dizziness, or a racing heart right away, and confirm any changes with your pharmacist or prescriber.
Management is individual — confirm any change with your pharmacist or prescriber.
Literature reports
1 report — tap to read
a) In an analysis of male patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) using individual case safety reports from VigiBase, the international pharmacovigilance database, investigators identified 184 cases of acquired long-QT syndrome (aLQTS) and/or torsades de pointes (TdP; 11% fatal cases), along with 99 cases of sudden death linked to ADT. The majority of aLQTS/TdP cases (62%) and sudden death cases (88%) associated with ADT arose without concurrent use of other drugs known to elevate TdP risk; nevertheless, use of 1 drug and of 2 or more drugs carrying conditional, possible, or known TdP risk was documented in a portion of aLQTS/TdP events (23% or 43%) and sudden death events (18% and 22%). The agents classified as ADTs included abiraterone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and antagonists, nonsteroidal androgen receptor inhibitors indicated for prostate cancer, and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors indicated for androgenic alopecia and prostatism. Among the 10 ADTs assessed, 7 showed a disproportional association (reporting odds ratio, 1.4 to 4.7) with aLQTS, TdP, or sudden death, namely leuprorelin, goserelin, triptorelin, degarelix, bicalutamide, finasteride, and dutasteride. The median patient age was approximately 76 years, and the median time to onset was 170 days (range, 7 to 4884 days) for aLQTS/TdP events and 92 days (range, 0.25 to 4984 days) for sudden death events. Patients were on ADT chiefly for prostate cancer, with some treated for prostatism and androgenic alopecia. Most patients received ADT as monotherapy (83%); 17% were on ADT combination therapy 3.
Common questions
Can I take Droperidol and Relugolix together?
Droperidol and relugolix can each prolong the QT interval, and using them together adds to that heart-rhythm risk. Avoid the combination when possible; if both are needed, expect your care team to monitor ECGs and keep your electrolytes in check. Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.
How serious is the Droperidol and Relugolix interaction?
It is rated major. Potentially serious — often needs a change or close monitoring.
How quickly could this interaction happen?
The documented onset is "unspecified". The timing of this interaction is not well characterized.
How is the Droperidol and Relugolix interaction managed?
Both drugs can lengthen the QT interval, so your care team weighs the benefit of relugolix against this risk and typically tries to avoid pairing it with other QT-prolonging drugs when possible. If you take both: Keep taking both exactly as prescribed unless your team tells you otherwise. Your team may check ECGs and blood electrolytes (potassium and magnesium) periodically and correct any imbalan… Management is individual — always follow your own care team's guidance.
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 Droperidol or Relugolix 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 (3)
- Product Information: ORGOVYX oral tablets, relugolix oral tablets. Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc (per FDA), Marlborough, MA, 2025. DailyMed
- Lyon AR, Lopez-Fernandez T, Couch LS, et al: 2022 ESC guidelines on cardio-oncology developed in collaboration with the European Hematology Association (EHA), the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) and the International Cardio-Oncology Society (IC-OS). Eur Heart J 2022; 43(41):4229-4361.
- Salem JE, Yang T, Moslehi JJ, et al: Androgenic effects on ventricular repolarization: a translational study from the international pharmacovigilance database to iPSC-cardiomyocytes. Circulation 2019; 140(13):1070-1080. PubMed
Keep reading about Droperidol
Keep reading about Relugolix
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