Drug Interaction Report

Hydromorphone Rectal and Desflurane: Interaction Details

Name: Hydromorphone Rectal and Desflurane Interaction
Creator: Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS

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

AI-assisted, pharmacist-reviewed · Source data updated Aug 8, 2026 · Sources: FDA labeling, DDInter 2.0, cited literature

Desflurane

Suprane

Hydromorphone Rectal

available generically

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS

Updated Aug 8, 2026

Editorial policy · Data sources

Interaction severity

Moderate

Can be significant — usually manageable with 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 344 documented Hydromorphone Rectal interactions, 9 are rated moderate — including this one.

Onset

unspecified

Evidence

probable

Severity

Moderate

What happens

Reduced desflurane (MAC) exposure needed to produce anesthesia

Interaction Deep Dive

Concomitant use of desflurane and opioids may reduce the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of desflurane. Adjust the dose accordingly¹.

Why it happens (mechanism)

Unknown

Literature reports

1 report — tap to read

a) Concomitant administration of desflurane with IV fentaNYL reduce the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of desflurane by 2.3% to 6.4% ¹.

Common questions

Can I take Hydromorphone Rectal and Desflurane together?

Reduced desflurane (MAC) exposure needed to produce anesthesia Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.

How serious is the Hydromorphone Rectal and Desflurane interaction?

It is rated moderate. Can be significant — usually manageable with monitoring.

How quickly could this interaction happen?

The documented onset is "unspecified". The timing of this interaction is not well characterized.

How strong is the evidence for this interaction?

The evidence is graded "probable". Good supporting evidence, though not definitively proven.

Questions for your pharmacist

Does my dose of Hydromorphone Rectal or Desflurane 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 anything you'd monitor while I'm on both?

References (1)

Product Information: SUPRANE inhalation liquid, desflurane inhalation liquid. Baxter Healthcare Corporation (per FDA), Deerfield, IL, 2022. DailyMed

Was this write-up helpful?

Desflurane

Keep reading about Desflurane

All Desflurane interactions (76)

Also serious with: Amitriptyline Gatifloxacin Ophthalmic Buprenorphine Relugolix

Hydromorphone Rectal

Keep reading about Hydromorphone Rectal

All Hydromorphone Rectal interactions (344) Hydromorphone Rectal drug information

Also serious with: Isocarboxazid Naltrexone Phenelzine Tranylcypromine

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:

Desflurane + Activated Charcoal Fever Bark Cannabis Coffee Charcoal Cowhage Datura Wrightii Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (thc) European Mandrake + 14 more

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

Check another combination

Our instant two-drug interaction checker is almost here.

Coming soon

The instant two-drug checker is on its way.

In the meantime, browse the directory below to look up any drug and see its documented interactions.

Still have questions about this combination?

Every question gets a real answer from a licensed pharmacist — free, and usually within a day.

Ask the pharmacist

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.