Prednisone and Nimodipine: Interaction Details
AI-assisted, pharmacist-reviewed · Source data updated Aug 8, 2026 · Sources: FDA labeling, DDInter 2.0, cited literature
Prednisone
Nimodipine
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.
What happens
Reduced nimodipine plasma concentrations and lack of nimodipine efficacy
Interaction Deep Dive
Concomitant use of predniSONE, a moderate CYP3A4 inducer2, with nimodipine, a CYP3A4 substrate, may result in decreased nimodipine plasma levels and reduced antihypertensive efficacy of nimodipine. Patients receiving concomitant therapy should be monitored closely for lack of antihypertensive response to nimodipine, and increased nimodipine dosage may be necessary 1.
Why it happens (mechanism)
Induction of CYP3A4-mediated metabolism of nimodipine by predniSONE
Common questions
Can I take Prednisone and Nimodipine together?
Reduced nimodipine plasma concentrations and lack of nimodipine efficacy Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.
How serious is the Prednisone and Nimodipine 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 "theoretical". Predicted from the drugs' pharmacology; not yet confirmed in people.
From our Q&A
Real reader questions about these medications, each personally answered by our pharmacist:
Questions for your pharmacist
- Does my dose of Prednisone or Nimodipine 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 (2)
- Product Information: nimodipine oral capsules, nimodipine oral capsules. Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd. (per DailyMed), Detroit, MI, 2012. DailyMed
- Product Information: PredniSONE Intensol(TM) oral solution concentrate, prednisone oral solution concentrate. Boehringer Ingelheim, Roxane Laboratories, Inc, Columbus, OH, 2009. DailyMed
Keep reading about Prednisone
Keep reading about Nimodipine
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:
major · moderate · minor — check everything you take with our drug–supplement interaction checker.
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