Patient/caregiver was educated on contraindications for using Dantrium as follows:
- Do not take dantrium along with alcohol, opioid pain medications, such as, hydrocodone and codeine, antipsychotic medications, antidepressant medications, anti-seizure medications, muscle relaxants, antihistamines, OTC cough syrups, and any other medications that carry a risk for depression of the central nervous system and the respiratory center, resulting in episodes of dizziness, confusion, difficulty breathing, and respiratory arrest. The individual influence of these medications on respirations and central nervous system can get added up, thus leading to severe respiratory depression, confusion, coma, and can even be fatal.
- Dantrium intake can rarely lead to depression of respiratory center in the brain, exacerbation of SOB, and difficulty breathing. Low oxygen levels in the body with elevated carbon-di-oxide levels can contribute to altered levels of consciousness, sedation, slow & shallow breathing, severely compromised endurance and exercise tolerance, extreme fatigue, and development of seizures. Severe cases might also lead to emergency situations, such as, respiratory arrest and can result in serious debility and death. This risk with dantrium can be even high when it is taken along with any other products and medications causing central nervous and respiratory depression, such as, alcohol, opioid pain medications, antidepressants, antianxiety medications, and sedatives. Dantrium could either be avoided for a safer alternative or used with extra caution in individuals with history of breathing issues, such as, asthma and COPD, to prevent development of any episodes of severe SOB and respiratory arrest.
- Calcium channel blockers, such as, nifedipine, verapamil, and amlodipine, are drugs used to treat conditions like HTN, arrhythmias, and heart failure. Concurrent administration of these drugs with dantrium can result in life-threatening arrhythmias and cardiac arrest, and so, must be avoided. Dantrium could interact with a number of other medications and can precipitate serious reactions. If you are being newly started on dantrium, discuss with your physician regarding all other medications you are currently taking and their safety with dantrium. Also, if you have been taking dantrium for long, discuss with your physician regarding your history of dantrium intake, when you are being started on any new medication.
