dextromethorphan vs rolapitant
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Side-by-side comparison of dextromethorphan and rolapitant. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
The inhibition of CYP2D6 persisted on Day 28 with a 2.3-fold increase in dextromethorphan concentrations, the last time point measured.
Delsym, Robitussin
Varubi
Dextromethorphan is a medicine that helps to relieve coughs. It can also help with cold and flu symptoms.
Varubi is a medicine that helps prevent nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. It is used with other anti-nausea medicines.
This medicine temporarily relieves symptoms from a cold. It can help with minor aches and pains, headache, and nasal and sinus congestion. It also helps with sore throat, cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation, and reduces fever.
Varubi is used to prevent delayed nausea and vomiting in adults. This nausea and vomiting is caused by cancer chemotherapy. It is used for both the first and repeat treatments of chemotherapy.
Dextromethorphan works by decreasing the activity in the part of your brain that causes you to cough. This helps to reduce your urge to cough. It does not treat the underlying cause of the cough.
Varubi blocks a substance in your body called substance P/neurokinin 1 (NK1). This substance can cause nausea and vomiting. By blocking it, Varubi helps prevent these side effects from chemotherapy.
- • Dizziness
- • Nausea
- • Headache
- • Fatigue
- • Neutropenia (low white blood cell count)
- • Hiccups
- • Abdominal pain
- • Decreased appetite
- • Dizziness
- Drug Abuse 713
- Toxicity To Various Agents 678
- Overdose 594
- Dizziness 435
- Accidental Overdose 403
- Death 141
- Nausea 79
- Fatigue 50
- Infusion Related Reaction 40
- Dyspnoea 34
Do not use in children under 12 years of age.
You should not take Varubi if you are taking thioridazine or pimozide. These drugs can cause serious heart problems if taken with Varubi. Varubi can increase the levels of these drugs in your blood, leading to QT prolongation and Torsades de Pointes, which are dangerous heart rhythm problems.
Talk to your doctor before taking this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is not known if this medicine will harm your unborn baby. It is also not known if this medicine passes into breast milk.
There is not enough information about Varubi use in pregnant women to know if it is safe. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Varubi passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
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How to Read This dextromethorphan vs rolapitant Comparison
dextromethorphan is classified in the Antitussive drug class, while rolapitant sits within the NK1 Receptor Antagonist (Antiemetic) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are split between OTC and prescription status, which affects access and supervision.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, dextromethorphan has 2,823 submissions while rolapitant has 344. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to rolapitant stops a liver enzyme from breaking down dextromethorphan, which can cause the cough medicine to reach much higher levels in your body.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for dextromethorphan or rolapitant.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.