digoxin vs gentamicin
Side-by-side comparison of digoxin and gentamicin. 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
Captopril 58% 39% Clarithromycin NA 70% Dronedarone NA 150% Gentamicin 129-212% NA Erythromycin 100% NA Itraconazole 80% NA Lapatinib NA 180% Propafenone NA 60-270% Quinidine 100% NA Ranolazine 50% NA Ritonavir NA 86% Telaprevir 50% 85% Tetracycline 100% NA Verapamil 50-75% NA Digoxin concentrations increased less than 50% Atorvastatin 22% 15% Carvedilol 16% 14% Measure serum digoxin concentrations before initiating concomitant drugs.
Recommendation: Your doctor must check your digoxin levels before you start gentamicin. They will likely need to lower your digoxin dose to prevent it from reaching dangerous levels.
Lanoxin
Garamycin
Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a medicine that helps your heart pump better. It is used to treat heart failure and control irregular heartbeats.
Gentamicin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights serious infections caused by certain bacteria.
Digoxin is used to treat mild to moderate heart failure in adults. It helps the heart pump more blood with each beat. Digoxin is also used in children with heart failure to help their heart work better. In adults, it can control a fast and irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.
Gentamicin treats serious infections caused by certain bacteria. This includes infections in the blood, brain (meningitis), urinary tract, lungs, stomach area, skin, bone, and soft tissues. It can also treat bacterial infections in newborns.
Digoxin belongs to a class of drugs called cardiac glycosides. It works by making the heart muscle contract more strongly. It also slows down the electrical signals in the heart, which can help control irregular heartbeats.
Gentamicin belongs to a class of drugs called aminoglycoside antibiotics. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This helps your body fight off the infection.
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Diarrhea
- • Dizziness
- • Headache
No common side effects listed.
- Shortness of breath 6,062
- Feeling sick to your stomach 4,747
- Feeling lightheaded or unsteady 4,442
- Feeling very tired 4,174
- Irregular heartbeat 3,972
- Acute Kidney Injury 999
- Pyrexia 751
- Renal Failure 603
- Diarrhoea 460
- Sepsis 427
Digoxin can cause serious side effects, including dangerous heart rhythms. You are at higher risk if you have certain heart conditions or kidney problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, vision changes, or an irregular heartbeat.
Gentamicin can potentially damage kidneys and cause nerve damage, including hearing loss. The risk is higher if you have kidney problems, receive high doses, or take it for a long time. Tell your doctor right away if you notice dizziness, ringing in your ears, changes in hearing, or kidney problems.
It is not known if digoxin can harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. The medicine passes into breast milk, but it is unlikely to harm the baby.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Gentamicin may harm your unborn baby. It is not known if gentamicin passes into breast milk.
Also Compare, Nearby Drugs
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How to Read This digoxin vs gentamicin Comparison
digoxin is classified in the Cardiac Glycoside drug class, while gentamicin sits within the Aminoglycoside Antibiotic class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, digoxin has 23,397 submissions while gentamicin has 3,240. 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 gentamicin can significantly increase the amount of digoxin in your blood, sometimes doubling it or more. this happens because the antibiotic affects how your body clears the heart medicine.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between digoxin and gentamicin - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.