digoxin vs spironolactone

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Side-by-side comparison of digoxin and spironolactone. 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

Digoxin: Spironolactone can interfere with radioimmunologic assays of digoxin exposure ( 7.4 ). 7.4 Digoxin Spironolactone and its metabolites interfere with radioimmunoassays for digoxin and increase the apparent exposure to digoxin. It is unknown to what extent, if any, spironolactone may increase actual digoxin exposure.

Drug Class
digoxin Cardiac Glycoside
spironolactone Potassium-Sparing Diuretic / Aldosterone Antagonist
Type
digoxin Prescription
spironolactone Prescription
Summary
digoxin

Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a medicine that helps your heart pump better. It is used to treat heart failure and control irregular heartbeats.

spironolactone

Spironolactone is a medicine that helps remove extra fluid from your body and lower blood pressure. It also helps your heart work better if you have heart failure.

What It Treats
digoxin

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.

spironolactone

Spironolactone is used to treat heart failure by reducing fluid build-up and helping you live longer. It also treats high blood pressure, which can lower your chance of having a stroke or heart attack. This medicine can also manage fluid build-up caused by liver problems or a kidney problem called nephrotic syndrome. It can also treat a condition where your body makes too much of a hormone called aldosterone.

How It Works
digoxin

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.

spironolactone

Spironolactone belongs to a class of drugs called aldosterone antagonists. It works by blocking the effects of aldosterone, a hormone that causes your body to hold onto salt and water. By blocking aldosterone, spironolactone helps your body get rid of extra fluid and salt, which lowers blood pressure and reduces strain on the heart.

Common Side Effects
digoxin
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
spironolactone
  • Breast enlargement in men
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
FAERS Reports
digoxin
  • Dyspnoea 6,065
  • Nausea 4,754
  • Dizziness 4,439
  • Fatigue 4,175
  • Atrial Fibrillation 3,974
spironolactone
  • Dyspnoea 10,389
  • Fatigue 8,178
  • Nausea 7,818
  • Diarrhoea 7,418
  • Acute Kidney Injury 6,785
Serious Warnings
digoxin

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.

spironolactone

Spironolactone can cause your potassium levels to get too high, which can be dangerous. Your doctor will check your potassium levels regularly, especially if you have kidney problems or are taking other medicines that can raise potassium. This medicine can also cause low blood pressure or make kidney problems worse. Tell your doctor if you have side effects.

Pregnancy
digoxin

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.

spironolactone

Spironolactone may affect the sex organs of a baby boy if taken during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if spironolactone passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you are taking this medicine.

How to Read This digoxin vs spironolactone Comparison

digoxin is classified in the Cardiac Glycoside drug class, while spironolactone sits within the Potassium-Sparing Diuretic / Aldosterone Antagonist 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 23,407 submissions while spironolactone has 40,588. 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 spironolactone can mess with the lab tests used to measure digoxin, making it look like there is more medicine in your blood than there actually is.. 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 digoxin or spironolactone.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.