famotidine vs ketoconazole
Side-by-side comparison of famotidine and ketoconazole. 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
See the prescribing information for other drugs dependent on gastric pH for absorption for administration instructions, including atazanavir, erlotinib, ketoconazole, itraconazole, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, nilotinib, and rilpivirine.
Recommendation: Your doctor may recommend taking these at different times or adjusting your treatment to ensure the medicine is absorbed.
Pepcid
Nizoral
Famotidine (Pepcid) reduces stomach acid. It is used to treat ulcers, heartburn, and acid reflux.
Ketoconazole shampoo is an antifungal medicine. It treats a fungal infection on your skin.
This medicine treats active duodenal ulcers and active gastric ulcers. It also treats heartburn (nonerosive GERD) and erosive esophagitis (damage to the esophagus from acid reflux). Famotidine can also treat conditions where the stomach makes too much acid, like Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. It can also lower the risk of duodenal ulcers coming back.
This shampoo treats tinea versicolor, a fungal infection. This infection can cause patches on your skin that are lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. These patches may appear on your trunk, neck, arms, and upper thighs.
Famotidine is an H2 receptor antagonist. This means it blocks histamine, a substance that tells your stomach to make acid. By blocking histamine, famotidine reduces the amount of acid your stomach produces.
Ketoconazole is an antifungal medicine. It works by stopping the growth of the fungus. This helps to clear up the infection.
- • Headache
- • Dizziness
- • Constipation
- • Diarrhea
No common side effects listed.
- Feeling sick to your stomach 7,259
- Feeling tired 6,866
- Long-term kidney problems 6,644
- Loose, watery stools 6,448
- Difficulty breathing 5,203
- Feeling tired 929
- Itching 902
- Feeling sick to your stomach 834
- Skin breakout 802
- Loose stool 760
In elderly patients and those with kidney problems, famotidine can cause confusion, delirium, or hallucinations. If you are elderly or have kidney problems, your doctor may prescribe a lower dose. Famotidine can hide the symptoms of stomach cancer. If your symptoms don't improve, tell your doctor.
You should not use this shampoo if you are allergic to ketoconazole or any of the other ingredients.
It is not known if famotidine will harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Famotidine may pass into breast milk, but it's not expected to harm the baby. Talk to your doctor about breastfeeding while taking this medicine.
It is not known if ketoconazole shampoo can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding before using this medicine.
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How to Read This famotidine vs ketoconazole Comparison
famotidine is classified in the H2 Receptor Antagonist drug class, while ketoconazole sits within the Azole Antifungal class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are available over the counter.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, famotidine has 32,420 submissions while ketoconazole has 4,227. 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 famotidine reduces stomach acid, which can prevent ketoconazole from being absorbed into your system.. 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 famotidine and ketoconazole - 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.