griseofulvin vs phenobarbital

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Side-by-side comparison of griseofulvin and phenobarbital. 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

Griseofulvin Phenobarbital appears to interfere with the absorption of orally administered griseofulvin, thus decreasing its blood level. The effect of the resultant decreased blood levels of griseofulvin on therapeutic response has not been established.

Drug Class
griseofulvin Antifungal
phenobarbital Anticonvulsant (Barbiturate)
Type
griseofulvin Prescription
phenobarbital Prescription
Summary
griseofulvin

Griseofulvin is an antifungal medicine. It treats fungal infections of the skin, hair, and nails.

phenobarbital

Phenobarbital is a medicine that can help control seizures and calm you down. It belongs to a class of drugs called barbiturates.

What It Treats
griseofulvin

This medicine treats fungal infections called dermatophyte infections. These infections can affect your skin (tinea corporis, tinea cruris, tinea barbae), feet (tinea pedis), scalp (tinea capitis), or nails (tinea unguium). Make sure a lab test confirms you have a fungal infection before you start taking this medicine. This medicine will not work for bacterial or yeast infections.

phenobarbital

This medicine is used to treat generalized and partial seizures. Seizures are caused by unusual electrical activity in the brain. Phenobarbital helps to reduce this activity and prevent seizures.

How It Works
griseofulvin

Griseofulvin stops fungi from growing and multiplying. It binds to a protein in the fungi. This disrupts the fungi's cell structure and prevents it from spreading.

phenobarbital

Phenobarbital works by slowing down the activity of your brain and nervous system. It increases the effects of a natural chemical in the body called GABA. This helps to reduce seizures and promote relaxation.

Common Side Effects
griseofulvin
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Fatigue
phenobarbital
  • Drowsiness
  • Sedation
  • Lethargy
  • Vertigo
FAERS Reports
griseofulvin
  • Headache 15
  • Pyrexia 11
  • Rash 11
  • Diarrhoea 10
  • Drug Hypersensitivity 10
phenobarbital
  • Seizure 1,534
  • Drug Interaction 635
  • Toxicity To Various Agents 621
  • Status Epilepticus 482
  • Multiple-Drug Resistance 442
Serious Warnings
griseofulvin

Griseofulvin can cause liver problems. If you have liver failure or a history of sensitivity to griseofulvin, you should not take this medicine. Do not take this medicine if you have porphyria. Griseofulvin can harm an unborn baby, so do not take it if you are pregnant or could become pregnant.

phenobarbital

You should not take this medicine if you are allergic to barbiturates. Also, do not take it if you have a history of porphyria, severe liver problems, or breathing problems.

Pregnancy
griseofulvin

Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant. It can cause harm to your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about birth control options if you are a woman who could become pregnant.

phenobarbital

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Phenobarbital can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine while breastfeeding.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

Compare phenobarbital with

How to Read This griseofulvin vs phenobarbital Comparison

griseofulvin is classified in the Antifungal drug class, while phenobarbital sits within the Anticonvulsant (Barbiturate) 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, griseofulvin has 57 submissions while phenobarbital has 3,714. 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 phenobarbital stops your body from fully absorbing griseofulvin into your bloodstream. this leads to lower levels of the medicine in your system.. 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 griseofulvin or phenobarbital.

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