midazolam vs nifedipine

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Side-by-side comparison of midazolam and nifedipine. 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

No interaction was observed in healthy subjects between midazolam and nifedipine.

Drug Class
midazolam Benzodiazepine
nifedipine Calcium Channel Blocker
Type
midazolam Prescription
nifedipine Prescription
Summary
midazolam

Midazolam is a medicine that makes you feel calm, relaxed, and sleepy. It can also cause you to forget things that happen while you are taking it.

nifedipine

Nifedipine is a calcium channel blocker. It helps to relax blood vessels, which can lower blood pressure and reduce chest pain.

What It Treats
midazolam

Midazolam is used to sedate you before a surgery or procedure to help you relax and feel less anxious. It can also be used to help you feel calm during procedures like bronchoscopies or endoscopies. Midazolam can also be used to start general anesthesia before you get other medicines.

nifedipine

This medicine treats chest pain (angina) caused by tight blood vessels. It also treats high blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

How It Works
midazolam

Midazolam belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. It works by slowing down activity in your brain and nervous system. This helps to reduce anxiety, promote relaxation, and cause sleepiness.

nifedipine

Nifedipine blocks calcium from entering heart and blood vessel cells. This relaxes and widens blood vessels. As a result, the heart doesn't have to work as hard, and blood pressure goes down.

Common Side Effects
midazolam
  • Decreased breathing rate
  • Tenderness at the injection site
  • Pain during injection
nifedipine
  • Swelling, especially in the legs or ankles
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Constipation
FAERS Reports
midazolam
  • Seizure 1,373
  • Hypotension 1,296
  • Drug Interaction 1,088
  • Toxicity To Various Agents 846
  • Acute Kidney Injury 845
nifedipine
  • Dyspnoea 2,429
  • Fatigue 2,304
  • Diarrhoea 2,264
  • Nausea 2,220
  • Headache 1,997
Serious Warnings
midazolam

Midazolam can cause serious breathing problems, including slowed or stopped breathing. This is more likely to happen if you are also taking opioid pain medicines. You must be closely monitored by trained medical staff while receiving midazolam. Make sure the facility has the equipment and medicines needed to treat breathing problems immediately.

nifedipine

In rare cases, nifedipine can cause serious gastrointestinal problems, including obstruction. If you experience severe abdominal pain, vomiting, or inability to pass stool, seek immediate medical attention.

Pregnancy
midazolam

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Midazolam may harm an unborn baby. It is not known if midazolam passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of using this medicine while breastfeeding.

nifedipine

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if nifedipine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This midazolam vs nifedipine Comparison

midazolam is classified in the Benzodiazepine drug class, while nifedipine sits within the Calcium Channel Blocker 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, midazolam has 5,448 submissions while nifedipine has 11,214. 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 these medicines do not interfere with each other when they are taken together.. 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 midazolam or nifedipine.

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