What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Caffeine and ketoconazole
Caffeine's FDA label of July 29, 2026 names ketoconazole in its drug interactions section; the ketoconazole label PlainMeds reads does not name caffeine. The caffeine label: “Based on adult data, lower doses of caffeine may be needed following coadministration of drugs which are reported to decrease caffeine elimination and higher caffeine doses may be needed following coadministration of …”
Check it at the source: the caffeine FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 29, 2026, Sagent Pharmaceuticals); the ketoconazole FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 28, 2026, E. Fougera & Co. a division of Fougera Pharmaceuticals, LLC).
What does the caffeine label say about ketoconazole?
Caffeine label, drug interactionsBased on adult data, lower doses of caffeine may be needed following coadministration of drugs which are reported to decrease caffeine elimination (e.g., cimetidine and ketoconazole) and higher caffeine doses may be needed following coadministration of drugs that increase caffeine elimination (e.g., phenobarbital and phenytoin).
Source: FDA drug label (caffeine citrate), Sagent Pharmaceuticals, effective July 29, 2026 (SPL set 5f38c395-0093-4afd-89ec-f96e5dc0934a), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the ketoconazole label say about caffeine?
Ketoconazole's label (effective January 28, 2026) does not name caffeine in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (ketoconazole), E. Fougera & Co. a division of Fougera Pharmaceuticals, LLC, effective January 28, 2026 (SPL set cad7c647-34a9-4e4e-83b3-8d78e58f588f), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Caffeine | Ketoconazole | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | n/a | Fungal infections |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.083 per tablet 200 mg tablet | $0.249 per gram 2% cream |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once