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What the FDA labels say about taking them together

Procainamide and tetrabenazine

Tetrabenazine's FDA label of November 29, 2019 names procainamide in its drug interactions section; the procainamide label PlainMeds reads does not name tetrabenazine.

Check it at the source: the procainamide FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 17, 2025, Caplin Steriles Limited); the tetrabenazine FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 29, 2019, Oceanside Pharmaceuticals).

What does the procainamide label say about tetrabenazine?

Procainamide's label (effective February 17, 2025) does not name tetrabenazine in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.

Source: FDA drug label (Procainamide Hydrochloride), Caplin Steriles Limited, effective February 17, 2025 (SPL set fcaa5e9a-3c8a-4796-aa87-626268b6cf60), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What does the tetrabenazine label say about procainamide?

Tetrabenazine label, drug interactions

Tetrabenazine tablets cause a small prolongation of QTc (about 8 msec), concomitant use with other drugs that are known to cause QTc prolongation should be avoided, these including antipsychotic medications (e.g., chlorpromazine, haloperidol, thioridazine, ziprasidone), antibiotics (e.g., moxifloxacin), Class 1A (e.g., quinidine, procainamide) and Class III (e.g., amiodarone, sotalol) antiarrhythmic medications or any other medications known to prolong the QTc interval.

Tetrabenazine label, warnings and precautions

The use of tetrabenazine tablets should be avoided in combination with other drugs that are known to prolong QTc, including antipsychotic medications (e.g., chlorpromazine, haloperidol, thioridazine, ziprasidone), antibiotics (e.g., moxifloxacin), Class 1A (e.g., quinidine, procainamide) and Class III (e.g., amiodarone, sotalol) antiarrhythmic medications or any other medications known to prolong the QTc interval [see Drug Interactions ( 7.5 )].

Source: FDA drug label (tetrabenazine), NDA021894 (Bausch), as published by Oceanside Pharmaceuticals, effective November 29, 2019 (SPL set 5867189c-17bd-4e70-a079-c4730f9950d1), 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

11Procainamide generic labelers
10Tetrabenazine generic labelers
ProcainamideTetrabenazine
Labeled forn/an/a
Boxed warningYesYes
Pharmacy cost (NADAC)n/a$0.702 per tablet 12.5 mg tablet
Shortage nowNo current entryNo 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?