Theophylline and Metronidazole Interaction

Drug interaction information between Theophylline and Metronidazole.

Theophylline and Metronidazole have a documented major interaction in FDA labeling.

FDA drug labeling documents a major-severity interaction between Theophylline and Metronidazole. This page displays the available source-record category and label text. The category is not an individual risk estimate or medication-combination direction.

Drug A

Theophylline

Methylxanthine Bronchodilator

Drug B

Metronidazole

Nitroimidazole Antibiotic

How They Interact

Metronidazole may reduce the speed at which your liver clears theophylline from your blood. This can cause the drug to reach levels that are toxic to your body.

FDA Label Information

albuterol, systemic and inhaled mebendazole amoxicillin medroxyprogesterone ampicillin, with or without sulbactam methylprednisolone atenolol metronidazole azithromycin metoprolol caffeine, dietary ingestion nadolol cefaclor nifedipine co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole) nizatidine diltiazem norfloxacin dirithromycin ofloxacin enflurane omeprazole famotidine prednisone, prednisolone felodipine ranitidine finasteride rifabutin hydrocortisone roxithromycin isoflurane Sorbitol (purgative doses do not inhibit theophylline absorption) isoniazid sucralfate isradipine terbutaline,...

Frequently Asked Questions

What SPL severity band is on file for Theophylline + Metronidazole?

Compiled FDA labeling labels this pair major. That is a source-record field, not an individual medication-combination decision.

Which drug in this pair has the larger labeled-interaction portfolio?

Theophylline has 86 labeled pairs on file vs Metronidazole's 10. In the major band specifically: Theophylline has 27 (also Metoprolol, Albuterol, Omeprazole, Amoxicillin); Metronidazole has 1.

What mechanism field is on file for Theophylline and Metronidazole?

Metronidazole may reduce the speed at which your liver clears theophylline from your blood. This can cause the drug to reach levels that are toxic to your body.

Theophylline carries more major-labeled pairs than Metronidazole

SPL source-record counts only. This page's band is major · classes on file: Theophylline (Methylxanthine Bronchodilator); Metronidazole (Nitroimidazole Antibiotic).

Theophylline has 27 major-labeled pairs vs Metronidazole's 1.

Theophylline

27 major · 5 moderate · 54 minor · 86 total

Metronidazole

1 major · 0 moderate · 9 minor · 10 total

Metronidazole has no other major-band peer in this dataset besides Theophylline.

Sources: FDA Drug Labels (SPL) via openFDA (2026). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This registry does not provide individual medication-combination directions.