Valproate and Clarithromycin Interaction
Drug interaction information between Valproate and Clarithromycin.
Valproate and Clarithromycin have a documented moderate interaction in FDA labeling.
FDA drug labeling documents a moderate-severity interaction between Valproate and Clarithromycin. Major interactions are generally avoided, moderate ones may need monitoring or a dose adjustment, and minor ones are usually low-risk. This page shows the documented mechanism and guidance. Label-documented interactions are not a complete safety review, so always confirm your own medications with a pharmacist or doctor. Educational information, not medical advice.
How They Interact
Clarithromycin can change how your body processes valproate, which might lead to higher levels of the medicine in your system.
What To Do
Use this combination with caution. Your doctor should monitor you for any signs of valproate toxicity.
FDA Label Information
Other Drugs Metabolized by CYP450 Isoforms Other than CYP3A: Hexobarbital Phenytoin Valproate Use With Caution There have been postmarketing reports of interactions of clarithromycin with drugs not thought to be metabolized by CYP3A, including hexobarbital, phenytoin, and valproate.
Valproate Also Interacts With
- Ranitidine major
- Cimetidine major
- Lidocaine Topical moderate
- Risperidone moderate
- Aspirin minor
Clarithromycin Also Interacts With
- Quetiapine major
- Pioglitazone major
- Fluconazole major
- Cyclosporine major
- Lurasidone major
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take Valproate and Clarithromycin together?
This is a moderate interaction. Use this combination with caution. Your doctor should monitor you for any signs of valproate toxicity.
How serious is the interaction between Valproate and Clarithromycin?
This interaction is classified as "moderate" severity by the FDA. Moderate interactions may worsen your condition or change how your medications work.
Why do Valproate and Clarithromycin interact?
Clarithromycin can change how your body processes valproate, which might lead to higher levels of the medicine in your system.
Understanding the Valproate and Clarithromycin Interaction
FDA-approved prescribing information for these two drugs flags their combination as a moderate-severity interaction. Valproate belongs to the Anticonvulsant / Mood Stabilizer class and Clarithromycin belongs to the Macrolide Antibiotic class - two categories that can collide when co-prescribed. The mechanism described in FDA labeling is: Clarithromycin can change how your body processes valproate, which might lead to higher levels of the medicine in your system. Severity tiers matter: major flags generally advise avoidance, moderate flags often require monitoring or dose adjustment, and minor flags may only call for awareness.
Context around a specific patient determines real-world impact. Valproate has 41 total documented interactions on file in this dataset, and Clarithromycin has 81. Each additional medication compounds the interaction surface, which is why pharmacists run full-profile checks rather than evaluating one pair at a time. FDA-derived guidance for this pair is: Use this combination with caution. Timing of doses, renal and hepatic function, age, and other concurrent prescriptions all shape whether a labeled interaction matters clinically.
An interaction flag is not a verdict. A large share of labeled interactions are managed routinely in clinical practice, the fix may be as simple as spacing doses or adding a monitoring test. Others require the prescriber to choose a different medication entirely. This page surfaces FDA-sourced labeling and openFDA data for educational purposes only; it is not medical advice and cannot account for your full clinical picture. Never start, stop, or adjust either Valproate or Clarithromycin based on a web page, speak with your prescriber or pharmacist before making any change.
Sources: FDA Drug Labels (SPL) via openFDA (2026). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider about drug interactions.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.