Afinitor interactions: Alcohol, medications, and other factors

Before you start treatment with Afinitor, tell your doctor and pharmacist which prescription, over-the-counter, and other medications you take. By sharing this information with them, you may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether Afinitor interacts with supplements, herbs, or vitamins, see the “Afinitor and other interactions” section below.)

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Here’s a table of drugs that can interact with Afinitor. Keep in mind that this table doesn’t include all drugs that may interact with Afinitor. Some of these interactions are described in detail just below in “Drug interactions in depth.”

Sometimes, certain factors or conditions could prevent your doctor from prescribing Afinitor due to the risk of harm. These are known as contraindications. The contraindications of Afinitor include:

Having had an allergic reaction to Afinitor or any of its ingredients

If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Afinitor or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe it. Taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better choices for you.

Note: Before you start treatment with Afinitor, it’s important to tell your doctor if this contraindication applies to you. They can determine whether to prescribe Afinitor.

There aren’t any known interactions between Afinitor and alcohol.

However, your doctor may advise you not to use mouthwashes containing alcohol during Afinitor treatment. The alcohol in mouthwash may worsen stomatitis (mouth inflammation and sores) as a side effect of the drug.

If you have questions about Afinitor and alcohol, talk with your doctor before starting treatment.

Here’s a closer look at certain drug interactions of Afinitor.

ACE inhibitors

Doctors prescribe ACE inhibitors for cardiovascular conditions, including high blood pressure.

Interaction result: Taking Afinitor with an ACE inhibitor may increase the risk of angioedema from either drug. With angioedema, you have rapid and severe swelling under the skin.

Interaction explained: Both Afinitor and ACE inhibitors can cause angioedema when taken individually. Taking these medications together may increase the likelihood of this side effect. To learn about side effects of Afinitor, see this article.

Examples of ACE inhibitor drugs: Here are some ACE inhibitors that may interact with Afinitor:

• benazepril (Lotensin)
• enalapril (Epaned, Vasotec)
• lisinopril (Qbrelis, Zestril)
• ramipril (Altace)
• quinapril (Accupril)

Steps you or your doctor may take: Before starting treatment with Afinitor, tell your doctor if you’re taking an ACE inhibitor. They may prescribe an alternative to either drug.

To learn more about Afinitor and ACE inhibitors, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Certain antiseizure drugs

As with Afinitor, doctors prescribe antiseizure drugs to treat seizure conditions.

Interaction result: Combining Afinitor with certain antiseizure drugs could make Afinitor less effective.

Interaction explained: Certain antiseizure drugs could speed up the breakdown of Afinitor in your body. As a result, taking these drugs together could lower the level of Afinitor in your system. This could make Afinitor less effective for your condition.

Examples of antiseizure drugs: Here are some antiseizure drugs that may interact with Afinitor:

• carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol, others)
• pentobarbital (Nembutal)
• phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)

Steps you or your doctor may take: Before starting Afinitor treatment, tell your doctor about any antiseizure drugs you’re prescribed. They’ll recommend whether it’s safe for you to combine these medications.

Sometimes, your doctor may prescribe Afinitor with an antiseizure drug that interacts with it. To help Afinitor be more effective, they may give you a higher Afinitor dosage.

To learn more about Afinitor and certain antiseizure drugs, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Certain statin drugs

Doctors prescribe statin drugs to treat high cholesterol and reduce certain heart-related risks.

Interaction result: Taking Afinitor with certain statin drugs could increase the risk of muscle-related side effects from the statin. These can include rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown) and muscle weakness.

Interaction explained: Statin drugs can cause muscle-related side effects when taken individually. Taking certain statin drugs with Afinitor may further increase this risk.

Examples of statin drugs: Here are some statin drugs that may interact with Afinitor:

• atorvastatin (Atorvaliq, Lipitor)
• fluvastatin (Lescol XL)
• pitavastatin (Livalo, Zypitamag)
• pravastatin (Pravachol)
• simvastatin (FloLipid, Zocor)

Steps you or your doctor may take: Before taking Afinitor, tell your doctor about any statin drugs you’re prescribed. Your doctor will recommend whether it’s safe to take these medications together. They may suggest switching to a different statin drug that is less likely to interact with Afinitor.

To learn more about Afinitor and certain statin drugs, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Afinitor may have other interactions, such as with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. You’ll find details below. Keep in mind that the following information does not include all other possible interactions with Afinitor.

Afinitor interactions with supplements

Before you start treatment with Afinitor, tell your doctor and pharmacist which supplements, herbs, and vitamins you take. By sharing this information with them, you may help prevent possible interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Afinitor interactions with herbs

Doctors will typically recommend that you avoid taking St. John’s wort with Afinitor. St. John’s wort is an herbal supplement that some people use to treat depression and other conditions.

St. John’s wort may speed up the activity of an enzyme in your body that helps break down Afinitor. By speeding up this enzyme, St. John’s wort can cause Afinitor to break down more quickly. This may lead to a low level of Afinitor in your system, making the drug less effective.

If your doctor prescribes Afinitor with St. John’s wort, they may prescribe a higher Afinitor dose for certain conditions. This can help Afinitor be more effective when it’s combined with St. John’s wort.

Your doctor may also suggest a treatment option other than St. John’s wort.

Afinitor and vitamins

There are no reports of vitamins interacting with Afinitor. However, that doesn’t mean vitamin interactions won’t occur or be recognized in the future. Because of this, you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any vitamin product with Afinitor.

Afinitor interactions with food

Afinitor may interact with grapefruit and grapefruit juice. This is because grapefruit products may slow the breakdown of Afinitor in your body. This could raise the level of Afinitor in your system, increasing your risk of side effects from the drug. For details about Afinitor’s side effects, see this article.

Due to this risk, your doctor may recommend avoiding grapefruit and grapefruit juice during Afinitor treatment.

Afinitor interactions with vaccines

Afinitor may interact with live vaccines. A live vaccine contains weakened pieces of the virus or bacterium it’s meant to defend against.

When your immune system is healthy, live vaccines usually won’t cause infection. But Afinitor may weaken your immune system. During Afinitor treatment, your immune system may be unable to fight the virus or bacterium in the live vaccine. This may cause you to develop symptoms of the illness the vaccine helps to defend against.

Examples of live vaccines to avoid during Afinitor treatment include:

• flu vaccine (nasal spray form)
• chickenpox
• measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)

Before starting Afinitor, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about any vaccines you may need.

Afinitor interactions with lab tests

Afinitor may interfere with the results of a tuberculosis (TB) skin test. You may have this to determine if the TB bacterium is in your system.

Taking Afinitor may cause a false-negative result, meaning the test could show you do not have the TB bacterium in your system even if you do.

Because of this, it’s important to tell the person giving you the test that you’re taking Afinitor. They’ll recommend different tests to gather information about TB.

AFINITOR INTERACTION WITH CANNABIS OR CBD

Cannabis (often called marijuana) and cannabis products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have been reported to interact with Afinitor. Taking Afinitor with cannabis products could increase your risk of side effects from Afinitor.

Before you start treatment with Afinitor, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you use cannabis. By sharing this information with them, you may help prevent possible interactions.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many U.S. states to varying degrees.

Certain medical conditions and other factors may increase the risk of interactions with Afinitor. Before you take this drug, be sure to talk with your doctor about your health history. Afinitor may not be the right treatment option if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health.

Health conditions or factors that might interact with Afinitor include:

• Being age 65 years or older: If you’re age 65 years or older, talk with your doctor before taking Afinitor. People of this age may have a higher risk of side effects from Afinitor. To reduce this risk, doctors may prescribe a lower Afinitor dosage than is typical.
• Planned surgery: Be sure to tell your doctor about any planned surgeries. Taking Afinitor may affect wound healing after surgery. Your doctor may advise you to temporarily stop Afinitor for at least 1 week before and 2 weeks after surgery.
• Liver problems: If you have a liver problem, such as liver failure, talk with your doctor before taking Afinitor. Having a liver problem may increase the risk of side effects from Afinitor. To lower this risk, your doctor may prescribe a lower dosage of Afinitor than is typical.
• Radiation therapy: Taking Afinitor could make your body more sensitive to the effects of radiation therapy. Before starting Afinitor treatment, tell your doctor if you’ve recently had radiation therapy or plan to. They can advise you on whether Afinitor is a safe treatment option.
• Metabolic conditions: Afinitor may cause side effects that worsen metabolic conditions, such as diabetes and high cholesterol. Before taking Afinitor, your doctor will review your health history. They’ll recommend whether Afinitor is a safe treatment option. They’ll also advise you about what to do if you have a condition the drug may worsen.
• Current infection, including hepatitis B: Before taking Afinitor, tell your doctor if you have an infection or ever had hepatitis B. The drug may worsen an existing infection or increase the risk of the hepatitis B virus causing symptoms again. Your doctor may treat the infection before you start Afinitor treatment.
• Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Afinitor or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Afinitor. Taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better choices for you.
• Breastfeeding: It may not be safe to take Afinitor while breastfeeding. It’s possible the drug may pass into breast milk and cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to, talk with your doctor before using Afinitor. They can talk with you about treatment options and ways to feed your child.
• Pregnancy: Afinitor may not be safe to take while pregnant. Animal studies show that the drug may cause congenital anomalies (commonly known as birth defects). However, animal studies don’t always indicate what may happen in humans. If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, tell your doctor before starting Afinitor. They can advise you on the right treatment plan for you.

You can take certain steps to help prevent interactions with Afinitor. Your doctor and pharmacist are key resources, so reach out to them before starting treatment. For example, you should plan to do the following:

• Let them know if you drink alcohol or use cannabis.
• Tell them about any other medications you take, as well as any supplements, herbs, and vitamins.
• Create a medication list, which your doctor and pharmacist can help you fill out.

It’s also important to read the Afinitor label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. The label may have colored stickers that mention an interaction. And the paperwork, sometimes called the medication guide or patient package insert, may contain details about interactions.

If Afinitor doesn’t come with paperwork, you can ask your pharmacist to print a copy. If you need help reading or understanding this information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

You can also help prevent interactions with Afinitor by taking it exactly as your doctor prescribes.

Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.