Drug interactions
Echinacea + Mycophenolate
Severity: Moderate
Echinacea and Mycophenolate: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Echinacea's immune-stimulating activity may theoretically reduce the immunosuppression achieved with mycophenolate, increasing the risk of rejection or autoimmune disease flare. No confirmatory clinical data exist.
What this interaction means in plain words
Echinacea and Mycophenolate can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Why it happens
Theoretical pharmacodynamic opposition between immune stimulation and inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation.
What to do
Advise transplant patients to avoid echinacea. Monitor graft function if it has been taken.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Echinacea
- Alefacept + Echinacea Moderate
- Antithymocyte globulin equine + Echinacea Moderate
- Antithymocyte globulin rabbit + Echinacea Moderate
- Azathioprine + Echinacea Moderate
- Basiliximab + Echinacea Moderate
- Cyclosporine + Echinacea Moderate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Echinacea with Mycophenolate?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Echinacea and Mycophenolate can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Echinacea's immune-stimulating activity may theoretically reduce the immunosuppression achieved with mycophenolate, increasing the risk of rejection or autoimmune disease flare. No confirmatory clinical data exist.
How serious is the interaction between Echinacea and Mycophenolate?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Advise transplant patients to avoid echinacea. Monitor graft function if it has been taken.
What other medicines interact with Echinacea?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Echinacea with, for example, Alefacept, Antithymocyte globulin equine, Antithymocyte globulin rabbit. The full list is on the Echinacea page.
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