Stribild Interactions: Alcohol, Medications, and Others

Does Stribild interact with other drugs?

An interaction can occur because one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions can also occur if you have certain health conditions.

Before you start taking Stribild, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether Stribild interacts with herbs, vitamins, or supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with Stribild?” section.)

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

The table below lists drugs that may interact with Stribild. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with Stribild. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section.

When should I avoid Stribild?

Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take Stribild. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe Stribild for you. These are known as contraindications. The list below includes contraindications of Stribild.

If you take certain drugs that Stribild affects: If taken with certain other drugs, Stribild can make the level of the other drug build up in your body. For some of these drugs, this can cause serious side effects. If you take a drug that Stribild affects in this way, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Stribild for you. Examples of these drugs include:

• the prostate drug alfuzosin (Uroxatral)
• the antipsychotics lurasidone (Latuda) and pimozide
• the ergot drugs dihydroergotamine (Migranal, Trudhesa), ergotamine (Ergomar), and methylergonovine (Methergine)
• the cholesterol-lowering drugs lomitapide (Juxtapid), lovastatin (Altoprev), and simvastatin (Zocor)
• the PAH drug sildenafil (Revatio)
• the benzodiazepines triazolam (Halcion) and midazolam (oral forms)

If you take one of these drugs, talk with your doctor about your options. They may suggest switching to a different drug that’s not affected by Stribild. Or they may recommend an HIV medication other than Stribild.

If you take certain drugs or supplements that can make Stribild less effective: Certain drugs and supplements can lower the level of Stribild in your body when they’re taken with Stribild. This can make Stribild less effective at treating HIV. If you take one of these drugs or supplements, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Stribild for you. Examples include:

• the antibiotic rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
• the herbal supplement St. John’s wort
• the seizure medications carbamazepine (Tegretol, others), phenytoin (Dilantin), and phenobarbital (Sezaby)

If you take one of these drugs or supplements, talk with your doctor about your options. They may suggest switching to a different drug that doesn’t affect Stribild. Or they may recommend an HIV medication other than Stribild.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Stribild or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Stribild for you. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.

Before you start taking Stribild, talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether Stribild is safe for you to take.

Does Stribild interact with alcohol?

Stribild is not known to interact with alcohol. But Stribild and alcohol can cause some similar side effects, such as nausea, headache, dizziness, and liver problems. So you may be more likely to experience these side effects if you drink alcohol during your Stribild treatment.

If you have questions about consuming alcohol while taking Stribild, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Drug interactions explained

Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with Stribild.

Interaction with antacids

Stribild can interact with antacids, which are used to treat heartburn and indigestion.

Examples of antacid medications include:

• aluminum hydroxide/magnesium hydroxide (Maalox)
• calcium carbonate (TUMS)
• calcium carbonate/magnesium hydroxide (Rolaids)

What could happen

Taking antacids at the same time as Stribild can prevent your body from properly absorbing Stribild. This can make Stribild less effective.

What you can do

To avoid this interaction, you should not take an antacid within 2 hours of taking Stribild. If you need to take an antacid, you should take it at least 2 hours before or after your dose of Stribild.

If you have other questions about taking Stribild with antacids, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Interaction with NSAIDs

Stribild can interact with NSAIDs, which are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.

Examples of NSAIDs include:

• aspirin
• ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
• naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn)

What could happen

In some cases, taking high doses of an NSAID or taking multiple NSAIDs may affect your kidney function. Your kidneys help clear Stribild from your body. So taking Stribild with high doses of an NSAID or with multiple NSAIDs could cause Stribild levels to build up in your body. This could raise your risk of side effects from Stribild.

What you can do

While taking Stribild, you should not take an NSAID without first talking with your doctor.

If you take an NSAID with Stribild, your doctor may recommend taking a lower dosage of the NSAID. You should not take a higher dose of either medication than your doctor recommends. Your doctor will likely monitor your kidney function if you take Stribild with multiple NSAIDs.

If you have questions about taking Stribild with an NSAID, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Interaction with certain antidepressants

Stribild can interact with certain antidepressants, which are used to treat depression and anxiety disorders.

Examples of antidepressants that can interact with Stribild include:

• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram (Celexa) and paroxetine (Paxil)
• tricyclics, such as amitriptyline and clomipramine (Anafranil)
• trazodone

What could happen

Taking Stribild with an antidepressant it interacts with can raise your risk of side effects from the antidepressant.

Stribild slows the action of certain enzymes (proteins) in your body that help break down various drugs, including some antidepressants. By slowing these enzymes, Stribild can cause the level of the other drug to build up in your body. This can raise the risk of side effects.

What you can do

If you take Stribild with an antidepressant it interacts with, your doctor may prescribe a lower dosage of the antidepressant for you. You should not take a higher dose of either medication than your doctor prescribes.

If you take Stribild and an antidepressant together, tell your doctor if you have bothersome side effects from the antidepressant.

If you have other questions about taking Stribild with an antidepressant, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Are there other interactions with Stribild?

Stribild may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See below for details. Note that this information does not include all other possible interactions with Stribild.

Does Stribild interact with supplements?

Before you start taking Stribild, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs, vitamins, or supplements you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.

If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Stribild interactions with herbs

Stribild can interact with St. John’s wort, which is used to ease symptoms of depression and other conditions. Your doctor will likely recommend that you do not take St John’s wort with Stribild. This herb can lower the level of Stribild in your body, which can make Stribild less effective at treating HIV.

If you have questions about taking other herbs with Stribild, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Stribild interactions with vitamins and minerals

Stribild can interact with magnesium, zinc, calcium, and iron supplements. It can also interact with multivitamins that contain these minerals.

Taking supplements or multivitamins that contain these minerals with Stribild can prevent your body from properly absorbing Stribild. This can make Stribild less effective.

To avoid this interaction, you should take supplements or multivitamins containing these minerals at least 2 hours before or after taking a dose of Stribild.

If you have questions about taking Stribild with vitamins or minerals, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Does Stribild interact with food?

Your doctor may recommend that you avoid consuming grapefruit and grapefruit juice while taking Stribild. Grapefruit can cause one of the active drugs in Stribild to build up in your body. This can raise your risk of side effects from Stribild.

If you have questions about consuming other foods or drinks with Stribild, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Does Stribild interact with vaccines?

There are currently no reports of Stribild interacting with vaccines. If you have questions about getting certain vaccines during your Stribild treatment, talk with your doctor.

Does Stribild interact with lab tests?

There are currently no reports of Stribild interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests done during your treatment with Stribild, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.

Does Stribild interact with cannabis or CBD?

Cannabis (commonly called marijuana) and cannabis products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have been specifically reported to interact with Stribild.

Stribild can slow the action of certain enzymes that help clear cannabis from your system. (Enzymes are proteins that help chemical reactions happen.) So if you use cannabis while taking Stribild, you may have a higher risk of side effects from cannabis.

Using cannabis with Stribild may also raise your risk of side effects from Stribild.

Before you start treatment with Stribild, 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 states to varying degrees.

Does my health history affect whether I should take Stribild?

Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with Stribild. Before taking Stribild, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Stribild is right for you.

Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Stribild include:

Severe liver problems: If you have a severe liver problem, your doctor will likely not prescribe Stribild for you. This is because your liver helps break down Stribild. If you have a severe liver problem, Stribild levels can build up in your body. This can raise your risk of side effects from the medication. Stribild could also worsen your liver problem.

Kidney problems: If you have a kidney problem, your doctor may not prescribe Stribild for you. This is because your kidneys help clear Stribild from your body. If your kidneys aren’t working well, Stribild levels can build up in your body. This can raise your risk of side effects. Stribild could also worsen your kidney problem.

Bone problems: Stribild can weaken your bones. If you have weak bones (osteoporosis) or you’ve had a bone fracture before, your doctor may monitor your bone health while you’re taking Stribild.

Pregnancy: Stribild is not recommended for use during pregnancy. This is because Stribild may not work as well to treat HIV during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before taking Stribild.

If you do take Stribild while pregnant, consider enrolling in the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry. This registry collects details about pregnancy issues reported with Stribild. To learn more, call 800-258-4263 or talk with your doctor.

Breastfeeding: You shouldn’t breastfeed while taking Stribild. The drug passes into breast milk, and it’s not known what effect it may have in a child who is breastfed. Breastfeeding can also pass HIV to a child who is breastfed. This can happen even if your HIV is undetectable. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to do so, talk with your doctor about your options.

Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Stribild or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Stribild. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better choices for you.

Mental health conditions: If you have a history of mental health conditions such as depression, taking Stribild may increase your risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Talk with your doctor about this before starting Stribild treatment.

How can I prevent interactions?

Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Stribild. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:

• whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis
• other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs (they can also help you fill out a medication list)
• what to do if you start taking a new drug during your Stribild treatment

It’s also important to understand Stribild’s label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. Colored stickers that describe interactions may be on the label. And the paperwork (sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide) may have other details about interactions. (If you did not get paperwork with Stribild, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you.)

If you have trouble reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Taking Stribild exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.

Disclaimer: Healthline 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.