Jakafi interactions: Safe use with medications, alcohol, and more

Jakafi interactions with other medications

Before you start treatment with Jakafi, 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.

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 Jakafi. Keep in mind that this table doesn’t include all drugs that may interact with Jakafi.

Jakafi and other interactions

Jakafi 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 Jakafi.

Jakafi interactions with supplements, herbs, or vitamins

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

St. John’s wort has been reported to interact with Jakafi. This is an herb used to ease symptoms of certain conditions, including depression.

Taking Jakafi with St. John’s wort could cause your body to break down Jakafi faster than it should. This can lead to a low level of Jakafi in your system, making the drug less effective.

Your doctor can recommend whether it’s safe to take Jakafi with St. John’s wort. If they tell you it’s safe to take them in combination, your doctor may give you a higher dosage of Jakafi. Doing so can help keep the drug level high enough in your body for it to be effective.

There are no specific reports of vitamins interacting with Jakafi. 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 Jakafi.

Jakafi interactions with food

Certain foods have been reported to interact with Jakafi. These include grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

Grapefruit products may prevent your body from breaking down Jakafi as it should. This can raise the level of Jakafi in your system, increasing your risk of side effects from the drug. Due to this risk, your doctor may recommend avoiding or reducing the amount of grapefruit products you consume while taking Jakafi.

Jakafi interactions with vaccines

Certain vaccines have been reported to interact with Jakafi. These include vaccines for COVID-19 (Comirnaty, Spikevax) and cholera (Vaxchora).

Jakafi may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infection. These vaccines work by helping the immune system recognize COVID-19 and cholera. Receiving these vaccines during Jakafi treatment can make the vaccines less effective at protecting against infection.

Before taking Jakafi, talk with your doctor about your vaccine history. If you need a vaccine for COVID-19 or cholera, they may give you the vaccine before prescribing Jakafi. Your doctor can also tell you whether other vaccines are safe to receive during Jakafi treatment.

Jakafi and lab tests

There were no reports of lab tests interacting with Jakafi. If you’d like to learn more about getting certain lab tests while taking Jakafi, talk with your doctor.

Does Jakafi interact with alcohol?

There are no known interactions between Jakafi and alcohol. If you have questions about drinking alcohol while taking Jakafi, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

JAKAFI AND CANNABIS OR CBD

Cannabis (often called marijuana) and cannabis products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have not been specifically reported to interact with Jakafi. However, as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis in combination with Jakafi. The impact of cannabis may affect how well you stick to your Jakafi treatment plan.

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

Why does Jakafi have interactions?

Jakafi is broken down by an enzyme called CYP3A4. In some cases, the medications and substances that interact with Jakafi block the activity of this enzyme, which can slow down the breakdown of Jakafi in your system. This may raise the level of Jakafi in your body, increasing your risk of side effects from the drug.

In other cases, the substances that interact with Jakafi cause it to be broken down more quickly, making it less effective.

Jakafi and health-related interactions

Certain medical conditions and other factors may increase the risk of interactions with Jakafi. Before you take this drug, be sure to talk with your doctor about your health history. Jakafi 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 Jakafi include:

Tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis B, or herpes infection

If you’ve ever had TB, hepatitis B, or herpes infection, talk with your doctor before starting Jakafi treatment. Jakafi may reactivate the TB bacterium or hepatitis B virus. This means the bacterium or virus may become active again and cause symptoms. Jakafi may also cause a herpes infection to come back.

Liver or kidney problems

Before starting Jakafi treatment, tell your doctor if you have a liver or kidney problem. Examples include liver failure and kidney failure. Having a liver or kidney problem may increase your risk of side effects from Jakafi. Due to this risk, your doctor may prescribe a lower dosage of Jakafi if you have a liver or kidney problem.

Factors that increase the risk of heart-related side effects

Jakafi may increase the risk of heart-related side effects, including heart attack, in people with certain risk factors. Examples of these factors include high blood pressure and smoking.

Before starting Jakafi treatment, talk with your doctor about your risk of heart-related side effects. They can tell you whether you have any factors that increase your risk.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

It’s not known for certain whether Jakafi is safe to take while pregnant or breastfeeding. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before taking Jakafi. They can advise you on the risks and benefits of taking Jakafi during pregnancy.

To be safe, your doctor may recommend that you avoid breastfeeding while taking Jakafi and for at least 2 weeks after your last dose.

Allergic reaction

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

Next steps

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

• 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 Jakafi label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. You can also help prevent interactions with Jakafi by taking it exactly as your doctor prescribes.

Besides learning about interactions, you may want to find out more about Jakafi. These resources might help:

• Overview of Jakafi: For a general overview of Jakafi, you can see this article.
• Side effects: If you’re interested in the side effects of Jakafi, see this article. Another option is to refer to the Jakafi prescribing information.
• Dosage specifics: To learn about the dosage of Jakafi, see this article.
• Cost: If you’d like to learn about Jakafi and cost, see this article.
• Facts about your condition: To learn more about some of the conditions Jakafi treats, see our list of blood and hematology articles and polycythemia vera articles.