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Drug Interactions With Interferon Beta-1b
Several medications are known to potentially cause drug interactions with interferon beta-1b. If theophylline products or zidovudine (or any combination medicines that contain zidovudine) are taken together with interferon beta-1b, interactions could occur that may lead to high drug levels in your blood, which can increase your risk for developing serious side effects.
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Interferon beta-1b (Betaseron®, Extavia®) can potentially interact with a couple of other medications. Some of these medicines that may lead to interferon beta-1b interactions include:
- Theophylline products (Elixophyllin®, Theo-24®, TheoCap™, Theochron®, Uniphyl®)
- Zidovudine (Retrovir®) or combination medications that contain zidovudine (Combivir®, Trizivir®).
The following sections explain in detail the potentially negative interactions that can occur when interferon beta-1b is combined with any of the drugs listed above.
Theophylline (Elixophyllin, Theo-24, TheoCap, Theochron, Uniphyl)
Interferons (such as interferon beta-1b) may increase the level of theophylline in your blood, increasing the risk of side effects. Your healthcare provider may need to monitor your theophylline blood levels and adjust your theophylline dosage as necessary.
Zidovudine (Retrovir, Combivir, Trizivir)
Interferon beta-1b may increase the level of zidovudine in your blood and increase your risk for side effects of zidovudine, including serious side effects. Talk with your healthcare provider before using these medications together.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD