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Does Cladribine Interact with Zidovudine?

Cladribine and Zidovudine have a contraindicated drug interaction according to U.S. FDA drug labeling data. Compound requiring intracellular phosphorylation could interfere with cladribine's phosphorylation and activity. Avoid concomitant use. The mechanism involves interference with intracellular phosphorylation. Patients taking both medications should consult their healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing the dosage of either drug. This information is based on official FDA drug labeling sourced from OpenFDA and the NIH National Library of Medicine.

Severity
Contraindicated
Cladribine Class
Purine Antimetabolite
Zidovudine Class
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nucleoside Analog Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor
Management
Do not take together
Data Source
U.S. FDA via OpenFDA

How This Interaction Works

The interaction between Cladribine and Zidovudine occurs because interference with intracellular phosphorylation. Clinically, this means compound requiring intracellular phosphorylation could interfere with cladribine's phosphorylation and activity. avoid concomitant use. Because of the severity of this interaction, these medications are contraindicated — meaning they should not be taken together under any circumstances. If you are currently taking both, contact your healthcare provider immediately to discuss alternatives.

What To Tell Your Doctor or Pharmacist

If you are taking Cladribine and your doctor is considering prescribing Zidovudine (or vice versa), make sure to:

  • Inform your doctor and pharmacist of all current medications, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements
  • Ask whether the benefits of combining these medications outweigh the risks for your specific situation
  • Ask what symptoms to watch for that would indicate the interaction is causing problems
  • Ask about alternative medications that do not interact with your current regimen
  • Ask how frequently you should be monitored while these are co-prescribed
  • Never stop or change either medication without first consulting your healthcare provider
💊 Cladribine(Mavenclad)+💊 Zidovudine(Combivir)

Severity & Interaction Details

⛔
contraindicated
Avoid this combination
FDA labeling lists this pair as contraindicated. The risk outweighs the benefit in nearly all cases.
Severity scale
MinorContra
On record
Yes
Drug A class
Purine Antimetabolite
Drug B class
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nucleoside Analog Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor
Source
NLP:cladribine

What this means in plain English

Compound requiring intracellular phosphorylation could interfere with cladribine's phosphorylation and activity. Avoid concomitant use.

About Cladribine and Zidovudine

Cladribine is a Purine Antimetabolite, while Zidovudine is a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nucleoside Analog Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor. You may recognize them by the brand names Mavenclad and Combivir. Both medications are taken by mouth. Both Cladribine and Zidovudine carry an FDA boxed warning — the agency's most serious safety designation.

What the FDA label says

"Interference with intracellular phosphorylation"

📖 Source: NLP:cladribine

Recent research & FDA safety updates

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Data integrity: Every interaction shown is extracted directly from official U.S. FDA drug labeling via openFDA and the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NIH) — no interactions are invented, inferred, or manually edited. Maintained by CheckDrugInteractions.com. See our methodology or report a correction at support@checkdruginteractions.com.

Data sourced from U.S. FDA drug labeling via openFDA and the NIH National Library of Medicine, supplemented with a small number of well-established interactions from curated clinical references. For informational purposes only. Always consult your pharmacist or physician.