Aripiprazole and Relugolix: Interaction Details
AI-assisted, pharmacist-reviewed · AI content regenerated Jul 11, 2026 · Source data updated Jul 2, 2026 · Sources: FDA labeling, DDInter 2.0, cited literature
Aripiprazole
Relugolix
How we grade severity & evidence
Severity levels
- Contraindicated: These should generally not be used together.
- Major: Potentially serious — often needs a change or close monitoring.
- Moderate: Can be significant — usually manageable with monitoring.
- Minor: Usually limited clinical impact.
Evidence grades
- Established: Well documented — supported by controlled studies or strong clinical data.
- Probable: Good supporting evidence, though not definitively proven.
- Suspected: Some evidence suggests this interaction, but it is not well established.
- Possible: Limited or conflicting evidence; the interaction may occur.
- Theoretical: Predicted from the drugs' pharmacology; not yet confirmed in people.
Ratings come from the documented interaction literature and are reviewed by a pharmacist. They describe the documented risk of the combination, not what will necessarily happen to you — your dose, timing, and health picture all matter.
You've been prescribed two medicines that can each affect your heart's rhythm. Aripiprazole (Abilify) is used for mood and mental health, and relugolix (Orgovyx) is a hormone therapy used mainly for prostate cancer. Both can very slightly nudge the timing of your heartbeat (something doctors call QT prolongation). When taken together, that effect can add up.
This concern is mostly theoretical, meaning it's based on how the drugs work rather than lots of real-world reports. Still, it's worth taking seriously. The good news is your care team can manage this easily by checking your heart tracing (ECG) and blood minerals when needed. Please don't stop either medicine on your own. Just talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Effect: Additive QT-interval prolongation when aripiprazole is combined with relugolix. Both are independent QT-prolonging agents (androgen deprivation from relugolix can prolong QT; aripiprazole carries a modest QT signal), so the risk is pharmacodynamic and additive, not metabolic. Neither is a prodrug relevant here.
- Severity: Major; evidence: theoretical; onset: unspecified.
- Higher-risk patients: congenital long QT, CHF, bradyarrhythmia, or frequent electrolyte disturbance.
- Management: Avoid combination when feasible. If required, correct and maintain normal K+ and Mg2+, avoid other electrolyte-depleting agents, and obtain periodic ECG and electrolyte monitoring. Weigh benefit of ADT against arrhythmic risk.
What happens
Increased risk of QT interval prolongation
Interaction Deep Dive
When relugolix is given together with medications that prolong the QT interval, the effects on the QT interval are additive. The androgen deprivation produced by GnRH agonists and antagonists can itself lengthen the QT interval. In patients who have congenital long QT syndrome, congestive heart failure, or recurrent electrolyte disturbances, as well as those receiving drugs recognized to prolong the QT interval, weigh whether the advantages of androgen deprivation therapy such as relugolix are greater than the possible hazards1. Where feasible, do not use relugolix at the same time as QT prolonging agents. Should concurrent use be necessary, refrain from using drugs that produce electrolyte disturbances (that is, hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia)2, correct any electrolyte abnormalities, and consider intermittent monitoring of ECGs and electrolytes1.
Why it happens (mechanism)
Additive QT interval prolongation
How to manage this interaction
Both of these medicines can mildly affect your heart rhythm, so your care team may keep a closer eye on things when you take them together.
- Keep taking both exactly as prescribed unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
- Your team may check periodic ECGs (heart tracings) and blood electrolytes (potassium and magnesium) and correct any that are low.
- Tell your prescriber if you have a history of heart rhythm problems, heart failure, or long QT syndrome.
- Report symptoms like fainting, dizziness, or a pounding or irregular heartbeat right away.
Ask your pharmacist to review your full medication list for any other drugs that affect heart rhythm.
Management is individual — confirm any change with your pharmacist or prescriber.
Literature reports
1 report — tap to read
a) A study assessing male patients on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) using individual case safety reports from VigiBase, the international pharmacovigilance database, identified 184 cases of acquired long-QT syndrome (aLQTS) and/or torsades de pointes (TdP; 11% of cases fatal), along with 99 cases of sudden death linked to ADT. The majority of aLQTS/TdP cases (62%) and sudden death cases (88%) tied to ADT arose without exposure to other agents known to raise TdP risk; nevertheless, exposure to 1 drug and to 2 or more drugs carrying conditional, possible, or known TdP risk was documented in some aLQTS/TdP (23% or 43%) and sudden death (18% and 22%) events. The agents regarded as ADTs included abiraterone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and antagonists, nonsteroidal androgen receptor inhibitors indicated for prostate cancer, and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors indicated for androgenic alopecia and prostatism. Among the 10 ADTs assessed, 7 showed a disproportional association (reporting odds ratio, 1.4 to 4.7) with aLQTS, TdP, or sudden death, namely leuprorelin, goserelin, triptorelin, degarelix, bicalutamide, finasteride, and dutasteride. The patients had a median age of about 76 years, and the median time to onset was 170 days (range, 7 to 4884 days) for aLQTS/TdP events and 92 days (range, 0.25 to 4984 days) for sudden death events. Patients were taking ADT chiefly for prostate cancer, with some treated for prostatism and androgenic alopecia. Most patients received ADT as monotherapy (83%); 17% were on ADT combination therapy 3.
Common questions
Can I take Aripiprazole and Relugolix together?
Taking aripiprazole with relugolix can add together to affect your heart rhythm (QT prolongation), so keep taking both as prescribed and let your care team monitor your heart tracing and electrolytes. Report any fainting, dizziness, or irregular heartbeat promptly. Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.
How serious is the Aripiprazole and Relugolix interaction?
It is rated major. Potentially serious — often needs a change or close monitoring.
How quickly could this interaction happen?
The documented onset is "unspecified". The timing of this interaction is not well characterized.
How is the Aripiprazole and Relugolix interaction managed?
Both of these medicines can mildly affect your heart rhythm, so your care team may keep a closer eye on things when you take them together. Keep taking both exactly as prescribed unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Your team may check periodic ECGs (heart tracings) and blood electrolytes (potassium and magnesium) and correct any that are low. Tell your prescriber if you have a history of heart… Management is individual — always follow your own care team's guidance.
How strong is the evidence for this interaction?
The evidence is graded "theoretical". Predicted from the drugs' pharmacology; not yet confirmed in people.
Questions for your pharmacist
- Does my dose of Aripiprazole or Relugolix need adjusting while I take them together?
- What symptoms should prompt me to call you or my prescriber right away?
- Does the timing of my doses matter for this combination?
- Is there a safer alternative to one of these medications for me?
References (3)
- Product Information: ORGOVYX oral tablets, relugolix oral tablets. Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc (per FDA), Marlborough, MA, 2025. DailyMed
- Lyon AR, Lopez-Fernandez T, Couch LS, et al: 2022 ESC guidelines on cardio-oncology developed in collaboration with the European Hematology Association (EHA), the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) and the International Cardio-Oncology Society (IC-OS). Eur Heart J 2022; 43(41):4229-4361.
- Salem JE, Yang T, Moslehi JJ, et al: Androgenic effects on ventricular repolarization: a translational study from the international pharmacovigilance database to iPSC-cardiomyocytes. Circulation 2019; 140(13):1070-1080. PubMed
Keep reading about Aripiprazole
Keep reading about Relugolix
These medications also interact with supplements
Prescription drugs aren't the whole picture — herbal and dietary supplements can interact with them too. From the evidence-graded Natural Medicines database:
major · moderate · minor — check everything you take with our drug–supplement interaction checker.
Check another combination
Our instant two-drug interaction checker is almost here.
Still have questions about this combination?
Every question gets a real answer from a licensed pharmacist — free, and usually within a day.
Ask the pharmacist