Deslorelin 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
Relugolix
Deslorelin
No brand names on record
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.
Both relugolix (Orgovyx) and deslorelin are hormone medicines that lower certain sex hormones. One thing this kind of hormone-lowering therapy can do is slightly affect your heart's electrical rhythm, causing something called QT prolongation. When two medicines that can each do this are taken together, the effect may add up.
This concern is mostly based on theory, not on lots of real-world reports, so try not to worry. It matters most if you have a heart condition, heart failure, or trouble keeping your minerals (like potassium and magnesium) in balance. Your care team can manage this easily, often with a simple heart tracing (ECG) and blood tests. Please talk with your doctor or pharmacist before changing anything.
Effect: Additive QT interval prolongation. Both relugolix (a GnRH antagonist) and deslorelin (a GnRH agonist) produce androgen/sex-hormone deprivation, which can independently prolong the QT interval. Neither is a prodrug; this is a pharmacodynamic, not metabolic, interaction.
- Direction: Increased risk of QTc prolongation (additive PD effect).
- Evidence: Theoretical; severity rated major.
- Onset: Unspecified.
- Management: Avoid concomitant use where possible. Weigh benefits of androgen deprivation against risk in congenital long QT, CHF, or recurrent electrolyte disturbance. If used together, avoid agents causing hypokalemia/hypomagnesemia, correct electrolytes, and consider periodic ECG and electrolyte monitoring.
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 in those receiving drugs recognized to prolong the QT interval, weigh whether the advantages of androgen deprivation therapy such as relugolix outweigh the possible hazards 1. Where feasible, do not use relugolix concurrently with QT prolonging agents. Should coadministration 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 electrolytes 1.
Why it happens (mechanism)
Additive QT interval prolongation
How to manage this interaction
Keep taking both medicines exactly as prescribed unless your care team tells you otherwise. Because both can add to a small effect on heart rhythm, your team may take steps to keep you safe:
- Reviewing whether you have a heart condition, heart failure, or a history of low potassium or magnesium.
- Checking and correcting your electrolyte (mineral) levels.
- Ordering periodic ECGs (heart tracings) and blood tests to monitor you more closely.
- Deciding, when possible, whether an alternative to combining these two is a better fit for you.
Let your pharmacist or doctor know about any fainting, dizziness, or palpitations, and share your full medication list so they can tailor your care.
Management is individual — confirm any change with your pharmacist or prescriber.
Literature reports
1 report — tap to read
a) A study looked at male patients on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) using individual case safety reports from VigiBase, the international pharmacovigilance database, and found 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%) associated with ADT arose without exposure to other agents known to raise TdP risk; nevertheless, some aLQTS/TdP events (23% or 43%) and sudden death events (18% and 22%) involved exposure to 1 drug and to 2 or more drugs, respectively, carrying conditional, possible, or known TdP risk. The agents regarded as ADTs included abiraterone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and antagonists, nonsteroidal androgen receptor inhibitors used for prostate cancer, and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors used 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 median patient age was approximately 76 years, and the median time to onset was 170 days for aLQTS/TdP events (range, 7 to 4884 days) and 92 days for sudden death events (range, 0.25 to 4984 days). Patients were on ADT mainly for prostate cancer, with some treated for prostatism and androgenic alopecia. Most were on ADT monotherapy (83%), while 17% received ADT combination therapy 3.
Common questions
Can I take Deslorelin and Relugolix together?
Relugolix and deslorelin can both nudge your heart's QT interval, and together the effect may add up, so your care team may check electrolytes and ECGs and, when possible, avoid combining them. This is a theoretical concern that is manageable with monitoring. Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.
How serious is the Deslorelin 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 Deslorelin and Relugolix interaction managed?
Keep taking both medicines exactly as prescribed unless your care team tells you otherwise. Because both can add to a small effect on heart rhythm, your team may take steps to keep you safe: Reviewing whether you have a heart condition, heart failure, or a history of low potassium or magnesium. Checking and correcting your electrolyte (mineral) levels. Ordering periodic ECGs (heart tracings) and b… 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 Deslorelin 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 Relugolix
Keep reading about Deslorelin
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