Tazemetostat and Sertraline: 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
Sertraline
No brand names on recordTazemetostat
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.
Here's what's going on. Your cancer medicine, tazemetostat (Tazverik), can speed up an enzyme in your body called CYP3A. That same enzyme helps break down sertraline, your antidepressant. When the enzyme works faster, your body clears sertraline a little quicker, so there may be less of it around to do its job.
In plain terms, your sertraline could feel less effective, and your mood or anxiety symptoms might not be as well controlled. The good news is that this is very manageable. Please don't stop or change either medicine on your own. Just let your doctor or pharmacist know you take both, so they can watch how you're doing and adjust things if needed.
Mechanism: Tazemetostat is a CYP3A inducer. Sertraline is partially metabolized by CYP3A (among other pathways), so concurrent use may increase sertraline clearance and reduce its exposure and antidepressant efficacy. Neither drug is a prodrug, so the direction is reduced effect of the substrate.
Magnitude/evidence: Probable. In a PK study, tazemetostat 800 mg BID reduced midazolam (sensitive CYP3A substrate) AUC by ~40% and Cmax by ~21%. Sertraline's multiple metabolic routes may blunt the effect somewhat.
- Monitor for loss of antidepressant/anxiolytic response.
- Sertraline dose may be individualized upward by the care team if efficacy declines.
- Reassess after tazemetostat is stopped, as induction reverses.
What happens
Reduced CYP3A substrate exposure and reduced efficacy of CYP3A substrate
Interaction Deep Dive
Taking tazemetostat together with CYP3A substrates can lower the exposure of those substrates, which may diminish their effectiveness. A drug interaction study in patients showed that giving tazemetostat 800 mg twice daily alongside oral midazolam (a sensitive CYP3A substrate) reduced the AUC of midazolam by 40% and its Cmax by 21%1.
Why it happens (mechanism)
Induction of CYP3A-substrate metabolism by tazemetostat
How to manage this interaction
Keep taking both medicines as prescribed. This combination is commonly manageable with attention from your care team.
- Watch for signs your sertraline is working less well, such as returning low mood, anxiety, or sleep problems, and report them.
- Your sertraline dose may need to be adjusted and individualized by your care team based on how you respond.
- Your team may monitor you more closely while you are on both drugs, and again if the tazemetostat is stopped.
- Do not start, stop, or change either medicine on your own. Bring any questions to your pharmacist or prescriber.
Management is individual — confirm any change with your pharmacist or prescriber.
Literature reports
1 report — tap to read
a) In a drug interaction study, giving tazemetostat 800 mg twice daily together with oral midazolam (a sensitive CYP3A substrate) in patients reduced midazolam AUC by 40% and Cmax by 21% 1.
Common questions
Can I take Tazemetostat and Sertraline together?
Tazemetostat can speed up how your body clears sertraline, which may make the sertraline work less well. Keep taking both as prescribed and tell your care team so they can monitor you and adjust the sertraline dose if needed. Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.
How serious is the Tazemetostat and Sertraline 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 Tazemetostat and Sertraline interaction managed?
Keep taking both medicines as prescribed. This combination is commonly manageable with attention from your care team. Watch for signs your sertraline is working less well, such as returning low mood, anxiety, or sleep problems, and report them. Your sertraline dose may need to be adjusted and individualized by your care team based on how you respond. Your team may monitor you more closely while yo… Management is individual — always follow your own care team's guidance.
How strong is the evidence for this interaction?
The evidence is graded "probable". Good supporting evidence, though not definitively proven.
From our Q&A
Real reader questions about these medications, each personally answered by our pharmacist:
Questions for your pharmacist
- Does my dose of Tazemetostat or Sertraline 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 (1)
- Product Information: TAZVERIK(R) oral tablets, tazemetostat oral tablets. Epizyme Inc (per FDA), Cambridge, MA, 2024. DailyMed
Keep reading about Sertraline
Keep reading about Tazemetostat
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