Drug & supplement interaction

Antineoplastons + Imatinib

Imatinib brand name: Gleevec.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Antineoplastons and Imatinib in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Imatinib states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Antineoplastons and Imatinib

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Imatinib and Antineoplastons in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Antineoplastons at all — not against Imatinib, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Antineoplastons safety at a glance

Antineoplastons overall Use caution Not FDA-approved; effectiveness is unproven and side effects can be serious, especially at high doses.
Pregnancy Avoid There is no reliable safety data, so use during pregnancy should be avoided.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety while breastfeeding is unknown, so it should be avoided.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Imatinib and Antineoplastons? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Antineoplastons and Imatinib May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. 5 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Low potassium Worth acting on Additional detail

    Antineoplastons

    “Adverse effects to antineoplastons have been reported in several small clinical studies. It is not clear how common these reactions are, or if they occur more frequently than with placebo. Since many patients taking antineoplastons have been diagnosed with serious illnesses, such as advanced cancers, it is not clear if these effects resulted from the illnesses themselves or were caused by antineoplastons.”

    Antineoplastons · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hypokalemia.

    5 sources cited
    1. 20101. Burzynski SR, Mohabbat MO, Burzynski B. Human toxicology studies on oral formulation of Antineoplaston A10. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1984;10(12):891-909.
    2. 25604. Tsuda H, Hara H, Eriguchi N, et al. Toxicological study on antineoplastons A-10 and AS2-1 in cancer patients. Kurume Med J 1995;42(4):241-249. PubMed
    3. 25620. Burzynski SR, Kubove E. Toxicology studies on antineoplaston A10 injections in cancer patients. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1986;12 Suppl 1:47-55.
    4. 25621. Burzynski SR, Kubove E. Initial clinical study with antineoplaston A2 injections in cancer patients with five years' follow-up. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1987;13 Suppl 1:1-11.
    5. 25603. Burzynski SR, Lewy RI, Weaver RA, et al. Phase II study of antineoplaston A10 and AS2-1 in patients with recurrent diffuse intrinsic brain stem glioma: a preliminary report. Drugs R D 2003;4(2):91-101. PubMed

    Imatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Imatinib. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • An irregular heartbeat / Chest pain / Raised blood pressure Worth acting on Additional detail

    Antineoplastons

    “Intravenously, antineoplaston A5 has been associated with palpitations at doses up to 153 mg/kg daily. A 71 year-old male bladder cancer patient experienced chest pressure and irregular heartbeat after receiving intravenous antineoplaston A5 58 mg/kg/day for 5 days. Use of intravenous antineoplaston AS2-1, up to 160 mg/kg daily for over 2 years, has been associated with mild hypertension.”

    Antineoplastons · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in bladder cancer.

    5 sources cited
    1. 25608. Burzynski SR, Kubove E, Burzynski B. Phase I clinical studies of antineoplaston A5 injections. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1987;13 Suppl 1:37-43.
    2. 25622. Burzynski SR, Kubove E, Burzynski B. Phase I clinical studies of antineoplaston A5 injections. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1987;13 Suppl 1:37-43.
    3. 25604. Tsuda H, Hara H, Eriguchi N, et al. Toxicological study on antineoplastons A-10 and AS2-1 in cancer patients. Kurume Med J 1995;42(4):241-249. PubMed
    4. 25619. Burzynski SR, Burzynski B, Mohabbat MO. Toxicology studies on antineoplaston AS2-1 injections in cancer patients. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1986;12 Suppl 1:25-35.
    5. 25607. Burzynski SR, Kubove E. Phase I clinical studies of antineoplaston A3 injections. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1987;13 Suppl 1:17-29.

    Imatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Imatinib. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Anemia Worth acting on Additional detail

    Antineoplastons

    “Orally and intravenously, decreased bone marrow activity has been reported for patients treated with chemotherapy along with antineoplaston A10 or antineoplaston AS2-1; however, this effect has not been observed for patients treated with these antineoplastons without chemotherapy.

    Intravenously, antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1 have been associated with anemia and lowered white blood cell counts in patients with brain t…”

    Antineoplastons · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anemia.

    6 sources cited
    1. 20101. Burzynski SR, Mohabbat MO, Burzynski B. Human toxicology studies on oral formulation of Antineoplaston A10. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1984;10(12):891-909.
    2. 25604. Tsuda H, Hara H, Eriguchi N, et al. Toxicological study on antineoplastons A-10 and AS2-1 in cancer patients. Kurume Med J 1995;42(4):241-249. PubMed
    3. 25603. Burzynski SR, Lewy RI, Weaver RA, et al. Phase II study of antineoplaston A10 and AS2-1 in patients with recurrent diffuse intrinsic brain stem glioma: a preliminary report. Drugs R D 2003;4(2):91-101. PubMed
    4. 25611. Burzynski SR, Weaver RA, Janicki T, et al. Long-term survival of high-risk pediatric patients with primitive neuroectodermal tumors treated with antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1. Integr Cancer Ther 2005;4(2):168-177. PubMed
    5. 99814. Burzynski SR, Janicki TJ, Weaver RA, Burzynski B. Targeted therapy with antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1 of high-grade, recurrent, and progressive brainstem glioma. Integr Cancer Ther. 2006 Mar;5(1):40-7. PubMed
    6. 25623. Kumabe T, Tsuda H, Uchida M, et al. Antineoplaston treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncol Rep 1998;5(6):1363-1367. PubMed

    Imatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Imatinib. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Ringing in the ears Additional detail

    Antineoplastons

    “Orally and intravenously, headache, fatigue, sleepiness, ringing in the ears, and numbness have been reported for patients treated with antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1. Dizziness has also been noted for some patients treated with oral antineoplaston A10 or intravenous antineoplaston A3.”

    Antineoplastons · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    6 sources cited
    1. 25593. Buckner JC, Malkin MG, Reed E, et al. Phase II study of antineoplastons A10 (NSC 648539) and AS2-1 (NSC 620261) in patients with recurrent glioma. Mayo Clin Proc 1999;74(2):137-145. PubMed
    2. 25601. Burzynski SR, Conde AB, Peters A, et al. A retrospective study of antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1 in primary brain tumors. Clin Drug Invest 1999;18(1):1-10.
    3. 25603. Burzynski SR, Lewy RI, Weaver RA, et al. Phase II study of antineoplaston A10 and AS2-1 in patients with recurrent diffuse intrinsic brain stem glioma: a preliminary report. Drugs R D 2003;4(2):91-101. PubMed
    4. 25610. Burzynski SR, Weaver RA, Lewy RI, et al. Phase II study of antineoplaston A10 and AS2-1 in children with recurrent and progressive multicentric glioma : a preliminary report. Drugs R D 2004;5(6):315-326. PubMed
    5. 25620. Burzynski SR, Kubove E. Toxicology studies on antineoplaston A10 injections in cancer patients. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1986;12 Suppl 1:47-55.
    6. 20101. Burzynski SR, Mohabbat MO, Burzynski B. Human toxicology studies on oral formulation of Antineoplaston A10. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1984;10(12):891-909.

    Imatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Imatinib. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Chills / Sore throat Additional detail

    Antineoplastons

    Recorded for Antineoplastons in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Low potassium above.

    Imatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Imatinib. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Bloating or gas Additional detail

    Antineoplastons

    “Orally, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, abdominal pain, and excessive flatulence has been reported for patients with neoplastic disease treated with antineoplaston A10 100-149 mg/kg/day for up to 149 days.”

    Antineoplastons · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in flatulence.

    2 sources cited
    1. 20101. Burzynski SR, Mohabbat MO, Burzynski B. Human toxicology studies on oral formulation of Antineoplaston A10. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1984;10(12):891-909.
    2. 25620. Burzynski SR, Kubove E. Toxicology studies on antineoplaston A10 injections in cancer patients. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1986;12 Suppl 1:47-55.

    Imatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Imatinib. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • A fast or pounding heartbeat Additional detail

    Antineoplastons

    Recorded for Antineoplastons in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under An irregular heartbeat / Chest pain / Raised blood pressure above.

    Imatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Imatinib. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Showing the 10 most notable of 24 shared effects — ranked by how unusual each one is, not just whether both lists mention it.

Reported for Antineoplastons but not commonly for Imatinib: low blood sugar.

Effects for Imatinib come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Antineoplastons come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 41,419 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Imatinib that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Imatinib Products Have a Food Rule — Antineoplastons Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Imatinib says to take it with food. If you take Antineoplastons on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Imatinib with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Imatinib products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Drug Administration The prescribed dose should be administered orally, with a meal and a large glass of water.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Imatinib — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Imatinib

This page covers Antineoplastons only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Imatinib page lists 153 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 8 major · 106 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Imatinib page

“Imatinib (Gleevec) treats certain leukemias and gastrointestinal tumors, and because keeping its blood level steady is what keeps the cancer controlled, this list deserves genuine attention before you add anything to it. Most of the interactions trace back to how the body clears imatinib through an enzyme called CYP3A4.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Imatinib interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Antineoplastons and Imatinib Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Antineoplastons
Steady interest

#1,196 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Imatinib
Steady interest

#1,480 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Antineoplastons reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Antineoplastons and Imatinib records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Antineoplastons

What is Antineoplastons?

  • Cancer (various types, including brain tumors)
  • Adjunct cancer support
  • Investigational anticancer therapy

Antineoplastons are synthetic peptide and amino acid compounds promoted as an alternative cancer treatment, but they are not approved by the FDA and high-quality clinical evidence supporting their effectiveness is lacking. Most studies have been conducted by their developer and have not been independently confirmed. If you are considering them, talk with your oncologist first, and never replace proven cancer treatment with an unproven one.

Synthetic peptides, amino acid derivatives, and organic acids (originally isolated from human blood and urine) · Oral capsules and intravenous (IV) infusions, used mainly within specific clinics or research settings

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Antineoplastons is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Antineoplastons record says about it on its own.

Antineoplastons: dosing

There is no established, standardized safe dose of antineoplastons for any condition, and they are not available as a regular over-the-counter supplement. The doses studied have varied widely and were given under medical supervision, often as intravenous infusions.Because these products are unproven and can cause serious side effects, you should not try to dose them on your own. If you are considering antineoplastons, discuss it thoroughly with your oncologist and pharmacist first.

From our Antineoplastons monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Antineoplastons monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Imatinib

What Is Imatinib Used For?

Brand name: Gleevec

Imatinib treats a range of blood cancers and solid tumors. It is used for Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in adults and children — whether newly diagnosed or in more advanced phases — and for Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) in both adults and pediatric patients.

It is also used for Kit-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), including after surgical removal, and for several rarer conditions: myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases (MDS/MPD) linked to specific gene changes, aggressive systemic mastocytosis (ASM), hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) and/or chronic eosinophilic leukemia (CEL), and unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP).

Most-Reported Side Effects for Imatinib

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (41,419 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Nausea 2,849 reports
Diarrhea 2,511 reports
Fatigue 2,118 reports
Vomiting 1,795 reports
Dyspnea 1,477 reports
See full Imatinib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Antineoplastons

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Antineoplastons — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Antineoplastons against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Antineoplastons list.

See the full Antineoplastons interactions page
See every supplement checked against Imatinib, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Antineoplastons References

The 20 references that drive our Antineoplastons monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Burzynski SR, Stolzmann Z, Szopa B, Stolzmann E, Kaltenberg OP. Antineoplaston A in cancer therapy. (I). Physiol Chem Phys 1977;9(6):485-500.
  2. Burzynski SR, Mohabbat MO, Burzynski B. Human toxicology studies on oral formulation of Antineoplaston A10. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1984;10(12):891-909.
  3. Burzynski SR, Kubove E, Burzynski B. Treatment of hormonally refractory cancer of the prostate with antineoplaston AS2-1. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1990;16(7):361-369.
  4. Buckner JC, Malkin MG, Reed E, et al. Phase II study of antineoplastons A10 (NSC 648539) and AS2-1 (NSC 620261) in patients with recurrent glioma. Mayo Clin Proc 1999;74(2):137-145. PubMed
  5. Burzynski SR, Conde AB, Peters A, et al. A retrospective study of antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1 in primary brain tumors. Clin Drug Invest 1999;18(1):1-10.
  6. Burzynski SR, Lewy RI, Weaver RA, et al. Phase II study of antineoplaston A10 and AS2-1 in patients with recurrent diffuse intrinsic brain stem glioma: a preliminary report. Drugs R D 2003;4(2):91-101. PubMed
  7. Tsuda H, Hara H, Eriguchi N, et al. Toxicological study on antineoplastons A-10 and AS2-1 in cancer patients. Kurume Med J 1995;42(4):241-249. PubMed
  8. Burzynski SR, Kubove E. Phase I clinical studies of antineoplaston A3 injections. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1987;13 Suppl 1:17-29.
  9. Burzynski SR, Kubove E, Burzynski B. Phase I clinical studies of antineoplaston A5 injections. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1987;13 Suppl 1:37-43.
  10. Burzynski SR, Weaver RA, Lewy RI, et al. Phase II study of antineoplaston A10 and AS2-1 in children with recurrent and progressive multicentric glioma : a preliminary report. Drugs R D 2004;5(6):315-326. PubMed
  11. Burzynski SR, Weaver RA, Janicki T, et al. Long-term survival of high-risk pediatric patients with primitive neuroectodermal tumors treated with antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1. Integr Cancer Ther 2005;4(2):168-177. PubMed
  12. Burzynski SR, Burzynski B, Mohabbat MO. Toxicology studies on antineoplaston AS2-1 injections in cancer patients. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1986;12 Suppl 1:25-35.
  13. Burzynski SR, Kubove E. Toxicology studies on antineoplaston A10 injections in cancer patients. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1986;12 Suppl 1:47-55.
  14. Burzynski SR, Kubove E. Initial clinical study with antineoplaston A2 injections in cancer patients with five years' follow-up. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1987;13 Suppl 1:1-11.
  15. Burzynski SR, Kubove E, Burzynski B. Phase I clinical studies of antineoplaston A5 injections. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1987;13 Suppl 1:37-43.

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Antineoplastons and Imatinib Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Antineoplastons with Imatinib?
We do not list a known interaction between Antineoplastons and Imatinib. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Antineoplastons and Imatinib have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 10 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Antineoplastons and Imatinib at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Imatinib says to take it with food. If you take Antineoplastons on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Imatinib with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Imatinib products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Does Imatinib interact with any supplements?
Yes. Imatinib has documented interactions with 153 supplements in our database — Antineoplastons is not one of them. The Imatinib interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Antineoplastons monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Imatinib drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Imatinib supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Imatinib, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 20 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Imatinib and Antineoplastons?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.