Drug & supplement interaction

Beer + Rilpivirine

Rilpivirine brand names: Edurant, Edurant Ped.

Major Interaction
The bottom line Major

Beer has a major interaction with Rilpivirine. Concomitant use of alcohol with hepatotoxic drugs may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMajor
LikelihoodProbable
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Beer and Rilpivirine

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Major

HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS

Why this applies to Rilpivirine

Rilpivirine falls under HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS — the group Beer interacts with.

Concomitant use of alcohol with hepatotoxic drugs may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity.
Concomitant use of excessive amounts of alcohol with potentially hepatotoxic drugs can increase the risk of liver damage.
Severity Major Likelihood Probable Evidence B

Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the concern with mixing beer and rilpivirine (Edurant). Rilpivirine is one of those HIV medicines that can put some stress on your liver, and alcohol does the very same thing. When you add the two together, the load on your liver goes up, and that raises the odds of liver irritation or damage. Warning signs would include yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, pain in the upper right belly, nausea, or unusual tiredness.

This isn't about one occasional drink so much as regular or heavy beer intake, which is where the real risk climbs. Rilpivirine is already active on its own, so alcohol doesn't change how it fights HIV, it just piles onto your liver. Please chat with your pharmacist or doctor about what amount, if any, is safe for you.

References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
  2. Thummel, K. E., Slattery, J. T., Ro, H., Chien, J. Y., Nelson, S. D., Lown, K. E., and Watkins, P. B. Ethanol and production of the hepatotoxic metabolite of acetaminophen in healthy adults. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000;67(6):591-599. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Beer Also Interacts With Other Medications

Beer has 655 major, 272 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Rilpivirine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Beer

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Beer. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Rilpivirine

This page covers Beer only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Rilpivirine page lists 175 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: 11 major · 127 moderate · 37 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Rilpivirine page

“St. John's wort is the supplement I would rule out first for anyone taking rilpivirine (Edurant) for HIV.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Rilpivirine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Beer and Rilpivirine 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 Beer
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Rilpivirine
Steady interest

#1,772 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.

Supplement

About Beer

What is Beer?

Beer
  • Social and recreational drinking
  • Relaxation
  • Heart health (popular belief)
  • Bone health (popular belief)
  • Source of antioxidants and B vitamins

Beer is an alcoholic beverage that contains some minerals, B vitamins, and plant compounds from hops and grain, but it is not a health supplement. Any possible benefits come only from light-to-moderate intake, and they are easily outweighed by the well-known harms of alcohol. The safest amount of alcohol for health is none, and beer should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Beer monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Rilpivirine

What Is Rilpivirine Used For?

Brand names: Edurant, Edurant Ped

Rilpivirine treats HIV-1 infection. It is always used with other HIV medicines in people who have not taken HIV treatment before and whose viral load is 100,000 copies/mL or lower when they start.

Edurant and Edurant Ped are approved from age 2 and weight of at least 14 kg. Rilpivirine tablets (the generic) are labeled for ages 12 and older and weight of at least 35 kg. Edurant and rilpivirine tablets can also be used with Vocabria (cabotegravir) for short-term treatment in certain adults and teens whose virus is already well controlled. This includes a trial period before Cabenuva injections, or as backup when a planned injection will be missed.

See full Rilpivirine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Beer

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

655Major
272Moderate
0Minor
1,902No known interaction
Major

655 interactions

Showing 60 of 655 major interactions — see all 655 on the Beer page.

Moderate

272 interactions

Showing 60 of 272 moderate interactions — see all 272 on the Beer page.

No interaction 1,902 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,902 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Beer list.

Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Beer and Rilpivirine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beer with Rilpivirine?
This is rated a major interaction, so the combination is best avoided unless your doctor or pharmacist has specifically told you otherwise. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Beer and Rilpivirine interaction?
We rate it Major. This is a clinically significant combination that is generally best avoided, or used only under the direct supervision of your physician or pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Rilpivirine and Beer?

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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.