Drug & supplement interaction

Blood Irradiation Therapy + Tofacitinib

Tofacitinib brand names: Xeljanz, Xeljanz XR.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Blood Irradiation Therapy has a moderate interaction with Tofacitinib. Clinical research suggests that blood irradiation therapy may stimulate immune function in some patients.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Blood Irradiation Therapy and Tofacitinib

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

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to Tofacitinib

Tofacitinib falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Blood Irradiation Therapy interacts with.

Clinical research suggests that blood irradiation therapy may stimulate immune function in some patients. Theoretically, concurrent use of blood irradiation therapy might interfere with immunosuppressive therapy.
Immunosuppressant drugs include azathioprine (Imuran), basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), daclizumab (Zenapax), muromonab-CD3 (OKT3, Orthoclone OKT3), mycophenolate (CellCept), tacrolimus (FK506, Prograf), sirolimus (Rapamune), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), and other corticosteroids (glucocorticoids).
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction 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.

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

Here's the basic idea: tofacitinib (Xeljanz) works by calming down an overactive immune system to ease joint swelling, pain, or gut inflammation. Blood irradiation therapy, on the other hand, is thought to do the opposite, possibly nudging your immune cells to become more active. So in theory these two could work against each other, and your tofacitinib might not control your arthritis or colitis symptoms as well as it should.

I want to be honest with you, though: this concern is theoretical, based on how these things are believed to work rather than solid studies in real patients. Blood irradiation itself isn't FDA-approved and lacks strong evidence. Before combining them, please loop in your rheumatologist or pharmacist so nothing gets undone.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Chepik EB, Shamanova MG, Medvedeva EV, et al. Photochemotherapy in the treatment of acute pneumonias]. Vestn Ross Akad Med Nauk 1994;(9):48-51.
  2. Tkachenko IuIa, Kovalenko NN, Kogosova LS, et al. [The clinico-immunological characteristics of bronchial asthma patients undergoing autologous ultraviolet blood irradiation]. Lik Sprava 1993;(8):59-62.
  3. Gorskova VA, Evmenov VF, Zaitseva TS, et al. [Effects of surgical intervention and intravascular irradiation of blood with helium-neon laser on the state humoral autoimmunity in oncological patients]. Khirurgiia (Mosk) 1991;(9):92-8.
  4. Xiao X, Chu X, Ni J. [Effect of intravascular laser irradiation of blood and traditional Chinese medical therapy on immune function in senile cerebral infarction patients of kidney deficiency type]. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi 2000;20(4):264-6.
  5. Nazarov IP, Popov AA, Mal'tseva MA, et al. [State of neuroendocrine systems and immunity in patients with burns]. Anesteziol Reanimatol 1994;(1):5-8.
  6. Neimark AI, Muzalevskaia NI. [Low-intensity laser radiation in preoperative preparation of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia]. Urologiia 2000;(1):11-5.
  7. Chernushenko EF, Dziublik AI, Naida IV, et al. [Effects of intravascular laser irradiation of blood on the immune status of patients with bronchial obstructive diseases of the lungs]. Klin Med (Mosk) 1991;69(12):51-3.

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

Blood Irradiation Therapy Also Interacts With Other Medications

Blood Irradiation Therapy has 326 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Tofacitinib one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 326 No known interaction 2,504 (incl. Tofacitinib)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Blood Irradiation Therapy

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Tofacitinib

This page covers Blood Irradiation Therapy only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tofacitinib page lists 184 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 143 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tofacitinib page

“Supplements deserve genuine care alongside tofacitinib (Xeljanz, Xeljanz XR), a medicine that deliberately dials down the immune system to control conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Most of the interactions on this page run through the liver enzymes that clear the drug, meaning an herb can push its blood level…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Tofacitinib interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Blood Irradiation Therapy and Tofacitinib 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 Blood Irradiation Therapy
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tofacitinib
Top half

#713 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.

Treatment approach

About Blood Irradiation Therapy

What is Blood Irradiation Therapy?

  • Chronic infections
  • Immune support
  • Fatigue and general wellness
  • Inflammatory conditions
  • Circulatory complaints

Blood Irradiation Therapy is a medical procedure—not a dietary supplement or herb—in which blood is exposed to ultraviolet or laser light, either outside the body and re-infused or by an intravenous light device. It is not approved by the U.S. FDA for treating any disease, and high-quality evidence supporting modern claims is very limited. If you are considering it, talk with a qualified physician and treat any clinic marketing it for serious illness with strong caution.

Read the full Blood Irradiation Therapy monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Tofacitinib

What Is Tofacitinib Used For?

Brand names: Xeljanz, Xeljanz XR

  • Tofacitinib is used alone or with other medications to treat rheumatoid arthritis (condition in which the body attacks its own joints causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in adults who are unable to take or did not respond to one or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor medication(s). It is also used to treat psoriatic arthritis (a condition that causes joint pain and swelling and scales on the skin) in adults who are unable to take or did not respond to or tolerate one or more TNF inhibitor medication(s). Tofacitinib is used to treat ulcerative colitis (a condition which causes swelling and sores in the lining of the colon [large intestine] and rectum) in adults who are unable to take or who did not respond to one or more TNF inhibitor medication(s). It is also used to treat polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA; a type of childhood arthritis that affects five or more joints during the first six months of the condition, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in children 2 years and older who are unable to take or who did not respond to one or more TNF inhibitor medication(s). Tofacitinib is in a class of medications called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. It works by decreasing the activity of the immune system.

See full Tofacitinib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Blood Irradiation Therapy

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

0Major
326Moderate
0Minor
2,503No known interaction
326 Moderate 2,503 No interaction
Moderate

326 interactions

Showing 60 of 326 moderate interactions — see all 326 on the Blood Irradiation Therapy page.

No interaction 2,503 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,503 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Blood Irradiation Therapy list.

See the full Blood Irradiation Therapy interactions page
See every supplement checked against Tofacitinib, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Blood Irradiation Therapy monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Tofacitinib supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Tofacitinib, ranked by severity Tofacitinib drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Having Blood Irradiation Therapy While Taking Tofacitinib: Common Questions

Can you have Blood Irradiation Therapy while taking Tofacitinib?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Blood Irradiation Therapy and Tofacitinib interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

Still Have a Question About Tofacitinib and Blood Irradiation Therapy?

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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.