Drug & supplement interaction

Blueberry + Valrubicin

Valrubicin brand name: Valstar.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Blueberry and Valrubicin 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 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.

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Interaction report

Blueberry and Valrubicin

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 Valrubicin and Blueberry 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.

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.

Blueberry safety at a glance

Blueberry overall Generally safe Blueberries are widely eaten as food and are generally safe for most people.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of blueberry for medicinal use; avoid... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of blueberry for medicinal use; avoid... Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Valrubicin and Blueberry? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Valrubicin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Valrubicin is filed under 3 classifications — topoisomerase ii inhibitors, antitumor antibiotics, oral drugs. Blueberry has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (minor), buspirone (buspar) (minor) and flurbiprofen (ansaid, others) (minor) — and none of Valrubicin’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Blueberry Does Interact With Other Medications

Blueberry has 88 minor known drug interactions in our database — Valrubicin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Blueberry

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Blueberry and Valrubicin 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.

  • Diarrhea / Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Blueberry

    “Orally, freeze-dried blueberries may cause constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. In one clinical trial, 26% of patients taking freeze-dried blueberries 50 grams daily dropped out in the first week of the study due to gastrointestinal complaints.”

    Blueberry · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    1 source cited
    1. 107278. Basu A, Du M, Leyva MJ, et al. Blueberries decrease cardiovascular risk factors in obese men and women with metabolic syndrome. J Nutr 2010;140(9):1582-7. PubMed

    Valrubicin

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

Reported for Blueberry but not commonly for Valrubicin: constipation.

Effects for Valrubicin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Blueberry come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Blueberry in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of blueberry for medicinal use; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

Overlapping uses

What Valrubicin Is Prescribed For, and What Blueberry Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Valrubicin is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Blueberry is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Valrubicin is prescribed for: Valrubicin Intravesical Solution is used to treat BCG-refractory carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary bladder — meaning bladder cancer that has not responded to BCG immunotherapy. It is given directly into the bladder (intravesically) rather than taken by mouth or injected into the bloodstream. This treatment is specifically for patients whose cancer has not responded to BCG and for whom having the bladder surgically removed (cystectomy) right away would carry unacceptable health risks.

Blueberry has been studied for:

  • Cancer studied, not established Blueberry has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Blueberry for cancer

    Although there has been interest in using oral blueberry for preventing cancer, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of blueberry for this purpose.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Valrubicin on your own; if you are taking Blueberry for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Valrubicin

This page covers Blueberry only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Valrubicin page lists 24 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Acerola (moderate), Alpha-lipoic Acid (moderate), Coffee Charcoal (moderate) and European Mandrake (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 14 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Valrubicin page

“Activated charcoal is the supplement I would flag hardest for anyone receiving valrubicin (Valstar), a chemotherapy instilled directly into the bladder for cancer. It carries the only major rating among the 24 ingredients on this page, since charcoal can bind and clear many drugs from the body even when they are not swallowed.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Valrubicin interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Blueberry as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 5,076 real supplement products containing Blueberry, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Blueberry. Even though Blueberry itself has no known interaction with Valrubicin, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Blueberry and Valrubicin 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 Blueberry
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Valrubicin
Steady interest

#2,698 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 Blueberry reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Blueberry and Valrubicin 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 Blueberry

What is Blueberry?

  • Antioxidant support
  • Heart health
  • Brain and memory health
  • Blood sugar support
  • Eye health
  • Urinary health

Blueberries are a nutritious fruit rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins, and eating them as part of a balanced diet is healthy and safe for most people. Concentrated supplements are marketed for heart, brain, and blood sugar health, but the evidence is mostly early and not strong enough to promise specific benefits. Enjoy blueberries as food, and talk to your pharmacist before using high-dose extracts.

Vaccinium spp. · Ericaceae · Fruit (berries); sometimes leaves · Fresh or frozen fruit, juice, dried berries, powder, extract capsules, tea

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

Blueberry: dosing

There is no official standardized dose of blueberry for any health condition. As a food, a typical serving is around a half to one cup of fresh berries, which most people can enjoy daily.For supplements such as extract capsules, powders, or juices, the right amount varies by product, and a proven medical dose has not been established.

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

Read the full Blueberry monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Valrubicin Intravesical

What Is Valrubicin Intravesical Used For?

Brand name: Valstar

Valrubicin Intravesical Solution is used to treat BCG-refractory carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary bladder — meaning bladder cancer that has not responded to BCG immunotherapy. It is given directly into the bladder (intravesically) rather than taken by mouth or injected into the bloodstream.

This treatment is specifically for patients whose cancer has not responded to BCG and for whom having the bladder surgically removed (cystectomy) right away would carry unacceptable health risks.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Valrubicin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (177 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Underdose 26 reports
Bladder instillation procedure 24 reports
Urge incontinence 20 reports
Bladder spasm 13 reports
Urinary incontinence 11 reports
See full Valrubicin Intravesical drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Blueberry

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

0Major
0Moderate
88Minor
2,741No known interaction
Minor

88 interactions

Showing 60 of 88 minor interactions — see all 88 on the Blueberry page.

No interaction 2,741 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Blueberry References

The 7 references that drive our Blueberry 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. Cignarella A, Nastasi M, Cavalli E, Puglisi L. Novel lipid-lowering properties of Vaccinium myrtillus L. leaves, a traditional antidiabetic treatment, in several models of rat dyslipidaemia: a comparison with ciprofibrate. Thromb Res 1996;84:311-22. PubMed
  2. Wang SY, Lin HS. Antioxidant activity in fruits and leaves of blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry varies with cultivar and developmental stage. J Agric Food Chem 2000;48:140-6.. PubMed
  3. Martineau, L. C., Couture, A., Spoor, D., Benhaddou-Andaloussi, A., Harris, C., Meddah, B., Leduc, C., Burt, A., Vuong, T., Mai, Le P., Prentki, M., Bennett, S. A., Arnason, J. T., and Haddad, P. S. Anti-diabetic properties of the Canadian lowbush bluebe
  4. Vuong, T., Martineau, L. C., Ramassamy, C., Matar, C., and Haddad, P. S. Fermented Canadian lowbush blueberry juice stimulates glucose uptake and AMP-activated protein kinase in insulin-sensitive cultured muscle cells and adipocytes. Can J Physiol Pharma
  5. Hanley MJ, Masse G, Harmatz JS, Cancalon PF, Dolnikowski GG, Court MH, Greenblatt DJ. Effect of blueberry juice on clearance of buspirone and flurbiprofen in human volunteers. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2013 Apr;75(4):1041-52. PubMed
  6. Basu A, Du M, Leyva MJ, et al. Blueberries decrease cardiovascular risk factors in obese men and women with metabolic syndrome. J Nutr 2010;140(9):1582-7. PubMed
  7. Basu A, Feng D, Planinic P, Ebersole JL, Lyons TJ, Alexander JM. Dietary blueberry and soluble fiber supplementation reduces risk of gestational diabetes in women with obesity in a randomized controlled trial. J Nutr 2021;151(5):1128-38. PubMed

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 Blueberry and Valrubicin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Blueberry with Valrubicin?
We do not list a known interaction between Blueberry and Valrubicin. 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 Blueberry and Valrubicin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 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.
Are Blueberry and Valrubicin used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Blueberry in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Valrubicin is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Blueberry and Valrubicin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Valrubicin is filed under 3 classifications, and Blueberry has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Valrubicin's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Blueberry interact with any other medications?
Yes. Blueberry has 88 documented drug interactions in our database — Valrubicin is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Valrubicin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Valrubicin has documented interactions with 24 supplements in our database — Blueberry is not one of them. The Valrubicin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Valrubicin and Blueberry?

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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.