Canthaxanthin + Valacyclovir
Valacyclovir brand name: Valtrex.
We found no known interaction between Canthaxanthin and Valacyclovir 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.
Canthaxanthin and Valacyclovir
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 Valacyclovir and Canthaxanthin 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 Canthaxanthin at all — not against Valacyclovir, 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.
Canthaxanthin safety at a glance
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.
Canthaxanthin in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
When consumed in doses to treat and reduce photosensitivities due to reported retinal changes with use; avoid using.
When used orally in large amounts for artificial tanning purposes due to reported retinal changes with 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
Questions About Canthaxanthin or Valacyclovir
These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Canthaxanthin or Valacyclovir, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:
- Provitalize With Levothyroxine, Valacyclovir, and Citalopram ›
- Is Valacyclovir Safe To Take With Acetaminophen And Guaifenesin? ›
- Alternatives To Valtrex For The Treatment Of Herpes ›
Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.
See Every Supplement That Interacts With Valacyclovir
This page covers Canthaxanthin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Valacyclovir page lists 27 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.
The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), African Wild Potato (moderate), Banderol (moderate), Biofeedback (moderate) and Caffeic Acid (moderate).
By severity: 1 major · 17 moderate · 9 minor.
From our pharmacist’s overview on the Valacyclovir page
“Valacyclovir (Valtrex) works against herpes outbreaks only if enough of it gets absorbed into your blood, and most of this list threatens exactly that. Of the 27 supplements on file, 17 can change how well oral medicines like this one are absorbed, and the single major-rated entry, activated charcoal, binds drugs in the gut outright.”
Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026
Taking Canthaxanthin as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions
We hold 1 real supplement products containing Canthaxanthin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Canthaxanthin. Even though Canthaxanthin itself has no known interaction with Valacyclovir, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:
Where Canthaxanthin and Valacyclovir 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.
#686 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days
#31 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days
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 Canthaxanthin reference on this page ↓
- Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Canthaxanthin and Valacyclovir 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.
About Canthaxanthin
What is Canthaxanthin?
- Skin coloring or 'tanning pills'
- Food and feed coloring (e.g., to color farmed fish/poultry)
- Antioxidant supplement
- Erythropoietic protoporphyria (light sensitivity, historical/medical use)
Canthaxanthin is a reddish-orange carotenoid pigment used mainly as a coloring agent and in 'tanning pills.' There is little good evidence it provides health benefits, and high doses have been linked to a serious eye problem called canthaxanthin retinopathy, so the tanning-pill use is widely discouraged.
Carotenoid pigment (synthetic or from sources like the mushroom Cantharellus cinnabarinus, certain algae, and crustaceans) · Oral tablets and capsules, often marketed as 'tanning pills'; also used as a food coloring additive
An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Canthaxanthin is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Canthaxanthin record says about it on its own.
Canthaxanthin: dosing
There is no established, recommended supplement dose of canthaxanthin for any health condition, and the high doses once used for skin coloring are not considered safe. Given the known risks at high doses, most people are better off avoiding supplemental canthaxanthin entirely.
From our Canthaxanthin monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.
About Valacyclovir
What Is Valacyclovir Used For?
Brand name: Valtrex
Valacyclovir tablets are used in adults to treat cold sores (herpes labialis), genital herpes (initial and recurrent episodes), and shingles (herpes zoster). They can also be taken daily as suppressive therapy to reduce how often genital herpes outbreaks occur, and to lower the risk of passing genital herpes to a partner.
In children and adolescents, valacyclovir tablets are used to treat cold sores in those aged 12 and older, and chickenpox in those aged 2 to under 18. Valacyclovir has not been established as safe and effective for most uses in immunocompromised patients, with the exception of suppressive therapy for genital herpes in HIV-infected adults.
Most-Reported Side Effects for Valacyclovir
From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (70,056 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.
Other Drugs & Canthaxanthin
Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Canthaxanthin — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.
No drugs match “”.
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
We also checked Canthaxanthin against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.
- Apixaban ›
- Levothyroxine ›
- Amlodipine ›
- Methylphenidate ›
- Warfarin ›
- Sertraline ›
- Testosterone ›
- Losartan Potassium ›
- Metoprolol ›
- Aspirin ›
- Ivermectin ›
- Rivaroxaban ›
- Rosuvastatin ›
- Escitalopram ›
- Tadalafil ›
- Acetaminophen ›
- Clopidogrel ›
- Atorvastatin ›
- Docusate ›
- Hydroxyurea ›
- Abemaciclib ›
- Methamphetamine ›
- Ibuprofen ›
- Sumatriptan ›
- Semaglutide ›
- Tirzepatide ›
- Warfarin Sodium ›
- Prednisone ›
- Propranolol ›
- Lisdexamfetamine ›
- Acyclovir ›
- Bupropion ›
- Metformin ›
- Amoxicillin ›
- Lisinopril ›
- Bendamustine ›
- Amitriptyline ›
- Doxycycline ›
- Lamotrigine ›
- Fluoxetine ›
- Methotrexate ›
- Acetaminophen, Codeine ›
- Gabapentin ›
- Amphetamine ›
- Pregabalin ›
- Isotretinoin ›
- Dextroamphetamine ›
- Azithromycin ›
- Clonazepam ›
- Quetiapine ›
- Omeprazole ›
- Amlodipine Besylate ›
- Methylene Blue ›
- Duloxetine ›
- Letrozole ›
- Buspirone ›
- Citalopram ›
- Ciprofloxacin ›
- Naproxen ›
- Bisoprolol ›
Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Canthaxanthin list.
Canthaxanthin References
The 21 references that drive our Canthaxanthin 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.
- Mathews-Roth MM. Carotenoids in erythropoietic protoporphyria and other photosensitivity diseases. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1993; 691:127-38. PubMed
- Jackson R. Quick suntan pills in Canada. J Am Acad Dermatol 1981;4:233. PubMed
- Lober CW. Canthaxanthin- the "tanning" pill. J Am Acad Dermatol 1985;13:660. PubMed
- Rock GA, Decary F, Cole RS. Orange plasma from tanning capsules. Lancet 1981;1:1419-20. PubMed
- Bluhm R, Branch R, Johnston P, Stein R. Aplastic anemia associated with canthaxanthin ingested for 'tanning' purposes. JAMA 1990;264:1141-2. DOI
- Harnois C, Samson J, Malenfant M, Rousseau A. Canthaxanthin retinopathy. Anatomic and funtional reversibility. Arch Ophthalmol 1989;107:538-40. DOI
- Herbert V. Canthaxanthin toxicity. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:573-4. DOI
- White GL Jr, Beesley R, Thiese SM, Murdock RT. Retinal crystals and oral tanning agents. Am Fam Physician 1988;37:125-6.
- Chang TS, Aylward W, Clarkson JG, Gass JD. Asymmetric canthaxanthin retinopathy. Am J Ophthalmol 1995;119:801-2. PubMed
- Leyon H, Ros AM, Nyberg S, Algvere P. Reversibility of canthaxanthin deposits within the retina. Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh) 1990;68:607-11. PubMed
- Espaillat A, Aiello LP, Arrigg PG, et al. Canthaxanthine retinopathy. Arch Ophthalmol 1999;117:412-3.. PubMed
- Anon. Porphyria information for patients and their families. University of Cape Town / Medical Research Council - Liver Research Center 2000. Available at: http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/porphyria/
- Thomsen, K., Schmidt, H., and Fischer, A. Beta-carotene in erythropoietic protoporphyria: 5 years' experience. Dermatologica 1979;159(1):82-86. PubMed
- Haeger-Aronsen, B., Krook, G., and Abdulla, M. Oral carotenoids for photohypersensitivity in patients with erythrohepatic protoporphyria, polymorphous light eruptions and lupus erythematodes discoides. Int.J.Dermatol. 1979;18(1):73-82. PubMed
- Suhonen, R. and Plosila, M. The effect of beta-carotene in combination with canthaxanthin, Ro 8-8427 (Phenoro), in treatment of polymorphous light eruptions. Dermatologica 1981;163(2):172-176. PubMed
- Eales, L. The effects of canthaxanthin on the photocutaneous manifestations of porphyria. S.Afr.Med.J. 12-16-1978;54(25):1050-1052.
- Gupta, A. K., Haberman, H. F., Pawlowski, D., Shulman, G., and Menon, I. A. Canthaxanthin. Int.J.Dermatol. 1985;24(8):528-532.
- Raab, W. P., Tronnier, H., and Wiskemann, A. Photoprotection and skin coloring by oral carotenoids. Dermatologica 1985;171(5):371-373. PubMed
- Bareford, D., Cumberbatch, M., and Derrick, Tovey L. Plasma discolouration due to sun-tanning aids. Vox Sang. 1984;46(3):180-182. DOI
- Macdonald, K., Holti, G., and Marks, J. Is there a place for beta-carotene/canthaxanthin in photochemotherapy for psoriasis? Dermatologica 1984;169(1):41-46.
- Gunson, H. H., Merry, A. H., Britton, G., and Stratton, F. Detection of carotenoids in blood donors taking Orobronze: a cautionary note. Clin.Lab Haematol. 1984;6(3):287-292. 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.
Taking Canthaxanthin and Valacyclovir Together: Common Questions
Is it safe to take Canthaxanthin with Valacyclovir?
Do Canthaxanthin and Valacyclovir have any of the same side effects?
Does Valacyclovir interact with any supplements?
Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy
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