Drug & supplement interaction

Cesium + Carmustine

Carmustine brand names: Gliadel, BiCNU, Gliadel Wafer.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Cesium and Carmustine 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

Cesium and Carmustine

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 Carmustine and Cesium 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.

Cesium safety at a glance

Cesium overall Avoid Cesium chloride can cause life-threatening heart rhythm problems and has no proven benefit.
Pregnancy Avoid Not safe; avoid during pregnancy due to serious toxicity risks.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not safe; avoid while breastfeeding.

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

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Carmustine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Carmustine is filed under 2 classifications — alkylating agents, oral drugs. Cesium has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being qt interval-prolonging drugs (major), corticosteroids (moderate) and diuretic drugs (moderate) — and none of Carmustine’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

Cesium Does Interact With Other Medications

Cesium has 161 major, 94 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Carmustine 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 Cesium

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Cesium and Carmustine 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Seizures Worth acting on Additional detail

    Cesium

    “Orally and by injection, cesium chloride has been associated with arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia, QT prolongation, cardiac arrest, seizures, and death. There are at least 23 reports of cardiotoxicity or death in patients taking cesium supplements.

    In one case report, a healthy 39-year-old female taking an unknown amount of cesium chloride as part of a "detoxification" program developed three episodes of…”

    Cesium · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in arrhythmia.

    6 sources cited
    1. 101651. Public Health Alert Concerning Dietary Supplements Containing Cesium Salts. FDA Dietary Supplement Products & Ingredients. February 5, 2020. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplement-products-ingredients/public-health-alert-concerning-diet
    2. 15262. Vyas H, Johnson K, Houlihan R, et al. Acquired long QT syndrome secondary to cesium chloride supplement. J Altern Complement Med 2006;12:1011-4. PubMed
    3. 12178. Lyon AW, Mayhew WJ. Cesium toxicity: A case of self-treatment by alternate therapy gone awry. Ther Drug Monit 2003;25:114-6. PubMed
    4. 16689. Cesium chloride and ventricular arrhythmias. Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter 2008;18:3-4.
    5. 16690. Pinter A, Dorian P, Newman D. Cesium-induced torsades de pointes. N Engl J Med 2002;346:383-4. PubMed
    6. 16691. O'Brien CE, Harik N, James LP, et al. Cesium-induced QT-interval prolongation in an adolescent. Pharmacotherapy 2008;28:1059-65. PubMed

    Carmustine

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

  • Nausea Additional detail

    Cesium

    “Orally, cesium can cause nausea, diarrhea, and anorexia.”

    Cesium · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anorexia.

    1 source cited
    1. 7671. Neulieb R. Effect of oral intake of cesium chloride: a single case report. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1984;21:15-6.

    Carmustine

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

Reported for Cesium but not commonly for Carmustine: an irregular heartbeat, fainting, a fast or pounding heartbeat and low potassium.

Effects for Carmustine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Cesium 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.

Overlapping uses

What Carmustine Is Prescribed For, and What Cesium Has Been Studied For

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

Carmustine is prescribed for: Carmustine injection is used as palliative therapy — either alone or combined with other chemotherapy drugs — for several brain tumors, including glioblastoma, brainstem glioma, medulloblastoma, astrocytoma, ependymoma, and metastatic brain tumors. It is also used for multiple myeloma (in combination with prednisone), and for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (in combination with other approved drugs). Gliadel — a dissolving wafer form of carmustine placed directly into the brain during surgery — is specifically indicated for newly diagnosed high-grade glioma (as an addition to surgery and radiation) and for recurrent glioblastoma (as an addition to surgery).

Cesium has been studied for:

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

    Cesium for cancer

    Although there has been interest in using oral cesium for cancer, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of cesium 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 Carmustine on your own; if you are taking Cesium 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 Carmustine

This page covers Cesium only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Carmustine 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), Coenzyme Q10 (moderate) and Coffee Charcoal (moderate).

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

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Carmustine page

“Activated charcoal is the entry to understand first. It holds the only major rating among the 24 ingredients on file for carmustine, and because it can trap drugs that recirculate through the gut, it may lower carmustine levels even when the chemotherapy arrives by IV or as an implanted Gliadel wafer.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Carmustine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 51 real supplement products containing Cesium, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Cesium. Even though Cesium itself has no known interaction with Carmustine, 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 Cesium and Carmustine 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 Cesium
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Carmustine
Top 25%

#589 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 Cesium reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Cesium and Carmustine 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 Cesium

What is Cesium?

  • Marketed as an alternative cancer treatment ('high pH therapy')
  • Claimed to alter tumor pH
  • General 'alkaline' health claims

Cesium chloride is a mineral salt sold as an alternative cancer therapy ('high pH therapy'), but there is no reliable scientific evidence that it treats cancer or any other disease. It can cause dangerous heart rhythm problems and even death, so it should not be used. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking any supplement, and never use cesium in place of proven medical care.

Mineral element (cesium chloride salt) · Capsules, powders, liquid solutions (often as cesium chloride)

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

Cesium: dosing

There is no safe or established dose for cesium chloride, and it is not approved as a medicine. Because it can cause life-threatening harm, no dosing recommendation can be given.We strongly advise against taking cesium chloride.

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

Read the full Cesium monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Carmustine

What Is Carmustine Used For?

Brand names: Gliadel, BiCNU, Gliadel Wafer

Carmustine injection is used as palliative therapy — either alone or combined with other chemotherapy drugs — for several brain tumors, including glioblastoma, brainstem glioma, medulloblastoma, astrocytoma, ependymoma, and metastatic brain tumors. It is also used for multiple myeloma (in combination with prednisone), and for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (in combination with other approved drugs).

Gliadel — a dissolving wafer form of carmustine placed directly into the brain during surgery — is specifically indicated for newly diagnosed high-grade glioma (as an addition to surgery and radiation) and for recurrent glioblastoma (as an addition to surgery).

Most-Reported Side Effects for Carmustine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Febrile neutropenia 391 reports
Myelodysplastic syndrome 296 reports
Disease progression 292 reports
Thrombocytopenia 250 reports
Fever 238 reports
See full Carmustine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Cesium

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

161Major
94Moderate
0Minor
2,574No known interaction
Major

161 interactions

Showing 60 of 161 major interactions — see all 161 on the Cesium page.

Moderate

94 interactions

Showing 60 of 94 moderate interactions — see all 94 on the Cesium page.

No interaction 2,574 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Cesium References

The 9 references that drive our Cesium 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. Sartori HE. Nutrients and cancer: an introduction to cesium therapy. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1984;21:7-10. PubMed
  2. Neulieb R. Effect of oral intake of cesium chloride: a single case report. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1984;21:15-6.
  3. Lyon AW, Mayhew WJ. Cesium toxicity: A case of self-treatment by alternate therapy gone awry. Ther Drug Monit 2003;25:114-6. PubMed
  4. Vyas H, Johnson K, Houlihan R, et al. Acquired long QT syndrome secondary to cesium chloride supplement. J Altern Complement Med 2006;12:1011-4. PubMed
  5. Cesium chloride and ventricular arrhythmias. Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter 2008;18:3-4.
  6. Pinter A, Dorian P, Newman D. Cesium-induced torsades de pointes. N Engl J Med 2002;346:383-4. PubMed
  7. O'Brien CE, Harik N, James LP, et al. Cesium-induced QT-interval prolongation in an adolescent. Pharmacotherapy 2008;28:1059-65. PubMed
  8. FDA alerts health care professionals of significant safety risks associated with cesium chloride. FDA: Human Drug Compounding. July 23,2018. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-alerts-health-care-professionals-significant-sa
  9. Public Health Alert Concerning Dietary Supplements Containing Cesium Salts. FDA Dietary Supplement Products & Ingredients. February 5, 2020. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplement-products-ingredients/public-health-alert-concerning-diet

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 Cesium and Carmustine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Cesium with Carmustine?
We do not list a known interaction between Cesium and Carmustine. 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 Cesium and Carmustine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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 Cesium and Carmustine 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 Cesium in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Carmustine is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Cesium and Carmustine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Carmustine is filed under 2 classifications, and Cesium has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Carmustine'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 Cesium interact with any other medications?
Yes. Cesium has 255 documented drug interactions in our database — Carmustine 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 Carmustine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Carmustine has documented interactions with 24 supplements in our database — Cesium is not one of them. The Carmustine 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 Carmustine and Cesium?

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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.