Drug & supplement interaction

Coenzyme Q10 + Lurbinectedin

Lurbinectedin brand name: Zepzelca.

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

Coenzyme Q10 has a moderate interaction with Lurbinectedin. Coenzyme Q10 has antioxidant effects. Theoretically, this may reduce the activity of chemotherapy drugs that generate free radicals.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Coenzyme Q10 and Lurbinectedin

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

Moderate

ALKYLATING AGENTS

Why this applies to Lurbinectedin

Lurbinectedin falls under ALKYLATING AGENTS — the group Coenzyme Q10 interacts with.

Coenzyme Q10 has antioxidant effects. Theoretically, this may reduce the activity of chemotherapy drugs that generate free radicals.
Theoretically, antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10 might protect tumor cells from chemotherapeutic agents that work by inducing oxidative stress, such as alkylating agents (e.g., cyclophosphamide) and radiation therapy. The clinical importance of this interaction is unknown.
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 thinking behind this one. Lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) is a chemo drug for small cell lung cancer, and part of how many chemo agents fight cancer is by creating oxidative stress, basically a kind of cellular damage, inside tumor cells. CoQ10 is an antioxidant, so the worry is that it could in theory mop up some of that damage and make the chemo work a little less well.

I want to be honest with you: this is a theoretical concern based on how these drugs behave in the lab, not proven harm in real patients. We simply don't know how much it matters. Still, when you're being treated for cancer, you don't want to risk blunting a treatment. Please don't start CoQ10 (or any antioxidant supplement) during chemo without first running it by your oncologist or pharmacist.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Portakal O, Ozkaya O, Erden Inal M, et al. Coenzyme Q10 concentrations and antioxidant status in tissues of breast cancer patients. Clin Biochem 2000;33:279-84. PubMed
  2. Lund EL, Quistorff B, Spang-Thomsen M, Kristjansen PE. Effect of radiation therapy on small-cell lung cancer is reduced by ubiquinone intake. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 1998;43:505-6. 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

Coenzyme Q10 Also Interacts With Other Medications

Coenzyme Q10 has 25 moderate, 172 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Lurbinectedin one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 25 Minor 172 No known interaction 2,633 (incl. Lurbinectedin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Coenzyme Q10

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Coenzyme Q10. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Lurbinectedin

This page covers Coenzyme Q10 only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lurbinectedin page lists 156 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Beer (major), Grapefruit (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Wine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 122 moderate · 29 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lurbinectedin page

“Lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) is chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer, and with a drug this potent the 156 supplement interactions on file warrant real attention. Five carry a major rating, and those are the ones to understand first.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lurbinectedin interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Coenzyme Q10 as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 6,926 real supplement products containing Coenzyme Q10, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Coenzyme Q10. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Lurbinectedin too, on top of Coenzyme Q10 — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Coenzyme Q10 and Lurbinectedin 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 Coenzyme Q10
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Lurbinectedin
Steady interest

#2,628 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 Coenzyme Q10

What is Coenzyme Q10?

  • Heart health
  • Statin-related muscle aches
  • Migraine prevention
  • Energy and fatigue
  • Aging and antioxidant support

CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance your body makes naturally that helps cells produce energy and acts as an antioxidant. It is generally well tolerated and is most studied for heart conditions, statin-related muscle symptoms, and migraine prevention, though the strength of the evidence varies. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before starting it, especially if you take heart or blood pressure medicines.

Read the full Coenzyme Q10 monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lurbinectedin Injection

What Is Lurbinectedin Injection Used For?

Brand name: Zepzelca

Zepzelca (lurbinectedin) injection is approved for adults with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in two settings. First, Zepzelca is used in combination with atezolizumab (or atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs) as maintenance treatment for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in patients whose disease did not progress after initial treatment with those same immunotherapy drugs plus carboplatin and etoposide.

Second, Zepzelca is approved as a single agent for adults with metastatic small cell lung cancer whose cancer has worsened during or after platinum-based chemotherapy. This second use was granted accelerated approval based on tumor response rates, and continued approval depends on results from confirmatory clinical trials.

See full Lurbinectedin Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Coenzyme Q10

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Coenzyme Q10 — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
25Moderate
172Minor
2,632No known interaction
25 Moderate 172 Minor 2,632 No interaction
Moderate

25 interactions

Minor

172 interactions

Showing 60 of 172 minor interactions — see all 172 on the Coenzyme Q10 page.

No interaction 2,632 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Coenzyme Q10 against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,632 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Coenzyme Q10 list.

See the full Coenzyme Q10 interactions page
See every supplement checked against Lurbinectedin, 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
Coenzyme Q10 monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Lurbinectedin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Lurbinectedin, ranked by severity Lurbinectedin Injection 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

Taking Coenzyme Q10 and Lurbinectedin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Coenzyme Q10 with Lurbinectedin?
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 Coenzyme Q10 and Lurbinectedin 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 Lurbinectedin and Coenzyme Q10?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.