Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) + Palifermin
Palifermin brand name: Kepivance.
We found no known interaction between Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) and Palifermin 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.
Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) and Palifermin
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 Palifermin and Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) 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 Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) at all — not against Palifermin, 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.
Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) safety at a glance
Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.
What Palifermin Is Prescribed For, and What Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) Has Been Studied For
These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Palifermin is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.
Palifermin is prescribed for: Kepivance (palifermin) is used to decrease how often and how long severe oral mucositis — painful sores in the mouth and throat — occurs in patients with hematologic malignancies (blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma) who are receiving high-dose, cell-damaging (myelotoxic) therapy before an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (a transplant using the patient's own stem cells). Kepivance is specifically indicated when the preparative chemotherapy or radiation regimen is expected to cause severe mucositis in most patients. It is not recommended for use with a high-dose melphalan conditioning regimen, and it was not found to be effective in the setting of allogeneic stem cell transplant (using a donor's cells). Its safety and effectiveness have not been established for patients with non-blood cancers (non-hematologic malignancies).
Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) has been studied for:
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Oral mucositis studied, not established Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows
Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) for oral mucositis
Oral HMB has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effects when used alone is unclear.
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 Palifermin on your own; if you are taking Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.
See Every Supplement That Interacts With Palifermin
This page covers Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Palifermin page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.
The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).
By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.
From our pharmacist’s overview on the Palifermin page
“Palifermin (Kepivance) is given by IV to prevent the severe mouth sores that intensive chemotherapy can cause, most often in patients heading into a stem cell transplant, and I read its interaction list with genuine caution because of how fragile those patients already are. All 17 supplements on file act on absorption through the gut,…”
Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026
Where Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) and Palifermin 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.
#1,411 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days
#1,887 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 Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) reference on this page ↓
- Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) and Palifermin 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 Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb)
What is Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb)?
- Building or preserving muscle mass
- Improving strength with resistance training
- Reducing muscle breakdown
- Supporting recovery after exercise
- Preventing muscle loss in older adults or illness
HMB is a compound made in the body from the amino acid leucine and is sold as a supplement mainly to support muscle. The best evidence suggests it may help slow muscle loss in certain situations, such as during illness, bed rest, or aging, but results in healthy athletes are mixed. It appears generally well tolerated for most adults, but you should check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting it.
Not applicable (HMB is a metabolite of the amino acid leucine) · Capsules, tablets, powder, drink mixes; available as calcium-HMB (CaHMB) and free-acid HMB
An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) record says about it on its own.
Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb): dosing
There is no single official dose of HMB, and the best amount depends on the goal and the person. Most research has used HMB taken in divided doses across the day, often alongside resistance training or protein intake.The two common forms are calcium-HMB and free-acid HMB, which may be absorbed differently.
From our Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.
About Palifermin
What Is Palifermin Used For?
Brand name: Kepivance
Kepivance (palifermin) is used to decrease how often and how long severe oral mucositis — painful sores in the mouth and throat — occurs in patients with hematologic malignancies (blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma) who are receiving high-dose, cell-damaging (myelotoxic) therapy before an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (a transplant using the patient's own stem cells).
Kepivance is specifically indicated when the preparative chemotherapy or radiation regimen is expected to cause severe mucositis in most patients. It is not recommended for use with a high-dose melphalan conditioning regimen, and it was not found to be effective in the setting of allogeneic stem cell transplant (using a donor's cells). Its safety and effectiveness have not been established for patients with non-blood cancers (non-hematologic malignancies).
Most-Reported Side Effects for Palifermin
From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (388 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.
Other Drugs & Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb)
Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) — 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 Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.
- Apixaban ›
- Levothyroxine ›
- Amlodipine ›
- Methylphenidate ›
- Warfarin ›
- Sertraline ›
- Testosterone ›
- Ivermectin ›
- Losartan Potassium ›
- Aspirin ›
- Abemaciclib ›
- Acetaminophen ›
- Metoprolol ›
- Rosuvastatin ›
- Rivaroxaban ›
- Escitalopram ›
- Clopidogrel ›
- Atorvastatin ›
- Docusate ›
- Tadalafil ›
- Tirzepatide ›
- Methamphetamine ›
- Ibuprofen ›
- Warfarin Sodium ›
- Valacyclovir ›
- Hydroxyurea ›
- Sumatriptan ›
- Semaglutide ›
- Prednisone ›
- Propranolol ›
- Lisdexamfetamine ›
- Amitriptyline ›
- Metformin ›
- Amoxicillin ›
- Lisinopril ›
- Isotretinoin ›
- Amlodipine Besylate ›
- Methotrexate ›
- Bendamustine ›
- Bupropion ›
- Amphetamine ›
- Doxycycline ›
- Fluoxetine ›
- Azithromycin ›
- Acyclovir ›
- Pregabalin ›
- Lamotrigine ›
- Dextroamphetamine ›
- Gabapentin ›
- Acetaminophen, Codeine ›
- Levothyroxine, Liothyronine ›
- Clonazepam ›
- Quetiapine ›
- Naproxen ›
- Omeprazole ›
- Letrozole ›
- Duloxetine ›
- Methylene Blue ›
- Buspirone ›
- Citalopram ›
Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) list.
Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) References
The 3 references that drive our Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) 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.
- Berton L, Bano G, Carraro S, et al. Effect of oral beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation on physical performance in healthy old women over 65 years: An open label randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2015;10(11):e0141757. PubMed
- Tritto AC, Bueno S, Rodrigues RMP, Gualano B, Roschel H, Artioli GG. Negligible effects of ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate free acid and calcium salt on strength and hypertrophic responses to resistance training: a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Int J S PubMed
- Osuka Y, Kojima N, Sasai H, et al. Effects of exercise and/or ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate supplementation on muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in older women with low muscle mass: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. A 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 Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) and Palifermin Together: Common Questions
Is it safe to take Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) with Palifermin?
Do Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) and Palifermin have any of the same side effects?
Are Hydroxymethylbutyrate (hmb) and Palifermin used for the same thing?
Does Palifermin interact with any supplements?
Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy
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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.