Drug & supplement interaction

Lychee + Hyaluronidase, Rituximab

Hyaluronidase, Rituximab brand name: Rituxan Hycela.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Lychee has a minor interaction with Hyaluronidase, Rituximab. Theoretically, lychee might reduce the effectiveness of immunosuppressant drugs.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Lychee and Hyaluronidase, Rituximab

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

Minor

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to Hyaluronidase, Rituximab

Hyaluronidase, Rituximab falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Lychee interacts with.

Theoretically, lychee might reduce the effectiveness of immunosuppressant drugs.
In vitro, flavonoids extracted from lychee show immunostimulant effects. So far, this effect has not been reported in humans.
Severity Minor 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 is the honest picture on lychee and your Rituxan Hycela (rituximab with hyaluronidase). In a lab dish, certain flavonoids from lychee seemed to give the immune system a little nudge. Since rituximab works by quieting part of your immune system to fight lymphoma or leukemia, the theory is that lychee could work against that and make the treatment slightly less effective.

The key word is theoretical. This has only been seen in test tubes, never reported in actual patients, so I would not lose sleep over enjoying lychee as a fruit. I would be more cautious with concentrated lychee extract pills, simply because we have less to go on. To be safe, mention any supplements to your oncology team before starting them.

References
  1. Zhao M, Yang B, Wang J, et al. Immunomodulatory and anticancer activities of flavonoids extracted from litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn) pericarp. Int Immunopharmacol 2007;7(2):162-6. 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

Lychee Also Interacts With Other Medications

Lychee has 86 moderate, 120 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Hyaluronidase, Rituximab one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Lychee

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Hyaluronidase, Rituximab

This page covers Lychee only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Hyaluronidase, Rituximab page lists 53 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate), American Ginseng (moderate), Andrographis (moderate) and Ashwagandha (moderate).

By severity: 52 moderate · 1 minor.

Open the Hyaluronidase, Rituximab interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 98 real supplement products containing Lychee, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Lychee. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Hyaluronidase, Rituximab too, on top of Lychee — 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 Lychee and Hyaluronidase, Rituximab 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 Lychee
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Hyaluronidase, Rituximab
Top half

#746 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 Lychee

What is Lychee?

  • General nutrition and antioxidant support
  • Digestive complaints (traditional use)
  • Cough and sore throat (traditional use)
  • Blood sugar support (preliminary)
  • Weight and metabolic support (preliminary)

Lychee is a sweet tropical fruit that is nutritious and a source of vitamin C and antioxidant plant compounds. While the fruit is a healthy food for most people, supplement-strength extracts have only limited research behind specific health claims, and eating large amounts of unripe lychee on an empty stomach has been linked to dangerous low blood sugar in undernourished children. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using lychee extracts for any health condition.

Read the full Lychee monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Rituximab and Hyaluronidase Human Injection

What Is Rituximab and Hyaluronidase Human Injection Used For?

Brand name: Rituxan Hycela

Rituxan Hycela is used to treat three types of blood cancer in adults: follicular lymphoma (FL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Depending on the cancer type and stage, it may be given alone or alongside chemotherapy.

It is not approved for any non-cancer condition. Importantly, patients must first receive at least one full dose of rituximab by IV infusion before switching to this under-the-skin injection form.

See full Rituximab and Hyaluronidase Human Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lychee

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

0Major
86Moderate
120Minor
2,623No known interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the Lychee page.

Minor

120 interactions

Showing 60 of 120 minor interactions — see all 120 on the Lychee page.

No interaction 2,623 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Lychee and Hyaluronidase, Rituximab Together: Common Questions

Can you take Lychee with Hyaluronidase, Rituximab?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Lychee and Hyaluronidase, Rituximab interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Hyaluronidase, Rituximab and Lychee?

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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.