Drug & supplement interaction

Polydextrose + Erlotinib

Erlotinib brand name: Tarceva.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 27, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Polydextrose and Erlotinib 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 label for Erlotinib states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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

Polydextrose and Erlotinib

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 Erlotinib and Polydextrose 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 Polydextrose at all — not against Erlotinib, 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.

Polydextrose safety at a glance

Polydextrose overall Generally safe Generally recognized as safe in foods for most people when consumed in normal amounts.
Pregnancy Use caution Amounts found in foods are likely fine, but check with your doctor before using supplement-level doses.
Breastfeeding Use caution Food amounts are likely fine, but data on concentrated supplement doses are limited.

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

Still wondering about combining Erlotinib and Polydextrose? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Polydextrose and Erlotinib 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.

  • Diarrhea reported in 10.8% of FDA reports for Erlotinib Additional detail

    Polydextrose

    “Orally, polydextrose may cause gas, bloating, and loose stools. These adverse effects are more common when single doses of more than 50 grams or daily doses of more than 90 grams are used. Higher doses of polydextrose (90 grams/day or more) may also cause transient diarrhea in some people.”

    Polydextrose · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    5 sources cited
    1. 27194. Burdock GA, Flamm WG. A review of the studies of the safety of polydextrose in food. Food Chem Toxicol 1999;37(2-3):233-264. PubMed
    2. 27208. Saku K, Yoshinaga K, Okura Y, et al. Effects of polydextrose on serum lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins in healthy subjects. Clin Ther 1991;13(2):254-258.
    3. 27212. Tomlin J, Read NW. A comparative study of the effects on colon function caused by feeding ispaghula husk and polydextrose. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 1988;2(6):513-519. PubMed
    4. 27193. Flood MT, Auerbach MH, Craig SA. A review of the clinical toleration studies of polydextrose in food. Food Chem Toxicol 2004;42(9):1531-1542. PubMed
    5. 106527. Colombo J, Carlson SE, Algarín C, et al. Developmental effects on sleep-wake patterns in infants receiving a cow's milk-based infant formula with an added prebiotic blend: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatr Res 2021;89(5):1222-31. PubMed

    Erlotinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Erlotinib, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • A skin rash reported in 10.6% of FDA reports for Erlotinib Additional detail

    Polydextrose

    “Orally, giving a formula supplemented with 4 grams/L of polydextrose and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) (1:1 ratio) to infants has been associated with an increased incidence of atopic dermatitis in one clinical study. However, it is unclear if this was due to polydextrose, GOS, or the combination.”

    Polydextrose · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    1 source cited
    1. 26709. Ziegler E, Vanderhoof JA, Petschow B, et al. Term infants fed formula supplemented with selected blends of prebiotics grow normally and have soft stools similar to those reported for breast-fed infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2007;44(3):359-364. PubMed

    Erlotinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Erlotinib, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Polydextrose but not commonly for Erlotinib: constipation, dizziness and bloating or gas.

Effects for Erlotinib come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Polydextrose come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 12,442 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Erlotinib that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Erlotinib Products Have a Food Rule — Polydextrose Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Erlotinib says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Polydextrose included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Erlotinib on its own and move Polydextrose to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Erlotinib products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Recommended Dose – NSCLC The recommended daily dose of erlotinib tablets for NSCLC is 150 mg taken on an empty stomach, i.e., at least one hour before or two hours after the ingestion of food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Erlotinib — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Erlotinib

This page covers Polydextrose only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Erlotinib page lists 18 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Bilberry (moderate), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate) and Glucomannan (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 8 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Erlotinib page

“Activated charcoal is the entry I would flag first for anyone taking erlotinib (Tarceva), an oral targeted therapy for certain lung cancers. Charcoal can adsorb the drug in the gut and cut how much reaches the bloodstream, and with a cancer pill, less absorbed means less cancer fought.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Erlotinib interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 37 real supplement products containing Polydextrose, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Polydextrose. Even though Polydextrose itself has no known interaction with Erlotinib, 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 Polydextrose and Erlotinib 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 Polydextrose
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Erlotinib
Steady interest

#1,872 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 Polydextrose reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 27, 2026. The Polydextrose and Erlotinib 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 Polydextrose

What is Polydextrose?

  • Adding dietary fiber
  • Supporting digestive regularity
  • Sugar and fat replacement in foods
  • Promoting gut bacteria (prebiotic)
  • Helping with calorie reduction

Polydextrose is a man-made soluble fiber used widely in foods as a low-calorie bulking agent and prebiotic. It is generally well tolerated, though large amounts can cause gas, bloating, or loose stools. It is not a medicine and should not replace a balanced, fiber-rich diet.

Synthetic carbohydrate made from glucose (dextrose), sorbitol, and citric acid · Added to foods and drinks (baked goods, low-calorie products), powders, fiber supplements

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

Polydextrose: dosing

There is no official medicinal dose for polydextrose, since it is mainly used as a food ingredient rather than a medicine. The amount you get depends on the foods or supplements you choose.If you use a product that contains polydextrose, follow the directions on the label. As with any fiber, it is best to start with a small amount and increase gradually while drinking plenty of water.

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

Read the full Polydextrose monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Erlotinib

What Is Erlotinib Used For?

Brand name: Tarceva

Erlotinib tablets are used to treat metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients whose tumors carry specific gene changes — EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) mutations — confirmed by an FDA-approved test. It can be used as a first-line treatment, as maintenance therapy, or after at least one prior chemotherapy has stopped working.

Erlotinib tablets are also used for the first-line treatment of locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic pancreatic cancer — but only in combination with another chemotherapy drug called gemcitabine. Erlotinib is not recommended alongside platinum-based chemotherapy regimens.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Erlotinib

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (12,441 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Diarrhea 1,339 reports
Rash 1,317 reports
Malignant neoplasm progression 890 reports
Fatigue 718 reports
Nausea 696 reports
See full Erlotinib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Polydextrose

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Polydextrose list.

See the full Polydextrose interactions page
See every supplement checked against Erlotinib, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Polydextrose References

The 7 references that drive our Polydextrose 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. Ziegler E, Vanderhoof JA, Petschow B, et al. Term infants fed formula supplemented with selected blends of prebiotics grow normally and have soft stools similar to those reported for breast-fed infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2007;44(3):359-364. PubMed
  2. Flood MT, Auerbach MH, Craig SA. A review of the clinical toleration studies of polydextrose in food. Food Chem Toxicol 2004;42(9):1531-1542. PubMed
  3. Burdock GA, Flamm WG. A review of the studies of the safety of polydextrose in food. Food Chem Toxicol 1999;37(2-3):233-264. PubMed
  4. Saku K, Yoshinaga K, Okura Y, et al. Effects of polydextrose on serum lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins in healthy subjects. Clin Ther 1991;13(2):254-258.
  5. Tomlin J, Read NW. A comparative study of the effects on colon function caused by feeding ispaghula husk and polydextrose. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 1988;2(6):513-519. PubMed
  6. Ibarra A, Olli K, Pasman W, et al. Effects of polydextrose with breakfast or with a midmorning preload on food intake and other appetite-related parameters in healthy normal-weight and overweight females: An acute, randomized, double-blind, placebo-contro
  7. Colombo J, Carlson SE, Algarín C, et al. Developmental effects on sleep-wake patterns in infants receiving a cow's milk-based infant formula with an added prebiotic blend: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatr Res 2021;89(5):1222-31. 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.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Polydextrose and Erlotinib Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Polydextrose with Erlotinib?
We do not list a known interaction between Polydextrose and Erlotinib. 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 Polydextrose and Erlotinib 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.
Should I take Polydextrose and Erlotinib at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Erlotinib says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Erlotinib on its own and move Polydextrose to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Does Erlotinib interact with any supplements?
Yes. Erlotinib has documented interactions with 18 supplements in our database — Polydextrose is not one of them. The Erlotinib interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Polydextrose monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Erlotinib drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Erlotinib supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Erlotinib, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 7 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Erlotinib and Polydextrose?

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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.