Drug & supplement interaction

Procaine + Nivolumab

Nivolumab brand name: Opdivo.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Procaine and Nivolumab 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 Nivolumab 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

Procaine and Nivolumab

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 Nivolumab and Procaine 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.

Procaine safety at a glance

Procaine overall Use caution Procaine is a prescription anesthetic, not a proven supplement, and can cause allergic reactions and other side effects.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used for self-medication; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Use caution Safety of non-medical procaine products during breastfeeding is not established, so avoid them.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Nivolumab

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Nivolumab is filed under a single classification — antineoplastics. Procaine has documented interactions with 5 drug classes — the most serious being digoxin (lanoxin) (major), skeletal muscle relaxants (major) and succinylcholine (major) — and none of Nivolumab’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

Procaine Does Interact With Other Medications

Procaine has 37 major, 19 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Nivolumab isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 37 Moderate 19 No known interaction 2,774 (incl. Nivolumab)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Procaine

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Procaine and Nivolumab 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.

  • Heartburn Additional detail

    Procaine

    “Orally, procaine can cause heartburn, migraines, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (6,99208).”

    Procaine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dyspepsia.

    2 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 99208. Szatmári S, Bereczki D. Procaine treatments for cognition and dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(4):CD005993. DOI

    “Orally, procaine can cause heartburn (6).”

    Procaine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dyspepsia.

    1 source cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

    Nivolumab

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

  • Migraine Additional detail

    Procaine

    Recorded for Procaine in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Heartburn above.

    Nivolumab

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

Effects for Nivolumab come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Procaine come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 96,645 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Nivolumab 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.

Special populations

Procaine in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Likely Unsafe

When used for self-medication; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Nivolumab Products Have a Food Rule — Procaine Should Not Break It

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

Table 2: Recommended Dosages of Intravenous OPDIVO in Combination with Other Therapeutic Agents Indication Recommended OPDIVO Dosage Duration of Therapy Unresectable or metastatic melanoma 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks with ipilimumab 3 mg/kg In combination with ipilimumab for a maximum of 4 doses or until unacceptable toxicity, whichever occurs earlier Adult patients and pediatric patients aged 12 years

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Nivolumab — 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 Nivolumab

This page covers Procaine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Nivolumab page lists 1 supplement it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: American Pawpaw (minor).

By severity: 1 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Nivolumab page

“Nivolumab (Opdivo) is an immunotherapy infusion that trains the body's own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, the kind of drug you might expect to carry a long list of supplement warnings. It does not.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Nivolumab interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2 real supplement products containing Procaine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Procaine. Even though Procaine itself has no known interaction with Nivolumab, 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 Procaine and Nivolumab 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 Procaine
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Nivolumab
Top 25%

#376 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 Procaine reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Procaine and Nivolumab records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 Procaine

What is Procaine?

  • Local anesthesia (medical/dental use)
  • Marketed 'anti-aging' supplements
  • General well-being and vitality claims
  • Mood and energy support (unproven)

Procaine is a synthetic local anesthetic (best known by the brand name Novocaine) used by doctors and dentists to numb tissue. It is not a true dietary supplement or herb, and the 'anti-aging' products built around it (such as GH3 or 'Gerovital') have weak evidence and real safety concerns. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using any product containing procaine.

Synthetic chemical compound (procaine hydrochloride) · Injectable solution (prescription), and in some products labeled 'procaine' or 'GH3' marketed as anti-aging supplements

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

Procaine: dosing

There is no established or recommended supplement dose for procaine. Because the benefits are unproven and the risks are real, many pharmacists would advise against using these products at all.

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

Read the full Procaine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Nivolumab Injection

What Is Nivolumab Injection Used For?

Brand name: Opdivo

Opdivo (nivolumab) is used to treat many types of cancer in adults, and some in patients 12 years and older. It can be used alone or in combination with other therapies depending on the cancer type and stage. Cancers it treats include melanoma (including after surgery to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back), non-small cell lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, advanced renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer), classical Hodgkin lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer), colorectal cancer with specific genetic features (MSI-H or dMMR), hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), esophageal cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, and gastric (stomach) cancer.

Some uses require the tumor to test positive for a protein called PD-L1, and some are specific to certain stages of disease or prior treatments received. Your oncologist will determine which use applies to your situation.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Nivolumab

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (96,645 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Malignant neoplasm progression 9,878 reports
Diarrhea 5,251 reports
Fatigue 4,195 reports
Fever 3,721 reports
Nausea 3,182 reports
See full Nivolumab Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Procaine

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

37Major
19Moderate
0Minor
2,773No known interaction
37 Major 19 Moderate 2,773 No interaction
Major

37 interactions

Moderate

19 interactions

No interaction 2,773 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,773 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Procaine list.

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

Procaine References

The 3 references that drive our Procaine 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. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 1998.
  3. Szatmári S, Bereczki D. Procaine treatments for cognition and dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(4):CD005993. DOI

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 Procaine and Nivolumab Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Procaine with Nivolumab?
We do not list a known interaction between Procaine and Nivolumab. 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 Procaine and Nivolumab 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 Procaine and Nivolumab at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Nivolumab 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 Nivolumab on its own and move Procaine 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.
How was the Procaine and Nivolumab combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Nivolumab is filed under 1 classification, and Procaine has documented interactions with 5 drug classes — none of Nivolumab'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 Procaine interact with any other medications?
Yes. Procaine has 56 documented drug interactions in our database — Nivolumab 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 Nivolumab interact with any supplements?
Yes. Nivolumab has documented interactions with 1 supplement in our database — Procaine is not one of them. The Nivolumab 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

Procaine monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Nivolumab Injection drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Nivolumab supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Nivolumab, 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 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Nivolumab and Procaine?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.