Drug & supplement interaction

Progesterone + Paclitaxel

Paclitaxel brand names: Taxol, Abraxane.

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

Progesterone has a minor interaction with Paclitaxel. Theoretically, using paclitaxel along with progesterone supplements or non-prescription bioidentical progesterone products might increase paclitaxel levels and adverse effects.

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

Progesterone and Paclitaxel

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

Minor

PACLITAXEL (Abraxane, Onxol)

Theoretically, using paclitaxel along with progesterone supplements or non-prescription bioidentical progesterone products might increase paclitaxel levels and adverse effects.
Human research suggests that administering high-dose progesterone intravenously along with paclitaxel can increase plasma levels of paclitaxel without affecting neutrophil and platelet nadir counts. It is unclear if this interaction would be clinically significant with the doses found in oral or topical progesterone supplements or non-prescription bioidentical products.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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 gist for your situation. Paclitaxel is a powerful chemotherapy drug that your body clears using liver enzymes. The thinking is that progesterone may slow down that clearance a bit, which could let paclitaxel build up a little higher in your blood. Paclitaxel is not a prodrug, so more drug hanging around means stronger effects and potentially more side effects like numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, fatigue, hair loss, or low blood counts.

Now, the honest part: this is mostly theoretical. The human data used high-dose progesterone given through a vein, and we don't really know if everyday oral or cream products do much of anything. Still, since chemo dosing is so carefully calculated, please tell your oncology team about any progesterone before mixing the two.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Aebi S, Schnider T W, Los G, et al. A phase II/pharmacokinetic trial of high-dose progesterone in combination with paclitaxel. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 1999;44(3):259-265. 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

Progesterone Also Interacts With Other Medications

Progesterone has 41 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Paclitaxel one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 41 No known interaction 2,789 (incl. Paclitaxel)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Progesterone

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Progesterone or Paclitaxel

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Progesterone or Paclitaxel, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Paclitaxel

This page covers Progesterone only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Paclitaxel page lists 152 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Sweet Orange (major).

By severity: 5 major · 108 moderate · 39 minor.

Open the Paclitaxel interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 3 real supplement products containing Progesterone, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Progesterone. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Paclitaxel too, on top of Progesterone — 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 Progesterone and Paclitaxel 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 Progesterone
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Paclitaxel
Top half

#1,147 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 Progesterone

What is Progesterone?

  • Hormone replacement therapy
  • Supporting fertility and early pregnancy (under medical care)
  • Irregular or absent menstrual periods
  • Menopause-related symptoms (with estrogen)
  • Symptoms some attribute to low progesterone

Progesterone is a natural hormone, and prescription forms are used for fertility support, menstrual problems, and hormone therapy. Over-the-counter "natural" progesterone creams are not well standardized and their benefits are unproven, so any use of progesterone should be guided by a doctor or pharmacist.

Read the full Progesterone monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Paclitaxel (with albumin) Injection

What Is Paclitaxel (with albumin) Injection Used For?

Brand names: Taxol, Abraxane

Paclitaxel Protein-Bound Particles for Injectable Suspension (Albumin-Bound) is used to treat three types of cancer. It treats metastatic breast cancer in patients whose prior chemotherapy has stopped working or who relapsed within 6 months of completing adjuvant (post-surgery) chemotherapy. It is also used as a first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) — given together with carboplatin — in patients who cannot have surgery or radiation therapy.

Additionally, it is approved as a first-line treatment for metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, given in combination with gemcitabine. All three uses apply specifically to Paclitaxel Protein-Bound Particles for Injectable Suspension (Albumin-Bound), including the brands Abraxane and related albumin-bound formulations.

See full Paclitaxel (with albumin) Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Progesterone

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

0Major
41Moderate
0Minor
2,788No known interaction
41 Moderate 2,788 No interaction
Moderate

41 interactions

No interaction 2,788 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,788 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Progesterone list.

See the full Progesterone interactions page
See every supplement checked against Paclitaxel, 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
Progesterone monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Paclitaxel supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Paclitaxel, ranked by severity Paclitaxel (with albumin) 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 Progesterone and Paclitaxel Together: Common Questions

Can you take Progesterone with Paclitaxel?
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 Progesterone and Paclitaxel 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 Paclitaxel and Progesterone?

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.