Drug & supplement interaction

Prolotherapy + Tocilizumab

Tocilizumab brand name: Actemra.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Prolotherapy and Tocilizumab 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.

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Interaction report

Prolotherapy and Tocilizumab

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 Tocilizumab and Prolotherapy in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — research on Prolotherapy alongside specific medications may be limited.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Prolotherapy at all — not against Tocilizumab, 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.

Prolotherapy is a treatment rather than something you take. Tell whoever provides it which medicines you use, and ask your prescriber whether it is appropriate for your health and treatment. 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.

Prolotherapy safety at a glance

Prolotherapy overall Use caution Generally considered low-risk when performed by a trained clinician, but it is an invasive injection with possible side effects.
Pregnancy Avoid Not recommended during pregnancy due to lack of safety data and the use of injections and anesthetics.
Breastfeeding Use caution Safety has not been well studied; discuss with your doctor before considering it.

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

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

What Tocilizumab’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Prolotherapy. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Tocilizumab’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you have Prolotherapy and take the medicine. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Kidney stones Worth acting on
  • A change in thyroid levels Worth acting on
  • Bleeding in the gut Worth acting on
  • Low potassium Worth acting on
  • A low platelet count Worth acting on
  • Raised blood pressure Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • A severe allergic reaction Worth acting on
  • Hives Worth acting on
  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 31 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Tocilizumab. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 112,048 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Tocilizumab that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Prolotherapy’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Prolotherapy side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Prolotherapy has no side effects.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Tocilizumab

This page covers Prolotherapy only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tocilizumab page lists 89 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major), Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate) and Alfalfa (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 85 moderate · 1 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tocilizumab page

“Tocilizumab (Actemra) calms an overactive immune system in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and it is also known to strain the liver, which is exactly where its supplement interactions concentrate. This page deserves genuine care.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Tocilizumab interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Prolotherapy and Tocilizumab 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 Prolotherapy
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tocilizumab
Steady interest

#2,117 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. Prolotherapy is not yet covered by that licensed database, so its write-up cites publicly available medical sources directly (see the references below).
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Prolotherapy reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Prolotherapy and Tocilizumab records this page draws on were last updated June 20, 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 .
Treatment approach

About Prolotherapy

What is Prolotherapy?

  • Chronic low back pain
  • Knee osteoarthritis
  • Tendon and ligament pain
  • Joint instability
  • Tennis elbow and other tendinopathies

Prolotherapy is not a dietary supplement or herb; it is an injection procedure in which an irritant solution (usually dextrose) is injected near painful joints, tendons, or ligaments to encourage a healing response. The evidence is mixed and generally low-to-moderate quality, with some studies showing modest pain relief for conditions like knee osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain. It should only be done by a trained, licensed clinician, so talk with your doctor before considering it.

Not applicable (a medical injection procedure) · Injected solution, most often dextrose (sugar water) mixed with a local anesthetic

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

Prolotherapy: dosing

There is no single standard dose or protocol for prolotherapy. The type of solution (most often dextrose), the concentration, the amount injected, the number of injection sites, and how many sessions are needed all vary based on the clinician, the body area, and the condition being treated.Treatment is usually given as a series of sessions spaced a few weeks apart.

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

Read the full Prolotherapy monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Tocilizumab Injection

What Is Tocilizumab Injection Used For?

Brand name: Actemra

Tocilizumab injection is used to treat several serious inflammatory and immune-related conditions. Actemra (tocilizumab) is indicated for moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis in adults who haven't responded well to other disease-modifying drugs, giant cell arteritis in adults, systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) to slow lung function decline, polyarticular and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in patients 2 years and older, and severe or life-threatening cytokine release syndrome (CRS) caused by CAR T-cell therapy in adults and children 2 and older.

Actemra is also approved for hospitalized adults and children aged 2 and older with COVID-19 who are on corticosteroids and need supplemental oxygen or mechanical breathing support. Not every brand or route is approved for every use — your prescriber will choose the right form for your specific condition.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Tocilizumab

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (113,819 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Rheumatoid arthritis 22,747 reports
Arthralgia 17,322 reports
Joint swelling 16,327 reports
Fatigue 15,391 reports
Rash 13,781 reports
See full Tocilizumab Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Prolotherapy

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Prolotherapy — 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
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Prolotherapy References

The 1 sources that drive our Prolotherapy monograph — publicly available pages from reputable medical and government organizations. Every link was verified to work before publishing. Prolotherapy is not covered by the licensed Natural Medicines interaction database, so its page cites these public sources directly.

  1. Pain Management — NIH NCCIH Source

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

Having Prolotherapy While Taking Tocilizumab: Common Questions

Is it safe to have Prolotherapy while taking Tocilizumab?
We do not list a known interaction between Prolotherapy and Tocilizumab. 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.
Does Tocilizumab interact with any supplements?
Yes. Tocilizumab has documented interactions with 89 supplements in our database — Prolotherapy is not one of them. The Tocilizumab interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Tocilizumab and Prolotherapy?

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.