Drug & supplement interaction

Puravive + Vandetanib

Vandetanib brand name: Caprelsa.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated February 2024
The bottom line Moderate

Vandetanib falls into 2 drug categories that Puravive can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Puravive contains Panax ginseng. Panax ginseng is thought to have an additive effect with drugs that prolong the QT interval, potentially increasing the risk of ventricular arrhythmias.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceC
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Puravive and Vandetanib

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Puravive interacts with whole categories of medication. Vandetanib falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Puravive in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

Qt Interval-Prolonging Drugs

1 of 2

Why this applies to Vandetanib

Vandetanib falls under Qt Interval-Prolonging Drugs — the group Puravive interacts with.

Puravive contains Panax ginseng. Panax ginseng is thought to have an additive effect with drugs that prolong the QT interval, potentially increasing the risk of ventricular arrhythmias. However, research findings on this matter are conflicting. Clinical studies indicate that short-term use of Panax ginseng can increase the QT interval (source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27240158/). However, no changes in the QT interval have been observed with prolonged use (source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11978148/).
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence C

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 thing to know about pairing Puravive with vandetanib: Puravive contains Panax ginseng, and vandetanib already carries a well-known effect on your heart's rhythm called QT prolongation. That's a delay in how the heart resets between beats, and it's one of vandetanib's more serious risks (it even comes with extra monitoring for that reason). The concern is an additive one. Ginseng may nudge the QT interval in the same direction, so stacking the two could, in theory, raise the chance of a dangerous irregular heartbeat.

Honestly, the evidence here is mixed and not strong. Some short-term studies showed a small QT change with ginseng, while longer use showed none. Still, because vandetanib is a drug where heart rhythm matters a great deal, I'd play it safe. Please check with your oncologist or pharmacist before adding Puravive.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
Minor

Cytochrome P450 3A4 (Cyp3A4) Substrates

2 of 2

Vandetanib also falls under Cytochrome P450 3A4 (Cyp3A4) Substrates.

Puravive contains Panax ginseng. Panax ginseng has the potential to affect the breakdown of drugs that are metabolized by an enzyme called CYP3A4. One example of such a drug is imatinib. There was a case where imatinib was thought to have caused liver damage, and it was believed that this might have been due to Panax ginseng inhibiting CYP3A4, which is involved in imatinib's metabolism (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20332334/). On the other hand, Panax ginseng has been found to increase the breakdown of another drug called midazolam, which is also metabolized by CYP3A4 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21646440/), suggesting Panax ginseng induces CYP3A4 in some cases (i.e., makes more potent). Given these contradictory findings, it is important to use Panax ginseng cautiously if you are taking medications that are metabolized by CYP3A4, as the interaction between Panax ginseng and these drugs is not fully understood.
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's the gist for Vandetanib (Caprelsa): this is an active cancer medicine, not a prodrug, and your liver uses an enzyme called CYP3A4 to help clear it. Puravive contains Panax ginseng, which seems to tug on that same enzyme. The tricky part is that ginseng has pushed CYP3A4 in both directions in different studies, so we can't predict which way it would go here.

If it slowed vandetanib's breakdown, levels could creep up and worsen side effects like diarrhea, rash, high blood pressure, or QT prolongation (a heart rhythm change this drug is already watched for). If it sped up clearance, the drug might work less well. The evidence is weak and indirect, but vandetanib is serious medicine, so please run Puravive by your oncologist or pharmacist before mixing them.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction

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

Puravive Also Interacts With Other Medications

Puravive has 356 moderate, 881 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Vandetanib one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 356 Minor 881 No known interaction 1,593 (incl. Vandetanib)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Puravive

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Puravive or Vandetanib

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Puravive or Vandetanib, 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 Vandetanib

This page covers Puravive only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Vandetanib page lists 146 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 8 major · 98 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Vandetanib page

“Vandetanib (Caprelsa) treats medullary thyroid cancer and already carries a boxed warning for heart rhythm problems, so I read this list of 146 ingredients with real wariness rather than a shrug. Most of it, 121 ingredients, ties back to CYP3A4, the liver enzyme that clears vandetanib.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Vandetanib interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Puravive and Vandetanib 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 Puravive
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Vandetanib
Steady interest

#2,064 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 Puravive

What is Puravive?

Puravive
  • Weight management
  • Metabolism support
  • Energy levels
  • General wellness
  • Stress and brain health

Puravive is a branded, multi-ingredient capsule marketed mainly for weight loss by claiming to boost brown fat activity, but there is no published, independent clinical research showing the product itself works for this purpose. Some individual ingredients have been studied in laboratory or small human studies, but those results do not prove the finished blend is safe or effective. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before trying it, especially if you have health conditions or take medications.

Read the full Puravive monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Vandetanib

What Is Vandetanib Used For?

Brand name: Caprelsa

Caprelsa (vandetanib) is used to treat medullary thyroid cancer — a type of thyroid cancer — in adults whose tumor cannot be surgically removed or has spread (locally advanced or metastatic disease) and is causing symptoms or actively growing.

Caprelsa should be used with extra caution in patients whose cancer is slow-growing and not causing symptoms, because the serious risks of the medicine must be carefully weighed against any potential benefit in that setting.

See full Vandetanib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Puravive

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

0Major
356Moderate
881Minor
1,592No known interaction
356 Moderate 881 Minor 1,592 No interaction
Moderate

356 interactions

Showing 60 of 356 moderate interactions — see all 356 on the Puravive page.

Minor

881 interactions

Showing 60 of 881 minor interactions — see all 881 on the Puravive page.

No interaction 1,592 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,592 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Puravive list.

See the full Puravive interactions page
See every supplement checked against Vandetanib, 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
Puravive monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Vandetanib supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Vandetanib, ranked by severity Vandetanib 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 Puravive and Vandetanib Together: Common Questions

Can you take Puravive with Vandetanib?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Puravive and Vandetanib?
Vandetanib belongs to more than one drug category, and Puravive interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Puravive and Vandetanib interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

Still Have a Question About Vandetanib and Puravive?

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.