Drug & supplement interaction

Shellac + Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug)

Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) brand name: Trisenox.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Oct 4, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Shellac and Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) 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 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

Shellac and Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug)

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 Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) and Shellac 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 Shellac at all — not against Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug), 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.

Shellac safety at a glance

Shellac overall Use caution Generally regarded as safe as a coating in small amounts, but it is insect-derived and rare reactions can occur.
Pregnancy Use caution Likely fine in the tiny amounts used as a coating, but there is little specific safety data, so check with your doctor.
Breastfeeding Use caution Little specific data exists; the small amounts in coatings are unlikely to be a concern but caution is wise.

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

Still wondering about combining Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) and Shellac? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Shellac and Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) May Share a Side Effect

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.

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Shellac

    “Topically, there are numerous reports of allergic contact dermatitis and allergic contact cheilitis associated with shellac. Most cases of allergic dermatitis are related to shellac in mascara, especially Maybelline Great Lash mascara. However, cases of allergic contact dermatitis associated with shellac in tattoo ink and shellac in hair spray have been reported.”

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

    6 sources cited
    1. 104260. González-Villanueva I, Hispn Ocete P, Silvestre Salvador JF. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by a black tattoo ink in a patient allergic to shellac. Contact Dermatitis. 2016;75(4):247-8. PubMed
    2. 104262. Shaw T, Oostman H, Rainey D, Storrs F. A rare eyelid dermatitis allergen: shellac in a popular mascara. Dermatitis. 2009;20(6):341-5. DOI
    3. 104263. Gallo R, Marro I, Pavesi A. Allergic contact dermatitis from shellac in mascara. Contact Dermatitis. 2005;53(4):238. PubMed
    4. 104264. Strauss RM, Orton DI. Allergic contact cheilitis in the United Kingdom: a retrospective study. Am J Contact Dermat. 2003;14(2):75-7. DOI
    5. 104265. Orton DI, Salim A, Shaw S. Allergic contact cheilitis due to shellac. Contact Dermatitis. 2001;44(4):250. PubMed
    6. 112297. Navarro-Triviño FJ. Allergic contact dermatitis from shellac in an ecological hair spray occurring in a patient with frontal fibrosing alopecia. Contact Dermatitis 2022;86(6):544-545. PubMed

    Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug)

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug). Read the label on DailyMed ›

Effects for Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Shellac come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug)

This page covers Shellac only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) page lists 13 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 6 major · 7 moderate.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) page

“Every ingredient on this page interacts with arsenic trioxide (Trisenox) in the same way, by stretching the QT interval, the heart's electrical reset time, further than the drug already pushes it. Trisenox treats acute promyelocytic leukemia and prolongs the QT interval in up to 40 percent of patients all by itself, so anything that ad…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Shellac and Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) 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 Shellac
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug)
Top half

#1,023 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 Shellac reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified October 4, 2026. The Shellac and Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) 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 Shellac

What is Shellac?

Shellac
  • Coating for tablets and capsules
  • Glaze on candy and chocolates
  • Protective film over pills and supplements
  • Enteric-style coating to delay dissolving
  • Shiny coating on fruits and confections

Shellac is a natural resin made from the secretions of the lac insect, and it is used mainly as a glaze or coating on pills, candy, and some supplements rather than as an active ingredient you take for a health benefit. In the small amounts used for coatings it is generally considered safe for most people, but those avoiding insect-derived products or with known sensitivities may want to steer clear.

Resinous secretion of the lac insect (Kerria lacca) · Tablet and capsule coatings, candy and pill glazes, food glaze (confectioner's glaze)

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

Shellac: dosing

There is no established therapeutic dose for shellac, because it is not taken as an active ingredient. It is used in whatever small amount is needed to coat or glaze a product.If you are choosing a supplement, you do not need to dose shellac itself.

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

Read the full Shellac monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Arsenic Trioxide Injection

What Is Arsenic Trioxide Injection Used For?

Brand name: Trisenox

Arsenic Trioxide Injection treats acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a type of blood cancer. It is only used when the leukemia has a specific genetic marker: the t(15;17) translocation or PML/RAR-alpha gene expression.

It is used in two settings. For adults with newly diagnosed low-risk APL, it is given together with tretinoin. For APL that has relapsed or did not respond to retinoid and anthracycline chemotherapy, it is used to bring on remission and then to consolidate (lock in) that remission.

See full Arsenic Trioxide Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Shellac

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Shellac — 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 Shellac 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 Shellac list.

See the full Shellac interactions page
See every supplement checked against Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug), ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Shellac References

The 8 references that drive our Shellac 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. González-Villanueva I, Hispn Ocete P, Silvestre Salvador JF. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by a black tattoo ink in a patient allergic to shellac. Contact Dermatitis. 2016;75(4):247-8. PubMed
  3. Shaw T, Oostman H, Rainey D, Storrs F. A rare eyelid dermatitis allergen: shellac in a popular mascara. Dermatitis. 2009;20(6):341-5. DOI
  4. Gallo R, Marro I, Pavesi A. Allergic contact dermatitis from shellac in mascara. Contact Dermatitis. 2005;53(4):238. PubMed
  5. Strauss RM, Orton DI. Allergic contact cheilitis in the United Kingdom: a retrospective study. Am J Contact Dermat. 2003;14(2):75-7. DOI
  6. Orton DI, Salim A, Shaw S. Allergic contact cheilitis due to shellac. Contact Dermatitis. 2001;44(4):250. PubMed
  7. Navarro-Triviño FJ. Allergic contact dermatitis from shellac in an ecological hair spray occurring in a patient with frontal fibrosing alopecia. Contact Dermatitis 2022;86(6):544-545. PubMed
  8. Mercader-García P, Ruiz-Gonzalez I, Gonzalez-Perez R, Sanz-Sanchez T, Sanchez-Pérez J, Borrego L; en representación de REIDAC. Contact Allergy to Shellac. Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study With Data From the Spanish Registry of Research in Contact Derma

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 Shellac and Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Shellac with Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug)?
We do not list a known interaction between Shellac and Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug). 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 Shellac and Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one 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.
Does Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) interact with any supplements?
Yes. Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) has documented interactions with 13 supplements in our database — Shellac is not one of them. The Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) 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

Shellac monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Arsenic Trioxide Injection drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug), 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 8 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Arsenic Trioxide (prescription drug) and Shellac?

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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.