St. John's Wort - Interferon Beta-1a Interaction

Interaction Details

Interferon Beta-1a is classified as belonging to the following category: Photosensitizing Drugs

Theoretically, St. John's wort might increase the likelihood for photosensitivity reactions when used in combination with photosensitizing drugs.
St. John's wort might increase photosensitivity reactions due to its hypericin content. However, some clinical research shows that very high doses of St. John's wort are needed to produce phototoxicity in humans.

Interaction Rating

Likelihood of Occurrence

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

References

• Miller LG. Herbal Medicinals: Selected clinical considerations focusing on known or potential drug-herb interactions. Arch Intern Med 1998;158:2200-11.
• Peirce A. The American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines. New York, NY: William Morrow and Co., 1999.
• Schempp CM, Muller K, Winghofer B, et al. Single-dose and steady-state administration of Hypericum perfotatum extract (St. John's wort) does not influence skin sensitivity to UV radiation, visible light, and solar-stimulated radiation. Arch Dermatol 2001;
• Bernd A, Ramirez-Bosca A, Kippenberger S, and et al. Phototoxic effects of Hypericum extract in cultures of human keratinocytes compared with those of psoralen. Photochem Photobiol 1999;2(69):218-221.
• Pochet S, Lechon AS, Lescrainier C, et al. Herb-anticancer drug interactions in real life based on VigiBase, the WHO global database. Sci Rep 2022;12(1):14178.

Interferon Beta-1a Overview

• Interferon beta-1a intramuscular injection is used to treat adults with various forms of multiple sclerosis (MS; a disease in which the nerves do not function properly and people may experience weakness, numbness, loss of muscle coordination, and problems with vision, speech, and bladder control) including:

  • clinically isolated syndrome (CIS; nerve symptom episodes that last at least 24 hours),

  • relapsing-remitting forms (course of disease where symptoms flare up from time to time), or

  • secondary progressive forms (course of disease where relapses occur more often).

• Interferon beta-1a is in a class of medications called immunomodulators. It works by decreasing inflammation and preventing nerve damage that may cause symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

St. John's Wort - More Interactions

St. John's Wort interacts with 1115 drugs

Interaction Rating Key

These severity listings are for informational use only. Never start, stop or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.