Sulbutiamine + Erlotinib
Erlotinib brand name: Tarceva.
We found no known interaction between Sulbutiamine and Erlotinib 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 label for Erlotinib states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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.
Sulbutiamine and Erlotinib
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 Erlotinib and Sulbutiamine 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 Sulbutiamine at all — not against Erlotinib, 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.
Sulbutiamine safety at a glance
Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.
Some Erlotinib Products Have a Food Rule — Sulbutiamine Should Not Break It
At least one FDA label for a product containing Erlotinib says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Sulbutiamine included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Erlotinib on its own and move Sulbutiamine to a meal later in the day.
This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Erlotinib products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.
Recommended Dose – NSCLC The recommended daily dose of erlotinib tablets for NSCLC is 150 mg taken on an empty stomach, i.e., at least one hour before or two hours after the ingestion of food.
From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Erlotinib — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›
A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.
See Every Supplement That Interacts With Erlotinib
This page covers Sulbutiamine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Erlotinib page lists 18 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.
The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Bilberry (moderate), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate) and Glucomannan (moderate).
By severity: 1 major · 8 moderate · 9 minor.
From our pharmacist’s overview on the Erlotinib page
“Activated charcoal is the entry I would flag first for anyone taking erlotinib (Tarceva), an oral targeted therapy for certain lung cancers. Charcoal can adsorb the drug in the gut and cut how much reaches the bloodstream, and with a cancer pill, less absorbed means less cancer fought.”
Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026
Taking Sulbutiamine as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions
We hold 64 real supplement products containing Sulbutiamine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Sulbutiamine. Even though Sulbutiamine itself has no known interaction with Erlotinib, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:
Where Sulbutiamine and Erlotinib 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.
#790 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days
#1,200 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days
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 Sulbutiamine reference on this page ↓
- Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified October 4, 2026. The Sulbutiamine and Erlotinib 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.
About Sulbutiamine
What is Sulbutiamine?
- Fatigue and low energy
- Memory and focus
- Mental clarity
- Mood support
- Vitamin B1 deficiency support
Sulbutiamine is a man-made, fat-soluble form of vitamin B1 (thiamine) developed in Japan, often taken for fatigue and to support mental energy and focus. Human evidence is limited and mostly older or small, so its real benefits are uncertain. It is generally well tolerated short-term, but you should talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a health condition.
Synthetic compound (not from a plant) · Tablets, capsules
An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Sulbutiamine is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Sulbutiamine record says about it on its own.
Sulbutiamine: dosing
There is no firmly established standard dose for sulbutiamine as a supplement. Amounts used in older studies and on product labels vary, and there is not enough strong evidence to recommend one clear dose.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not take more than suggested.
From our Sulbutiamine monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.
About Erlotinib
What Is Erlotinib Used For?
Brand name: Tarceva
Erlotinib treats metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) when the tumor has certain EGFR gene changes (exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations), found by an FDA-approved test. It can be used first, as maintenance, or after at least one prior chemotherapy regimen has stopped working.
Erlotinib is also used with gemcitabine as first-line treatment for locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer. These uses are listed for the erlotinib tablet products.
Most-Reported Side Effects for Erlotinib
From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (12,441 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.
Other Drugs & Sulbutiamine
Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Sulbutiamine — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.
No drugs match “”.
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
We also checked Sulbutiamine against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.
- Apixaban ›
- Levothyroxine ›
- Amlodipine ›
- Methylphenidate ›
- Warfarin ›
- Ivermectin ›
- Abemaciclib ›
- Testosterone ›
- Losartan Potassium ›
- Sertraline ›
- Acetaminophen ›
- Rosuvastatin ›
- Aspirin ›
- Metoprolol ›
- Escitalopram ›
- Clopidogrel ›
- Atorvastatin ›
- Rivaroxaban ›
- Isotretinoin ›
- Tirzepatide ›
- Ibuprofen ›
- Warfarin Sodium ›
- Levothyroxine, Liothyronine ›
- Amlodipine Besylate ›
- Docusate ›
- Methamphetamine ›
- Amitriptyline ›
- Prednisone ›
- Metformin ›
- Tadalafil ›
- Lisdexamfetamine ›
- Semaglutide ›
- Hydroxyurea ›
- Valacyclovir ›
- Amphetamine ›
- Propranolol ›
- Sumatriptan ›
- Methotrexate ›
- Lisinopril ›
- Amoxicillin ›
- Bupropion ›
- Fluoxetine ›
- Azithromycin ›
- Doxycycline ›
- Pregabalin ›
- Gabapentin ›
- Acetaminophen, Aspirin, Caffeine ›
- Dextroamphetamine ›
- Naproxen ›
- Lamotrigine ›
- Bendamustine ›
- Quetiapine ›
- Clonazepam ›
- Acyclovir ›
- Buspirone ›
- Duloxetine ›
- Omeprazole ›
- Letrozole ›
- Citalopram ›
- Methylene Blue ›
Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Sulbutiamine list.
Sulbutiamine References
The 4 references that drive our Sulbutiamine 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.
- Shah S. Adjuvant role of vitamin B analogue (sulbutiamine) with anti-infective treatment in infection associated asthenia. J Assoc Physicians India. 2003;51:891-5.
- Loo H, Poirier M, Ollat H, et al. [Effects of subutiamine (Arcalion 200) on psycho-behavioral inhibition in major depressive episodes]. Encephale. 2000;26(2):70-5.
- Kiew K, Wan Mohamad W, Ridzuan A, et al. Effects of sulbutiamine on diabetic polyneuropathy: an open randomized controlled study in type 2 diabetics. Malays J Med Sci. 2002;9(1):21-7.
- Sevim S, Kaleagasi H, Tasdelen B. Sulbutiamine shows promising results in reducing fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2017;16:40-43. PubMed
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.
Taking Sulbutiamine and Erlotinib Together: Common Questions
Is it safe to take Sulbutiamine with Erlotinib?
Do Sulbutiamine and Erlotinib have any of the same side effects?
Should I take Sulbutiamine and Erlotinib at the same time of day?
Does Erlotinib interact with any supplements?
Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy
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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.