Drug & supplement interaction

Tocotrienols + Naproxen

Naproxen brand names: Naprosyn, Naprelan, Anaprox, Anaprox DS, Naproxyn, and others.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Tocotrienols has a minor interaction with Naproxen. Concomitant use of tocotrienols with anticoagulant or antiplatelet agents might increase the risk of bleeding.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodUnlikely
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Tocotrienols and Naproxen

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Naproxen

Naproxen falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Tocotrienols interacts with.

Concomitant use of tocotrienols with anticoagulant or antiplatelet agents might increase the risk of bleeding. However, this has not been reported in humans.
Taking tocotrienols orally inhibits experimentally-induced platelet aggregation in humans. Theoretically tocotrienols might increase the risk of bleeding if taken with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs. However, tocotrienols 400-800 mg daily have been used with aspirin and/or clopidogrel for 1 year with no clear cumulative antiplatelet effects and no reports of bleeding.
Severity Minor Likelihood Unlikely Evidence B

Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the thing to know about pairing tocotrienols with naproxen. Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory pain reliever (an NSAID), and on its own it can already irritate the stomach and make you bleed a little more easily, since it affects how your platelets clump together. Tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E, may have a mild blood-thinning effect of their own in lab studies. So in theory, stacking the two could nudge your bleeding risk up a bit, showing up as easy bruising, nosebleeds, or stomach upset.

That said, this is a minor and unlikely concern. It hasn't actually been reported in people, and studies using fairly high tocotrienol doses alongside blood thinners didn't show real bleeding problems. Still, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them, especially if you take other blood thinners.

References
  1. Mensink RP, van Houwelingen AC, Kromhout D, Hornstra G. A vitamin E concentrate rich in tocotrienols had no effect on serum lipids, lipoproteins, or platelet function in men with mildly elevated serum lipid concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;69:213-9. PubMed
  2. Slivka A, Rink C, Paoletto D, Sen CK. Platelet function in stroke/transient ischemic attack patients treated with tocotrienol. FASEB J. 2020;34(9):11838-11843. PubMed

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

Tocotrienols Also Interacts With Other Medications

Tocotrienols has 121 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Naproxen one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Tocotrienols

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Tocotrienols or Naproxen

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

This page covers Tocotrienols only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Naproxen page lists 311 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Danshen (major) and Piracetam (major).

By severity: 7 major · 260 moderate · 44 minor.

Open the Naproxen interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Tocotrienols as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 1 real supplement products containing Tocotrienols, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Tocotrienols. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Naproxen too, on top of Tocotrienols — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Tocotrienols and Naproxen 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 Tocotrienols
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Naproxen
Top 5%

#56 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 Tocotrienols

What is Tocotrienols?

Tocotrienols
  • Heart and cholesterol support
  • Antioxidant support
  • Liver health (fatty liver)
  • Bone health
  • Brain and nerve protection

Tocotrienols are a less common form of vitamin E with strong antioxidant activity studied mostly for cholesterol, liver, and heart health. Early research is interesting but far from conclusive, and a standard dose is not established. They are generally well tolerated, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using them, especially during pregnancy or if you take blood thinners.

Read the full Tocotrienols monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Naproxen

What Is Naproxen Used For?

Brand names: Naprosyn, Naprelan, Anaprox, Anaprox DS, Naproxyn, Navalbine, Naproxen, Naprosyn EC, Napro-Na, Aleve, Arthroxen, Synflex, EC-Naprosyn

Naproxen tablets, naproxen sodium tablets, and naproxen oral suspension are used to relieve the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. They are also used for tendonitis, bursitis, and acute gout, and for managing pain and primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps).

Naproxen Sodium Controlled-Release Tablets are indicated for the same conditions plus the relief of mild to moderate pain. Several over-the-counter naproxen sodium products are indicated for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains from headache, backache, muscular aches, toothache, menstrual cramps, minor arthritis pain, and the common cold, and to temporarily reduce fever.

See full Naproxen drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Tocotrienols

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

0Major
0Moderate
121Minor
2,708No known interaction
Minor

121 interactions

Showing 60 of 121 minor interactions — see all 121 on the Tocotrienols page.

No interaction 2,708 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Tocotrienols and Naproxen Together: Common Questions

Can you take Tocotrienols with Naproxen?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Tocotrienols and Naproxen interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Naproxen and Tocotrienols?

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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.