Drug & supplement interaction

Vitamin E + Bendamustine Hydrochloride

Bendamustine Hydrochloride brand name: Bendeka.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Vitamin E has a moderate interaction with Bendamustine Hydrochloride. Theoretically, antioxidant effects of vitamin E might reduce the effectiveness of alkylating agents.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Vitamin E and Bendamustine Hydrochloride

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

Moderate

ALKYLATING AGENTS

Why this applies to Bendamustine Hydrochloride

Bendamustine Hydrochloride falls under ALKYLATING AGENTS — the group Vitamin E interacts with.

Theoretically, antioxidant effects of vitamin E might reduce the effectiveness of alkylating agents.
There's concern that antioxidants could reduce the activity of chemotherapy drugs which generate free radicals, such as cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, carmustine, busulfan, and thiotepa. However, some researchers theorize that antioxidants might make chemotherapy more effective by reducing oxidative stress that might interfere with apoptosis (cell death) of cancer cells. More evidence is needed to determine what effect, if any, antioxidants such as vitamin E have on chemotherapy. Advise patients to consult their oncologist before using vitamin E supplements, especially in high doses.
Severity Moderate 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 thinking on combining vitamin E with bendamustine (Bendeka). Some chemo drugs, including alkylating agents like this one, work partly by creating unstable molecules called free radicals that help damage and kill cancer cells. Because vitamin E is an antioxidant that mops up free radicals, there's a theory that high doses might blunt how well the chemo does its job. The worry here is reduced cancer-fighting effect, not added side effects.

I want to be honest though: this is only a theoretical concern based on how these drugs work, not solid proof from human studies. Some researchers even think antioxidants could help. Everyday food amounts of vitamin E are unlikely to matter, but please check with your oncologist before taking any vitamin E supplement, especially high doses, during treatment.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Labriola D, Livingston R. Possible interactions between dietary antioxidants and chemotherapy. Oncology 1999;13:1003-8.
  2. Prasad KN. Rationale for using high-dose multiple dietary antioxidants as an adjunct to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. J Nutr 2004;134:3182S-3S. PubMed
  3. Conklin KA. Cancer chemotherapy and antioxidants. J Nutr 2004;134:3201S-3204S. 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

Vitamin E Also Interacts With Other Medications

Vitamin E has 762 moderate, 1 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Bendamustine Hydrochloride one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 762 Minor 1 No known interaction 2,067 (incl. Bendamustine Hydrochloride)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Vitamin E

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Bendamustine Hydrochloride

This page covers Vitamin E only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Bendamustine Hydrochloride page lists 86 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Acerola (moderate), Adrafinil (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate), Alpha-lipoic Acid (moderate) and Ashitaba (moderate).

By severity: 62 moderate · 24 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Bendamustine Hydrochloride page

“Bendamustine (Bendeka), a chemotherapy used for certain leukemias and lymphomas, carries 86 supplement and herbal interactions on file, and none of them rates major, so this is a watch-and-adjust list rather than an alarm. Nearly all of the entries, about 80, involve the same liver enzyme, CYP1A2, which helps process bendamustine.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Bendamustine Hydrochloride interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 22,182 real supplement products containing Vitamin E, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Vitamin E. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Bendamustine Hydrochloride too, on top of Vitamin E — 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 Vitamin E and Bendamustine Hydrochloride 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 Vitamin E
Top 10

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

29 days ago today
Medication Bendamustine Hydrochloride
Top 25%

#385 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 Vitamin E

What is Vitamin E?

Vitamin E
  • General antioxidant support
  • Skin and hair care
  • Heart health
  • Eye health (age-related conditions)
  • Immune support

Vitamin E is an essential fat-soluble vitamin and antioxidant that most people get in adequate amounts from a normal diet. Supplements can help correct a true deficiency, but high-dose vitamin E has not been clearly proven to prevent heart disease or cancer and may carry risks. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking high doses.

Read the full Vitamin E monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Bendamustine Injection

What Is Bendamustine Injection Used For?

Brand name: Bendeka

Bendamustine hydrochloride injection is used to treat adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It is also used for adults with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) — a slow-growing type of blood cancer — when the disease has continued to progress during or within six months of treatment with rituximab or a rituximab-containing regimen.

For CLL, how well bendamustine works compared to other first-line treatments (aside from chlorambucil) has not been fully established.

See full Bendamustine Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Vitamin E

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

0Major
762Moderate
1Minor
2,066No known interaction
762 Moderate 1 Minor 2,066 No interaction
Moderate

762 interactions

Showing 60 of 762 moderate interactions — see all 762 on the Vitamin E page.

Minor

1 interaction

No interaction 2,066 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,066 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Vitamin E list.

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

Can you take Vitamin E with Bendamustine Hydrochloride?
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.
How serious is the Vitamin E and Bendamustine Hydrochloride 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 Bendamustine Hydrochloride and Vitamin E?

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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.