Drug & supplement interaction

Vitamin E + Lurbinectedin

Lurbinectedin brand name: Zepzelca.

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

Lurbinectedin falls into 2 drug categories that Vitamin E can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, vitamin E might induce metabolism of CYP3A4, possibly reducing the levels CYP3A4 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Vitamin E and Lurbinectedin

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Vitamin E interacts with whole categories of medication. Lurbinectedin falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Vitamin E in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Lurbinectedin

Lurbinectedin falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Vitamin E interacts with.

Theoretically, vitamin E might induce metabolism of CYP3A4, possibly reducing the levels CYP3A4 substrates.
Vitamin E appears to bind with the nuclear receptor, pregnane X receptor (PXR), which results in increased expression of CYP3A4. Although the clinical significance of this is not known, use caution when considering concomitant use of vitamin E and other drugs affected by these enzymes.
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 gist for Zepzelca (lurbinectedin). Your body clears this chemo drug using a liver enzyme called CYP3A4. On paper, high-dose vitamin E may gently nudge that enzyme to work a little faster. If that happens, your system could break down lurbinectedin more quickly, leaving slightly less of it around to fight the cancer.

I want to be honest with you though: this is a theoretical concern based on how vitamin E behaves in the lab, not real-world cases of treatment failure. Everyday food amounts of vitamin E are very unlikely to matter. Because lurbinectedin is serious chemotherapy, please don't start or stop any high-dose vitamin E supplement without first running it by your oncologist or pharmacist.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Landes N, Pfluger P, Kluth D, et al. Vitamin E activates gene expression via the pregnane X receptor. Biochem Pharmacol 2003;65:269-73. . PubMed
  2. Brigelius-Flohe R. Vitamin E and drug metabolism. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2003;305:737-40. PubMed
Moderate

ALKYLATING AGENTS

2 of 2

Lurbinectedin also falls under ALKYLATING AGENTS.

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 honest picture with Zepzelca (lurbinectedin) and vitamin E. Some chemo drugs work partly by creating unstable molecules called free radicals that damage cancer cells. Because vitamin E is an antioxidant, the theory is that high doses could mop up some of those free radicals and possibly blunt how well the chemo works. That's the worry on file.

But I want to be clear: this is a theoretical concern based on how these drugs behave in the lab, not proof that it actually happens with lurbinectedin in people. Some researchers even think antioxidants might help. We just don't have solid answers yet. The amount of vitamin E in a normal diet or a basic multivitamin is unlikely to be the issue; concentrated high-dose supplements are the real question mark. Please run any vitamin E supplement by your oncologist first before adding or continuing it.

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 764 moderate, 1 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Lurbinectedin one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 764 Minor 1 No known interaction 2,065 (incl. Lurbinectedin)
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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Vitamin E or Lurbinectedin

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

This page covers Vitamin E only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lurbinectedin page lists 156 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Beer (major), Grapefruit (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Wine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 122 moderate · 29 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lurbinectedin page

“Lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) is chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer, and with a drug this potent the 156 supplement interactions on file warrant real attention. Five carry a major rating, and those are the ones to understand first.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lurbinectedin 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 Lurbinectedin 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 Lurbinectedin 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 Lurbinectedin
Steady interest

#2,712 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 Lurbinectedin Injection

What Is Lurbinectedin Injection Used For?

Brand name: Zepzelca

Lurbinectedin Injection (brand name Zepzelca) treats small cell lung cancer in adults. It has two approved uses.

One is maintenance treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, given together with atezolizumab (or atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs). The other is metastatic small cell lung cancer that has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. This second use was approved under accelerated approval, so continued approval may depend on confirmatory trials.

See full Lurbinectedin 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
764Moderate
1Minor
2,064No known interaction
764 Moderate 1 Minor 2,064 No interaction
Moderate

764 interactions

Showing 60 of 764 moderate interactions — see all 764 on the Vitamin E page.

Minor

1 interaction

No interaction 2,064 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 2,064 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Vitamin E list.

See the full Vitamin E interactions page
See every supplement checked against Lurbinectedin, 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 Lurbinectedin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Lurbinectedin, ranked by severity Lurbinectedin 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 Lurbinectedin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Vitamin E with Lurbinectedin?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Vitamin E and Lurbinectedin?
Lurbinectedin belongs to more than one drug category, and Vitamin E interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Vitamin E and Lurbinectedin 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 Lurbinectedin and Vitamin E?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.