Repatha With Red Yeast Rice Interaction

Answer

Thank you for reaching out to us!

Our drug-herbal interaction checker does not show an interaction between Repatha and red yeast rice. However, if you are using a different online resource that is listing an interaction, it's likely due to what is known as a 'therapeutic duplication'.

Red yeast rice is a popular over-the-counter supplement commonly used to lower cholesterol levels. Its effectiveness is due to the presence of monacolin K in most red yeast rice supplements, which is essentially the same as the prescription 'statin' drug lovastatin, proven to lower cholesterol levels.

Repatha is a PCSK9 inhibitor that, like statin drugs, lowers cholesterol, albeit through a different mechanism.

Often, drug interaction checkers will flag an interaction when two of the drugs in question work to treat the same condition or affect the same measure.

For example, two blood pressure medications can often 'interact', even if they don't work the same way. The interaction is essentially a warning about the additive blood pressure lowering effects, which could potentially cause side effects.

With cholesterol medications, additive effects are generally not as concerning as with some other drug classes. Nevertheless, the combined cholesterol-lowering effects of Repatha and red yeast rice may be why you are seeing an interaction listed.

Final Words

Please feel free to write back and share where you are seeing an interaction between Repatha and red yeast rice. We'd be happy to look into it and provide more information on what we find.

Thank you again for contacting us!