Camzyos Interactions: Alcohol, Medications, and Others

When should I avoid Camzyos?

Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take Camzyos. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe Camzyos for you. These are known as contraindications. Here are the contraindications of Camzyos.

If you take certain drugs that block specific enzymes (proteins) in your body: Doctors typically won’t prescribe Camzyos with certain drugs that block either the CYP2C19 enzyme. These are proteins that help remove drugs from your body.

Taking certain CYP2C19 blockers with Camzyos can raise your risk of severe side effects, including heart failure. (Camzyos has a boxed warning about the risk of heart failure. See the introduction of this article to learn more about this warning.)

Examples of these CYP2C19 blockers include:

• fluconazole (Diflucan)
• fluvoxamine
• esomeprazole (Nexium)

If you take certain drugs that speed up the activity of specific proteins in your body: Doctors typically won’t prescribe Camzyos with certain drugs that speed up (induce) the activity of either the CYP2C19 or CYP3A4 protein.

Taking Camzyos with one of these CYP2C19 or CYP3A4 inducers can make Camzyos less effective.

Examples of these CYP2C19 inducers include:

• enzalutamide (Xtandi)
• primidone (Mysoline)
• butalbital, which is found in some headache medications, including aspirin/butalbital/caffeine (Lanorinal)
• rifampin (Rimactane, Rifadin)
• phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)

Examples of these CYP3A4 inducers include:

• rifampin (Rimactane, Rifadin)
• phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)
• bosentan (Tracleer)
• carbamazepine (Tegretol, others)
• efavirenz and drugs that contain it, such as efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Atripla)

If you’ve had an allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Camzyos or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Camzyos. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.

Before you start taking Camzyos, talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether Camzyos is safe for you to take.

Does Camzyos interact with alcohol?

Camzyos is not known to interact with alcohol. However, Camzyos and alcohol can cause some similar side effects, such as dizziness. You may be more likely to experience these side effects if you drink alcohol during your Camzyos treatment.

If you drink alcohol and have questions about consuming it while taking Camzyos, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Does Camzyos interact with other drugs?

Before you start taking Camzyos, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether Camzyos interacts with supplements, herbs, and vitamins, see the “Are there other interactions with Camzyos?” section.)

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

The following table lists drugs that may interact with Camzyos. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with Camzyos. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section later in the article.

Note: To learn more about the interaction with CYP3A4 and CYP2C19, see the “When should I avoid Camzyos?” section of this article.

Drug interactions explained

Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with Camzyos.

Interaction with drugs that reduce your heart’s ability to contract

Camzyos interacts with drugs that affect your heart’s ability to contract. These drugs may be prescribed for conditions such as irregular heart rhythm or high blood pressure.

Examples of these drugs include:

• disopyramide (Norpace)
• ranolazine (Aspruzyo sprinkle)
• verapamil (Verelan, others)
• diltiazem (Cartia XT, others)
• beta-blockers, such as metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)

What could happen

Taking Camzyos with drugs that reduce your heart’s ability to contract raises your risk of heart failure. In fact, the drug has a boxed warning about this side effect. To learn more, see the “Boxed warning” section.

What you can do

Doctors typically won’t prescribe Camzyos with disopyramide or ranolazine. They also usually avoid prescribing Camzyos if you’re taking either verapamil or diltiazem with a beta-blocker, such as metoprolol.

If you can’t take another drug for your condition, your doctor may prescribe Camzyos with a drug that reduces your heart’s ability to contract. If so, they’ll monitor you closely for any symptoms of heart failure, such as shortness of breath, fluid retention in your lower legs or feet, and fatigue (low energy).

Interaction with certain combination birth control pills

Camzyos interacts with certain combination birth control pills. Combination birth control pills contain estrogen and progestin (two hormones used to prevent pregnancy).

Pills that contain ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone are considered safe to use with Camzyos. However, examples of birth control pills that interact with Camzyos are listed here:

• ethinyl estradiol/desogestrel (Cyclessa, others)
• ethinyl estradiol/drospirenone (Yaz)
• ethinyl estradiol/drospirenone/levomefolate (Beyaz)
• ethinyl estradiol/ethynodiol diacetate (Kelnor, others)
• ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel (Twirla, others)

What could happen

Taking Camzyos with a birth control pill that contains estrogen can make the birth control pill less effective. This may result in breakthrough bleeding (bleeding between periods) or unplanned pregnancy.

What you can do

Your doctor will suggest using another birth control method, such as condoms or an intrauterine device (IUD), while you’re taking Camzyos and for at least 4 months after your last dose.

Are there other interactions with Camzyos?

Camzyos may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See the following section for details. Note that the information below doesn’t include all other possible interactions with Camzyos.

Does Camzyos interact with supplements?

Before you start taking Camzyos, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any supplements, herbs, and vitamins you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.

If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Camzyos interactions with herbs

Camzyos interacts with the herbal supplement St. John’s wort, which is used to ease symptoms of depression or other conditions.

You should not take St. John’s wort with Camzyos. Doing so could lower the level of Camzyos in your body, which may make the drug less effective.

If you take St. John’s wort, ask your doctor or pharmacist about alternative treatments that are safe to take with Camzyos.

Camzyos and vitamins

There are currently no reports of Camzyos interacting with vitamins. But this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions won’t be recognized in the future.

For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products during treatment with Camzyos.

Does Camzyos interact with food?

You should not consume grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking Camzyos, as these products interact with the drug.

Combining grapefruit and Camzyos can raise the level of Camzyos in your body, which increases your risk of serious side effects.

Does Camzyos interact with vaccines?

Camzyos isn’t known to interact with vaccines. If you have questions about receiving vaccines while you’re taking Camzyos, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Does Camzyos interact with lab tests?

Camzyos isn’t known to interact with lab tests. If you have questions about having lab tests while taking Camzyos, talk with your doctor.

Does Camzyos interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Camzyos interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). But as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis with Camzyos.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.

Does my health history affect whether I should take Camzyos?

Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with Camzyos. Before taking Camzyos, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Camzyos is right for you.

Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Camzyos include:

Pregnancy: Camzyos isn’t safe to take while pregnant. This is because the drug may cause harm to a fetus. If you become pregnant while taking Camzyos, immediately call your doctor.

If you can become pregnant, your doctor will order a pregnancy test before prescribing Camzyos to ensure you aren’t pregnant. You should also use birth control during your Camzyos treatment and for at least 4 months after your last dose.

It’s important to note that Camzyos interacts with certain birth control pills. To learn more, see the “Drug interactions explained” section.

Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to breastfeed while taking Camzyos. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to do so, talk with your doctor about your options.

Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Camzyos or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Camzyos. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better for you.

Heart failure: Camzyos has a boxed warning about the risk of heart failure. A boxed warning is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous. See “Boxed warning: Risk of heart failure” at the beginning of this article for details.

Serious infection: Be sure to let your doctor know about any serious infections you have, before or during Camzyos treatment. Infection may increase the risk of heart failure with Camzyos. Your doctor can determine whether Camzyos is safe for you if you have a severe infection.

Irregular heartbeat: If you have an irregular heartbeat, or if you develop an irregular heartbeat while taking Camzyos, discuss this with your doctor. An irregular heartbeat can raise your risk of heart failure, which is a possible side effect of Camzyos. Your doctor can recommend whether this drug is safe for you.

How can I prevent interactions?

Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Camzyos. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:

• Whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis.
• Other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you fill out a medication list.
• What to do if you start taking a new drug during your Camzyos treatment.

It’s also important to understand Camzyos’s label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. Colored stickers that describe interactions may be on the label. And the paperwork (sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide) may have other details about interactions. (If you didn’t get paperwork with Camzyos, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you.)

If you have difficulty reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Taking Camzyos exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.