Key takeaways
- Ubrelvy (ubrogepant), a prescription medication used for treating migraine, has potential interactions with certain drugs.
- Alcohol isn’t known to interact with Ubrelvy, but combining the two may worsen side effects, such as nausea and sleepiness. Alcohol also can trigger migraine, so your doctor can determine whether it’s safe for you to drink alcohol during Ubrelvy treatment.
- St. John’s wort can reduce Ubrelvy’s effectiveness, and grapefruit products can increase the risk of Ubrelvy’s side effects. Discuss all supplements you take with your doctor before and during Ubrelvy treatment. Ask them whether consuming grapefruit products is suitable for you when taking Ubrelvy.
Doctors prescribe Ubrelvy for adults to treat certain kinds of migraine episodes.
An interaction can occur because one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions also can occur if you have certain health conditions.
Keep reading to learn about Ubrelvy’s possible interactions.
Before you start taking Ubrelvy, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions.
The following table lists drugs that may interact with Ubrelvy. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with Ubrelvy. For more information about these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section.
| Interaction with Ubrelvy | Examples of drugs with this interaction |
|---|---|
| can raise the risk of side effects from Ubrelvy | CYP3A4 inhibitors, including: • ketoconazole • cyclosporine (Gengraf, others) • clarithromycin • others BCRP and P-gp inhibitors, including: • carvedilol (Coreg) • quinidine • eltrombopag (Promacta) |
| can make Ubrelvy less effective | CYP3A4 inducers, including: • rifampin (Rimactane) • phenytoin (Dilantin) • others |
If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
To learn whether Ubrelvy interacts with herbs, vitamins, or supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with Ubrelvy?” section.
Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take Ubrelvy. These are known as contraindications. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe Ubrelvy for you. The contraindications of Ubrelvy are:
If you take certain drugs called strong CYP3A4 inhibitors: When you take a dose of Ubrelvy, certain enzymes break down the medication. (Enzymes are proteins that aid chemical changes in your body.) Specifically, the CYP3A4 enzyme helps break down Ubrelvy after you take a dose.
Certain medications block CYP3A4 from working. These medications are referred to as CYP3A4 inhibitors. Some of these medications greatly affect CYP3A4 and how well it works. This can result in Ubrelvy levels building up in your body, which may raise your risk of side effects from Ubrelvy. Drugs that act in this way are called strong CYP3A4 inhibitors.
Examples of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors include:
- ketoconazole
- itraconazole (Sporanox, Tolsura)
- clarithromycin
Because of this risk, doctors typically will not prescribe Ubrelvy with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor. They may also adjust your dose if you need to take Ubrelvy with a weak or moderate CYP3A4 inhibitor. Before you begin treatment with Ubrelvy, it’s important to tell your doctor about all medications and supplements you take.
Your doctor may recommend that you stop taking the strong CYP3A4 inhibitor and switch to a different treatment instead. Or they may prescribe a migraine treatment other than Ubrelvy.
If you’ve had an allergic reaction: If you have had a severe allergic reaction to Ubrelvy or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Ubrelvy. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better options for you.
Before you start taking Ubrelvy, talk with your doctor if any of the factors just described apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether Ubrelvy is safe for you to take.
Ubrelvy and alcohol don’t have any known interaction. But some of Ubrelvy’s side effects are the same as those alcohol can cause, including nausea and sleepiness. Combining Ubrelvy and alcohol may raise your risk of these side effects or make them worse if you do experience them.
For some people, alcohol is a trigger for a migraine episode. And it’s possible that drinking alcohol during a migraine episode could worsen your symptoms.
If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about how much may be safe to drink with your condition and treatment plan.
Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with Ubrelvy.
Interaction with drugs that raise the risk of side effects from Ubrelvy
Taking Ubrelvy with certain drugs can raise your risk of side effects.
| What could happen | Examples of drugs with this interaction |
|---|---|
| can increase Ubrelvy levels in your body, which can raise your risk of side effects from Ubrelvy | strong CYP3A4 inhibitors, including: • ketoconazole • itraconazole (Sporanox, Tolsura) moderate CYP3A4 inhibitors, including: • cyclosporine (Gengraf, others) • fluvoxamine (Luvox) • ciprofloxacin (Cipro) BCRP and P-gp inhibitors, including: • carvedilol (Coreg) • quinidine • eltrombopag (Promacta) |
The CYP3A4 enzyme helps break down Ubrelvy after you take a dose. Medications called CYP3A4 inhibitors block CYP3A4 from working. This can result in a buildup of Ubrelvy levels, possibly raising the risk of side effects from Ubrelvy. This effect is stronger with some CYP3A4 inhibitors than others.
Doctors typically will not prescribe Ubrelvy with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor. (For more information, see the “When should I avoid Ubrelvy?” section.)
BCRP and P-gp are proteins that also help clear Ubrelvy from your body. BCRP and P-gp inhibitors can block these proteins from working, which can lead to an increase in Ubrelvy levels. This also raises the risk of side effects from Ubrelvy.
What you can do
Before you begin Ubrelvy treatment, tell your doctor and pharmacist about all medications you take. They’ll check to see whether any of them may raise your risk of side effects from Ubrelvy.
If you’re taking a drug that could interact with Ubrelvy in this way, your doctor will likely lower your Ubrelvy dosage. (To learn more about Ubrelvy’s dosage, see this Ubrelvy dosage article.) In some cases, your doctor may prescribe a drug other than Ubrelvy to treat your condition.
Interaction with drugs that can make Ubrelvy less effective
When certain drugs are taken with Ubrelvy, they can make Ubrelvy less effective.
| What could happen | Examples of drugs with this interaction |
|---|---|
| Your body may break down Ubrelvy too quickly. This can decrease Ubrelvy levels in your body, which may make Ubrelvy less effective. | CYP3A4 inducers, including: • rifampin (Rimactane) • phenytoin (Dilantin) • carbamazepine (Tegretol, others) |
The CYP3A4 enzyme helps break down Ubrelvy after you take a dose. Medications called CYP3A4 inducers stimulate the production of this enzyme. Higher levels of this enzyme can break down Ubrelvy faster than usual. This may make Ubrelvy less effective.
What you can do
Before taking Ubrelvy, tell your doctor about all the medications you take. They can determine whether any of them could make Ubrelvy less effective if taken together.
If you’re taking a drug that could interact with Ubrelvy in this way, your doctor may raise your Ubrelvy dosage. Or in some cases, they may prescribe a drug other than Ubrelvy to treat your condition.
Ubrelvy may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See the text that follows for details.
Does Ubrelvy interact with supplements?
Before you start taking Ubrelvy, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs, vitamins, or supplements 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.
Ubrelvy interactions with herbs
The herbal supplements St. John’s wort and curcumin (which is found in turmeric) can interact with Ubrelvy.
Taking Ubrelvy with St. John’s wort can make Ubrelvy less effective. Because of this risk, doctors will usually recommend that you don’t take St. John’s wort with Ubrelvy. Instead, they can recommend alternatives to either St. John’s wort or Ubrelvy.
Taking Ubrelvy with curcumin could raise your risk of side effects from Ubrelvy. Because of this risk, your doctor will likely lower your Ubrelvy dosage if you take it with a curcumin or turmeric supplement. (To learn more about Ubrelvy’s dosage, see this Ubrelvy dosage article.)
Ubrelvy and vitamins
Ubrelvy currently has no reports of interacting with vitamins. But this doesn’t mean that interactions with vitamins 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 while taking Ubrelvy.
Does Ubrelvy interact with food?
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with Ubrelvy. Eating grapefruit while taking Ubrelvy may make the drug stay in your body longer. This can increase your risk of side effects from Ubrelvy, such as nausea.
If you consume grapefruit or grapefruit juice, your doctor will likely ask you to avoid these products during your Ubrelvy treatment. Or in some cases, they may lower your Ubrelvy dosage. Your doctor will also likely tell you to avoid taking a second Ubrelvy dose in one day if you’ve consumed grapefruit. (To learn more about Ubrelvy’s dosage, see this Ubrelvy dosage article.)
If you have questions about consuming grapefruit products with Ubrelvy, talk with your doctor.
Does Ubrelvy interact with vaccines?
Ubrelvy isn’t known to interact with any vaccines.
Does Ubrelvy interact with lab tests?
Ubrelvy isn’t known to interact with any lab tests.
Does Ubrelvy interact with cannabis or CBD?Ubrelvy can interact with cannabis (marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). Combining Ubrelvy with cannabis can increase the amount of Ubrelvy in your body and raise your risk of side effects. If you use cannabis, talk with your doctor about the risks of using it with Ubrelvy.
Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.
Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with Ubrelvy. Before taking Ubrelvy, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Ubrelvy is right for you.
Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Ubrelvy include:
- Kidney problems: Your kidneys play a key role in removing Ubrelvy from your body after you take a dose. If you have kidney problems, such as chronic kidney disease, Ubrelvy levels could build up in your body. This may raise your risk of side effects, such as sleepiness. If your kidney problems are severe, your doctor will likely prescribe a lower Ubrelvy dosage for you. But if you have end stage kidney disease, your doctor will likely suggest a treatment other than Ubrelvy for migraine episodes.
- Liver problems: Your liver also plays an important role in ridding your body of Ubrelvy after you take a dose. If you have liver problems (such as alcohol-associated liver disease), Ubrelvy levels may build up in your body. This could raise your risk of side effects, such as fatigue. If you have a severe liver problem, your doctor will likely prescribe a lower Ubrelvy dosage for you.
- Allergic reaction: If you’ve ever had a severe allergic reaction to Ubrelvy or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Ubrelvy. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better choices for you.
- Pregnancy: It’s unknown whether it’s safe to take Ubrelvy while pregnant. If you’re pregnant or can become pregnant, talk with your doctor before taking Ubrelvy.
- Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to breastfeed while taking Ubrelvy. If you’re currently breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor before taking Ubrelvy.
Find answers to some frequently asked questions about Ubrelvy and possible interactions.
Can I take Ubrelvy with ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol)?
Currently, Ubrelvy doesn’t have any reports of interactions with ibuprofen or acetaminophen, two common OTC pain relievers.
Ubrelvy is taken to relieve migraine symptoms, including pain from headache. If Ubrelvy isn’t relieving headache pain well enough when you take it during a migraine episode, talk with your doctor. They may suggest increasing your dosage of Ubrelvy or trying another treatment option.
Does Ubrelvy interact with rizatriptan?
It’s unclear whether Ubrelvy interacts with rizatriptan (Maxalt, Maxalt-MLT) due to insufficient research. Both drugs treat migraine episodes, but they work differently. Rizatriptan belongs to a group of drugs called triptans, while Ubrelvy belongs to a group of drugs called calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists.
One
If you’re already taking rizatriptan or another migraine medication, let your doctor know before starting Ubrelvy. They can discuss with you whether these medications are safe to take together or suggest other treatment options.
Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Ubrelvy. 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 Ubrelvy treatment.
It’s also important to read Ubrelvy’s
Taking Ubrelvy exactly as prescribed also can 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.