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Lamivudine

Also indexed as: 3TC, Epivir, Zeffix

Combination drug: Combivir

Illustration

Lamivudine is used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and is in a class of drugs known as antivirals.

Summary of Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, and Foods
In some cases, a herb or supplement may appear in more than one category, which may seem contradictory. For clarification, read the full article for details about the summarized interactions.

Beneficial May Be Beneficial: Supportive interaction—Taking these supplements may support or otherwise help your medication work better.

Sho-saiko-to*
Depletion or interference

None known
Side effect reduction/prevention

None known
Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability

None known
Adverse interaction

None known

An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

Interactions with Herbs

Sho-saiko-to
Test tube studies show that the herbal combination sho-saiko-to enhances the antiviral activity of lamivudine.1 Sho-saiko-to contains extracts of seven herbs, including Bupleuri radix, Pinelliae tuber, Scutellariae radix, Zizyphi fructus, ginseng (Ginseng radix),liquorice (Glycyrrhizae radix), and ginger (Zingibers rhizoma). Controlled studies are needed to determine whether taking sho-saiko-to might enhance the beneficial effects of lamivudine.

References

1. Piras G, Makino M, Baba M. Sho-saiko-to, a traditional kampo medicine, enhances the anti-HIV-1 activity of lamivudine (3TC) in vitro. Microbiol Immunol 1997;41:835–9.