Abecma Interactions: Alcohol, Medications, and Others

Does Abecma interact with other drugs?

Abecma has not been reported to interact with other drugs. However, this doesn’t mean that interactions won’t be recognized in the future. For example, new drugs may be developed that could interact with Abecma.

Before you receive Abecma, 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 Abecma interacts with herbs, vitamins, or supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with Abecma?” section.

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

Does Abecma interact with alcohol?

Abecma is not known to interact with alcohol. But Abecma and alcohol can cause some similar side effects, such as nausea, headache, and dizziness. So you may be more likely to experience these side effects if you drink alcohol after receiving Abecma.

If you have questions about consuming alcohol after receiving Abecma, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Are there other interactions with Abecma?

Abecma may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests.

Here are additional interactions that may occur with Abecma. Note that this is not a full list of all other possible interactions with Abecma.

Does Abecma interact with supplements?

Before you receive Abecma, 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.

Abecma interactions with herbs

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

For this reason, it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before receiving any of these products with Abecma.

Abecma interactions with vitamins

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

For this reason, it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before receiving any of these products with Abecma.

Does Abecma interact with food?

There are currently no reports of Abecma interacting with food. If you have questions about eating certain foods during your treatment with Abecma, talk with your doctor.

Does Abecma interact with vaccines?

You should not receive live vaccines in the 6 weeks before receiving your Abecma infusion. And after receiving Abecma, you should not receive live vaccines until your doctor determines it’s safe for you to do so.

Live vaccines contain weakened versions of the bacteria or virus they’re meant to protect against. This means getting a live vaccine before or after receiving Abecma increases your risk of infection.

Examples of live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), rotavirus, chickenpox, and the nasal spray flu vaccine (FluMist). If you need to receive a vaccine, talk with your doctor first to make sure it’s safe.

Does Abecma interact with lab tests?

Abecma can interact with lab tests for HIV. Specifically, it can cause false positives in certain HIV tests. This means if you get an HIV test after receiving Abecma, you may test positive for HIV even if you don’t have the infection. If you get an HIV test, be sure to tell the healthcare professional ordering the test that you have received Abecma.

If you have questions about having lab tests during your treatment with Abecma, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.

Does Abecma interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Abecma 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 Abecma.

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 receive Abecma?

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

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

Active infection or inflammation: If you have an active infection or inflammation in your body, your doctor may delay your Abecma infusion. (An infection is active when it’s currently causing symptoms.)

Receiving Abecma with an active infection or inflammation could worsen your condition. Talk with your doctor about when you may be able to receive Abecma.

History of certain infections: If you have a history of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, or cytomegalovirus, receiving Abecma could make these infections become active in your body again. Your doctor will likely test for these infections before prescribing Abecma. If the test results show you have one of these infections, your doctor may prescribe medication to treat it before you receive Abecma.

Pregnancy: It’s not known whether Abecma is safe to receive during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or may become pregnant, talk with your doctor before receiving Abecma.

Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to breastfeed after receiving Abecma. It’s not known if the drug passes into breast milk, or whether it may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. 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 Abecma or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Abecma. This is because receiving the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better for you.

How can I prevent interactions?

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

• whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis
• the list of medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs
• what to do if you start taking a new drug during your Abecma treatment

It’s also important to understand Abecma’s label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. Colored stickers that describe interactions may be on the label. The paperwork, sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide, may have other details about interactions.

If you did not get paperwork with Abecma, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you. If you have difficulty reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Following all the advice given by your healthcare professional about receiving Abecma 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.