Taltz Interactions: Alcohol, Medications, and Others

When should I avoid Taltz?

Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you receive Taltz. If this applies to you, your doctor may not prescribe Taltz for you. These are known as contraindications. Taltz has one contraindication.

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

Does Taltz interact with alcohol?

Taltz isn’t known to interact with alcohol. However, drinking alcohol during Taltz treatment could worsen nausea, which is a side effect of Taltz.

If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor before starting Taltz treatment. They can tell you how much alcohol may be safe to drink while you’re receiving Taltz.

Does Taltz interact with other drugs?

Before you start treatment with Taltz, 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 Taltz interacts with supplements, herbs, and vitamins, see the “Are there other interactions with Taltz?” section later in this article.)

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

Drug interactions explained

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

Interaction with abatacept

Taltz may interact with abatacept (Orencia). Receiving these drugs together can increase the risk of side effects from either drug.

Abatacept treats certain autoimmune conditions, including psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The drug also has other uses.

What could happen

Both Taltz and abatacept can reduce your immune system activity, raising your risk of infection. Using these medications together can further increase this risk.

What you can do

Taltz and abatacept treat similar conditions. Before starting treatment with Taltz, tell your doctor if you’re receiving abatacept. They likely won’t prescribe Taltz with this drug. Instead, your doctor can determine whether Taltz or abatacept may be a better treatment option.

If you have questions about the right treatment for your condition, talk with your doctor.

Interaction with tofacitinib

Taltz can interact with tofacitinib (Xeljanz and Xeljanz XR). Using these drugs together can increase your risk of side effects from either medication.

Tofacitinib treats certain autoimmune conditions, including PsA and ankylosing spondylitis.

What could happen

Both Taltz and upadacitinib can reduce your immune system activity, raising your risk of infection. Using these medications together can further increase your risk of infection.

What you can do

Taltz and tofacitinib treat a few of the same conditions. Before receiving Taltz, tell your doctor if you’re taking tofacitinib. They can determine whether Taltz or tofacitinib may be a better treatment option. Your doctor isn’t likely to prescribe these drugs together.

If you have questions about the treatment that’s right for your condition, talk with your doctor.

Interaction with upadacitinib

Receiving Taltz while taking upadacitinib (Rinvoq) can increase your risk of side effects with either drug.

Upadacitinib treats certain autoimmune conditions, including PsA.

What could happen

Both Taltz and upadacitinib can reduce your immune system activity, which raises your risk of infection. Using these medications together can further increase your risk of infection.

What you can do

Taltz and upadacitinib treat similar conditions. Before receiving Taltz, tell your doctor if you’re already taking upadacitinib. They likely won’t prescribe these medications at the same time. Instead, your doctor can determine whether Taltz or upadacitinib may be a better treatment option.

If you have questions about the treatment that’s right for your condition, talk with your doctor.

Are there other interactions with Taltz?

Taltz may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. The details are as follows. Note that the information here does not include all other possible interactions with Taltz.

Does Taltz interact with supplements?

Before you start receiving Taltz, 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.

Taltz and herbs

There are no reports of Taltz interacting with herbs. But this doesn’t mean that interactions with herbs will not 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 receiving Taltz.

Taltz and vitamins

There are no reports of Taltz interacting with vitamins. But this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions will not 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 your Taltz treatment.

Does Taltz interact with food?

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

Does Taltz interact with vaccines?

You should not get live vaccines during your Taltz treatment. (Live vaccines contain a weakened form of the virus they’re meant to protect against.) This is because Taltz lowers your immune system’s ability to fight infection. Getting a live vaccine while receiving Taltz may increase your risk of getting the virus the vaccine is meant to protect against.

Examples of live vaccines include:

• measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
• smallpox
• yellow fever
• chickenpox

Before receiving Taltz, ask your doctor to review your vaccine history. If you need any live vaccines, they may give you the vaccine before you start Taltz treatment. Your doctor can also tell you whether it’s safe to receive any other vaccines during your Taltz treatment.

Does Taltz interact with lab tests?

There are no reports of Taltz interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about getting certain lab tests during your treatment with Taltz, talk with your doctor.

Does Taltz interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Taltz 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 Taltz.

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 Taltz?

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

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

Inflammatory bowel disease: Receiving Taltz may lead to new or worsening inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. If you have IBD, talk with your doctor before using Taltz. They can tell you whether Taltz is a safe treatment option.

Infection, including tuberculosis: Receiving Taltz may lead to new or worsened infections, including tuberculosis (TB). Before starting Taltz treatment, tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms of an infection. Symptoms include fever, chills, and fatigue (low energy).

If you have an infection, your doctor will likely treat it before you start Taltz treatment.

To learn more about Taltz and TB, see the “Common questions about Taltz and interactions” section.

Pregnancy: It is unknown whether Taltz is safe to receive during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before starting treatment with Taltz.

If you do receive Taltz while pregnant, consider enrolling in the drug’s pregnancy registry. This registry keeps track of pregnancy-related issues that may occur with Taltz. To learn more or sign up, call 800-284-1695.

Breastfeeding: It is unknown whether Taltz is safe to receive while breastfeeding. It is unknown if the drug passes into breast milk or whether the drug may cause side effects in a child who’s breastfed. To learn more about receiving Taltz while breastfeeding, talk with your doctor.

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

Common questions about Taltz and interactions

Find answers to some frequently asked questions about Taltz and possible interactions.

Is there an interaction between Taltz and antibiotics?

There’s no known interaction between Taltz and antibiotics.

Doctors prescribe Taltz to treat psoriatic arthritis and certain other autoimmune diseases. Doctors prescribe antibiotics, such as erythromycin (Erygel, Erythrocin, others), to treat bacterial infections.

Taltz can reduce your immune system activity, which raises your risk of infection. If you develop a bacterial infection after starting Taltz treatment, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic or another treatment. If the infection becomes serious or doesn’t go away after treatment, your doctor may advise that you stop receiving Taltz until the infection goes away.

If you have questions about taking antibiotics with Taltz, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Is it safe to use Taltz with sun exposure therapy for plaque psoriasis?

Yes. If your doctor advises, you may receive Taltz and have sun exposure therapy for plaque psoriasis.

Taltz is suitable for plaque psoriasis, which might benefit from certain treatments, like light therapy and systemic therapy (a treatment that affects your whole body). Sun exposure is a kind of light therapy.

Several other kinds of light therapy are also suitable for plaque psoriasis. Your doctor can recommend which form of light therapy may be best for your condition.

If you have questions about Taltz and sun exposure therapy, talk with your doctor.

Can I use Taltz if I have tuberculosis or had it in the past?

Possibly, if you have received treatment for tuberculosis (TB).

Your doctor will test you for TB Before starting treatment with Taltz. If the test shows you have TB, your doctor will treat this condition before prescribing Taltz.

Even after treatment, TB can still return during your Taltz treatment. For this reason, your doctor will watch for symptoms of TB infection during your Taltz treatment. Examples of TB symptoms include:

• fatigue (low energy)
• fever or chills
• cough, which may include coughing up blood or phlegm
• chest pain

If you develop symptoms of TB during your Taltz treatment, your doctor may have you temporarily stop receiving Taltz while you have treatment for the infection. They’ll tell you whether it’s safe to resume treatment with Taltz after the infection clears.

How can I prevent interactions?

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

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

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

If you need assistance reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Using Taltz 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.