Your Other Medicines — During Chemotherapy
Most people start chemotherapy already taking several other medicines — for blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid, TB, or epilepsy. Some of these interact with chemotherapy drugs. The problem is usually not the medicines themselves but that nobody has checked them against each other.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla, Medical Oncologist, MBBS · MD · DM (Adyar, Chennai) · ECMO · MRCP SCE (UK) · Last reviewed September 2026
- Most regular medicines continue — Stopping without guidance is as risky as the interaction you are trying to avoid.
- Some combinations need watching — Certain medicines affect how your body processes chemotherapy, which can change its effectiveness or safety.
- Two doctors, one list — Your oncologist and prescribing doctor both need your full medicine list — together, not separately.
- Herbal preparations count — Widely used herbal and Ayurvedic preparations can affect the liver enzymes that process chemotherapy.
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Most regular medicines continue during chemotherapy, but some interact with specific regimens and may need adjustment. Neither your oncologist nor your usual prescribing doctor can check for interactions if they do not know what the other has prescribed. Bring a complete written medicine list to your first oncology visit.
Do you keep taking your regular medicines during chemotherapy?
Most regular medicines continue. The decision is yours and your doctors', not something to decide alone. Stopping a blood pressure medicine or insulin without guidance can cause its own crisis during treatment.
What changes is the level of monitoring. Some medicines need more frequent blood tests or adjusted timing while you are on chemotherapy. Your oncologist will tell you what to watch for — but only if they know what you are taking.
The review needs to happen before your first cycle, not after a reaction. At your first oncology appointment, bring every medicine by name — including anything you buy without a prescription.
Which medicines interact most often with chemotherapy in India?
The categories that come up most often are TB medicines, blood thinners, diabetes medicines, epilepsy medicines, and herbal or Ayurvedic preparations.
TB medicines — particularly rifampicin — affect the liver enzymes that process many chemotherapy drugs. This can change how much chemotherapy is active in your body. If you are being treated for TB and cancer at the same time, both teams need to speak directly to each other.
Blood thinners such as warfarin interact with several regimens and may need more frequent monitoring. Diabetes medicines may need adjustment because chemotherapy and steroid pre-medications both affect blood sugar. Some epilepsy medicines that stimulate liver enzymes can alter drug levels significantly.
Herbal and Ayurvedic preparations affect the same liver pathways as many chemotherapy drugs. Tell your oncologist everything you take, including what you buy at a pharmacy or health store without a prescription.
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What should I bring to every oncology appointment?
- A written list of every medicine you take — the name and how often, not just the condition it treats
- Any supplements, herbal tablets, tonics, or Ayurvedic preparations you use regularly or occasionally
- The name of every doctor who prescribes for you — GP, diabetologist, neurologist, cardiologist
- A note of any medicine newly prescribed by another doctor since your last oncology appointment
- A direct question for your oncologist: have these been checked against my chemotherapy regimen?
- After that visit: tell your prescribing doctor which chemotherapy you are on and ask them the same question
Did you know?
TB and cancer can occur together, and managing both at the same time is a recognised challenge across India. Rifampicin, a standard TB medicine, is one of the most potent enzyme-inducers known — it can reduce the circulating levels of many chemotherapy drugs.
NCCN and ESMO guidance consistently identifies this combination as requiring specialist-to-specialist review, not assumption.
Source: NCCN Guidelines — Drug Interactions with Antineoplastic Agents; ESMO Clinical Practice
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Frequently asked questions
Can I just stop my regular medicines when I start chemotherapy?
No. Stopping medicines for blood pressure, diabetes, or epilepsy without guidance is dangerous in its own right and can cause a crisis during treatment. The aim is not to remove your regular medicines but to make sure the combination is safe. Never stop or change a regular medicine without speaking to the doctor who prescribed it. Tell your oncologist what you take and let both doctors decide together.
Who is responsible for checking my medicines — my oncologist or my regular doctor?
Both, and that is exactly the gap that causes problems. Your oncologist is responsible for the chemotherapy regimen. Your regular doctor — GP, diabetologist, or cardiologist — is responsible for your chronic medicines. Neither can check the combination unless they both know what the other has prescribed. You are the link between them. Bring the full list to your oncologist and tell your regular doctor which chemotherapy you have started.
Does rifampicin or my TB medicine affect chemotherapy?
Rifampicin is one of the medicines most likely to interact with chemotherapy. It stimulates liver enzymes that process many drugs, which can reduce the amount of chemotherapy active in your body. If you are being treated for TB at the same time as cancer, your oncologist and your TB doctor need to speak to each other directly. Do not assume the combination is safe without that conversation happening.
Do herbal medicines and home remedies interact with chemotherapy?
Some do. Herbal and Ayurvedic preparations are processed by the same liver pathways as many chemotherapy drugs, and some affect those pathways significantly. Most patients do not mention them, and most doctors do not ask. Tell your oncologist everything you take that is not prescribed — herbs, tonics, supplements, and anything you buy without a prescription. You will not be judged for taking them, but your oncologist needs to know.
Another doctor gave me a new prescription during chemotherapy — does my oncologist need to know?
Yes, at your next appointment. Any medicine prescribed during chemotherapy — for an unrelated condition, a new symptom, or a routine review — needs to be on your oncologist's list. Do not wait until the end of treatment to mention it. If the new medicine was prescribed as something to start immediately, contact your oncology team the same day if possible.
Will the hospital pharmacist catch any interactions?
A hospital pharmacist is trained to check for interactions and is a useful extra safeguard. In practice, they can only see what is on the hospital prescription — not medicines prescribed elsewhere or bought without a prescription. The full review requires all medicines to be visible to someone, which means bringing a complete written list to your oncologist. The pharmacist adds a layer; they cannot replace that conversation.
My diabetes is well controlled — do my diabetes medicines really need reviewing?
Yes. Chemotherapy and the steroids often given alongside it can raise blood sugar, sometimes significantly. A regimen that was well controlled before treatment may not stay controlled during it. Your oncologist and the doctor managing your diabetes both need to know you are starting chemotherapy so they can agree on what monitoring is needed. Good control before starting does not mean no review is required.
What actually happens if two medicines interact during chemotherapy?
It depends on the type of interaction. Some reduce how much chemotherapy remains active in your body, which can affect whether the treatment works. Others increase chemotherapy levels, raising the risk of side effects. Some affect your regular medicine rather than the chemotherapy — making it less effective or causing unexpected effects. These outcomes are much easier to prevent than to manage after the fact, which is why the review needs to happen before treatment starts.
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