Copaxone Interactions: Alcohol, Medications, and Others

Does Copaxone interact with other drugs?

Before starting Copaxone, 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 Copaxone interacts with herbs, vitamins, or supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with Copaxone?” section.

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

When should I avoid Copaxone?

Certain health conditions or other factors could increase your risk of harm if you use Copaxone. These are known as contraindications. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe this medication for you. Copaxone has one contraindication, which is a previous allergic reaction.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Copaxone or any of its ingredients (glatiramer acetate or mannitol), your doctor likely won’t prescribe this medication for you. Ask them about other treatments that may be better options.

Does Copaxone interact with alcohol?

Copaxone is not known to interact with alcohol. But alcohol can worsen MS symptoms. So while Copaxone and alcohol don’t directly interact, your doctor may still suggest avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption.

If you have questions about consuming alcohol during Copaxone treatment, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Drug interactions explained

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

Interaction with alemtuzumab

Copaxone is reported to interact with alemtuzumab, which is available as the brand-name drug Lemtrada. This drug is used to treat certain forms of MS. Alemtuzumab also comes as the brand-name drug Campath, which is prescribed for treating B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Copaxone works to treat MS by altering activity in your immune system, which may interfere with how well your immune system works. However, evidence on whether Copaxone causes immunosuppression (weakened immune system) isn’t clear.

Alemtuzumab is known to cause immunosuppression. So, taking these medications together may increase your risk of immunosuppression and infection as a side effect.

What you can do

Your doctor won’t prescribe Copaxone and alemtuzumab together.

If you have questions about taking these medications together, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Interaction with ocrelizumab

There is a reported interaction between Copaxone and ocrelizumab (Ocrevus), which is prescribed to treat MS.

Ocrelizumab works to treat MS by lowering activity in your immune system, which causes immunosuppression (weakened immune system). Copaxone works by modifying activity in your immune system, although it isn’t clear whether it also causes immunosuppression. Using Copaxone and ocrelizumab together may increase your risk of infection, including serious infection, due to a weakened immune system.

What you can do

Due to the risk of immunosuppression and infection, your doctor won’t prescribe Copaxone and ocrelizumab together.

If you have questions about taking these medications together, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Interaction with ozanimod

Copaxone and ozanimod (Zeposia) are reported to interact. Ozanimod is prescribed to treat certain forms of MS, as well as ulcerative colitis (UC).

Ozanimod works for MS and UC by decreasing activity in your immune system. This works to treat MS and UC symptoms but also causes immunosuppression (weakened immune system). Immunosuppression increases your risk of infection, including serious infection.

Copaxone works for MS by modifying activity in your immune system. It’s not clear whether Copaxone also causes immunosuppression. But it’s possible that using Copaxone and ozanimod together can weaken your immune system and increase your risk of infection.

What you can do

Your doctor won’t prescribe Copaxone and ozanimod together due to the risk of infection.

If you have questions about taking these medications together, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Are there other interactions with Copaxone?

There may be other interactions that could occur with Copaxone and supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. Note that this is not a full list of all other possible interactions with Copaxone.

Does Copaxone interact with supplements?

Before starting Copaxone, 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. Ask them if you have questions about interactions that may affect you.

Copaxone interactions with herbs

There are currently no reports of Copaxone 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 taking any of these products while using Copaxone.

Copaxone interactions with vitamins

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

For this reason, it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while using Copaxone.

Does Copaxone interact with food?

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

Does Copaxone interact with vaccines?

There are currently no reports of Copaxone interacting with vaccines. If you have questions about getting certain vaccines during your Copaxone treatment, talk with your doctor.

Does Copaxone interact with lab tests?

There are currently no reports of Copaxone interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests during your treatment with Copaxone, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.

Does Copaxone interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Copaxone 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 Copaxone.

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 use Copaxone?

Certain medical conditions or other health factors may increase your risk of interactions with Copaxone. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether this drug is right for you.

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

Liver problems: If you have a liver problem such as cirrhosis, be sure to tell your doctor before starting Copaxone. Side effects of this drug include liver-related side effects such as liver damage. If you have an existing liver problem, Copaxone could worsen it. You may also be at higher risk of liver-related side effects.

Your doctor can help determine if Copaxone treatment is safe for you. If they prescribe this medication, they may order liver function tests throughout your treatment to check your liver health.

Pregnancy: It’s not known whether Copaxone is safe to use during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or may become pregnant, talk with your doctor before starting this medication.

Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether Copaxone treatment is safe while breastfeeding. It isn’t known whether the drug passes into breast milk, or if it might cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor about your options.

Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Copaxone or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe this medication for you. Ask them about other treatments that may be better options for you.

How can I prevent interactions?

Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Copaxone. 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 Copaxone treatment

It’s also important to understand Copaxone’s label and other paperwork that may come with it. 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 Copaxone, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you. If you have difficulty reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Using Copaxone 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.