Is Glutathione Safe with Cisplatin?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Do not use exogenous glutathione supplements during cisplatin treatment. Elevated intracellular glutathione is a well-documented mechanism of cisplatin resistance. Inform your oncologist of any supplement use.
Why this interaction occurs
Glutathione directly conjugates with cisplatin via thiol binding, forming an inactive platinum-glutathione complex. Tumor cells with elevated GSH levels are significantly more resistant to cisplatin. Exogenous glutathione supplementation raises intracellular GSH, potentially conferring resistance and reducing clinical outcomes.
Evidence
Evidence level: strong.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 80,762 reports mentioning Cisplatin. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Cisplatin + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Glutathione interactions → · All Cisplatin interactions →
Already checked this one — check your whole list
Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.