Is NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) Safe with Cisplatin?
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Avoid NAC supplementation during cisplatin chemotherapy cycles. NAC contains a thiol group that can chemically bind to platinum and may reduce cisplatin's antitumor activity. Consult your oncologist before use.
Why this interaction occurs
NAC is a precursor to glutathione and contains a free thiol (-SH) group. Cisplatin kills cancer cells by forming platinum-DNA adducts. NAC's thiol group can bind to cisplatin, inactivating it before it reaches DNA. Additionally, increased glutathione levels from NAC supplementation enhance cellular detoxification of cisplatin in tumor cells, reducing efficacy.
Evidence
Evidence level: strong.
Data source
PubMed: PMID 38675591, PMID 25411097
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 NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) interactions → · All Cisplatin interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.