Should you avoid caffeine while on Acalabrutinib?

[miav1234]

My mom just started her treatment with acalabrutinib. She is a regular 1-2 cups of coffee a day drinker.

The pharmacist told my mom to not drink coffee for the same reason she shouldn't drink grapefruit or orange juice while on the meds. She brought up that her doctor suggested coffee to avoid headaches and he said that she should only drink it IF she gets a headache, or else avoid it.

Has anyone else received this advice? I can't find this information anywhere.

[Panz]

I would continue to ask around as my doctor, pharmacist and nutritionist have told me to drink a cup of coffee or green tea with each and every meal and anytime I have one of those headaches. I now drink all the coffee I like. I have been on Calquence(Acalabrutinib) for nearly 2 years and doing super great! There could be other issues your Mom may have and that could be why she was told what she was told. In all honesty I trust most pharmacists more then most doctors.

All the very best to your Mom. Calquence is my third line treatment and I have had CLL for 34 years….life is pretty special.

Panz 👍🙂☘️🙏

[albie58]

I agree with Panz. I was told the same thing by my doctor and pharmacist. Coffee and Tylenol works the best or green tea.

[AussieNeil Administrator]

Per drugs.com/interactions-chec...

"No interactions were found between the drugs (acalabrutinib/Calquence and caffeine) in your list. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider."

You can use the drugs.com site to check for interactions between caffeine and any of the other medications your Mum is on, because as per the other replies, caffeine perhaps with Tylenol/Panadol/APAP (acetaminophen/paracetamol) is what is recommended to manage the headaches that some of us experience for the first few weeks after commencing on acalabrutinib/Calquence.

Neil

[Katie-LMHC-Artist in reply to AussieNeil]

I’ve been on Acalabrutinib for almost a year. I continue to have a morning headache. A cup of coffee helps to manage the morning headache. I tried switching over to tea in the morning and it doesn’t have the same effect on my headaches. I’m curious as to why coffee works and not the tea in the morning. I would love to hear feedback on this. Thx!

[SERVrider]

I was told not to eat/drink grapefruit/its juice or Seville oranges or their products such as marmalade (it may not exist or have a different name in the US) As I loathe grapefruit it is no loss. The marmalade is a loss, however. 1 cup of espresso a day and I get no headaches.