Like any medication, antivirals like Paxlovid have the potential to interact with other drugs. One option to avoid potential drug interactions includes a temporary pause of certain medications during treatment with Paxlovid.
For example, medications called statins that treat high cholesterol can often be held for 5 to 10 days to allow for treatment of COVID19 with Paxlovid. Once the antiviral course is completed, the interacting medications are restarted.
The benefits antiviral medications offer, especially in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID19, generally outweigh the risks of temporarily modifying medication routines.
One helpful step is to make a list of your current medications so that if you do get COVID19, a health care provider or pharmacist has the information they need to determine what treatment is best for you.
This content is sponsored by the Covid-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project (CVEEP).
