Trulicity (dulaglutide) is a prescription drug used to treat type 2 diabetes and lower certain cardiovascular risks. This drug can interact with other medications and some supplements. For example, Trulicity can interact with insulin and gemfibrozil (Lopid).
Trulicity is prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes in adults and certain children. It’s also used in certain adults to lower the risk of serious cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) problems.
Trulicity comes as a liquid solution that you inject under your skin.
An interaction can occur because one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions can also occur if you have certain health conditions.
Keep reading to learn about Trulicity’s possible interactions. And for more information about Trulicity, including details about its uses, see this article.
Before starting Trulicity, 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 Trulicity interacts with herbs or vitamins and supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with Trulicity?” section.)
If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
The table below lists drugs that may interact with Trulicity. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with Trulicity. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section.
| Drug group or drug name | Drug examples | What can happen |
| sulfonylureas | • glimepiride (Amaryl) • glipizide (Glucotrol XL) • glyburide (Diabeta, Glynase) | can increase the risk of low blood sugar |
| insulin | • insulin glargine (Lantus, Toujeo, others) • insulin lispro (Humalog, others) • insulin detemir (Levemir) | can increase the risk of low blood sugar |
| beta-blockers | • atenolol (Tenormin) • metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL, others) • propranolol (Hemangeol, Inderal LA, others) | can affect how well blood sugar is managed or hide symptoms of low blood sugar |
| fibrates | • fenofibrate (Lipofen, Triglide, others) • fenofibric acid • gemfibrozil (Lopid) | can increase the risk of low blood sugar |
| angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) | • losartan (Cozaar) • olmesartan (Benicar) • valsartan (Diovan) | can increase the risk of low blood sugar |
| angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors | • lisinopril (Qbrelis, Zestril) • quinapril • ramipril (Altace) | can increase the risk of low blood sugar |
| corticosteroids | • dexamethasone (Hemady) • methylprednisolone (Medrol) • prednisone (Rayos) | can affect how well blood sugar is managed |
| thyroid hormone drugs | • desiccated thyroid (Armour Thyroid) • levothyroxine (Unithroid, Synthroid, others) • liothyronine (Cytomel) | can affect how well blood sugar is managed |
| certain antipsychotic drugs | • aripiprazole (Abilify, Aristada, others) • brexpiprazole (Rexulti) • olanzapine (Zyprexa) | can affect how well blood sugar is managed |
| fluoxetine (Prozac) | — | can increase the risk of low blood sugar |
Certain health conditions or other factors could increase your risk of harm with Trulicity. These are known as contraindications. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe this medication for you. The list below includes contraindications of Trulicity.
If you have multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2): If you have an inherited condition called MEN 2, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Trulicity for you. This is because having MEN 2 may raise your risk of thyroid cancer* with Trulicity treatment. Talk with your doctor about other treatments that are safer options for you.
If you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC): If you or a family member has ever had MTC, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Trulicity for you. This is because having MTC may raise your risk of thyroid cancer* with Trulicity treatment. Talk with your doctor about other treatments that are safer options for you.
If you’ve had an allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Trulicity or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Trulicity for you. Ask them about other treatments that may be better options for you.
Before starting Trulicity, talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. They can determine whether this treatment option is safe for you.
* Trulicity has a boxed warning about the risk of thyroid cancer. A boxed warning is the most serious warning from the FDA. To learn more, see the boxed warning at the top of this article.
Trulicity isn’t known to interact with alcohol, but alcohol can decrease or increase your blood sugar levels. (Trulicity is used to help manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.) Consuming alcohol during Trulicity treatment can make it difficult to manage your blood sugar. Therefore, your doctor may recommend that you limit or avoid alcohol during this time.
If you have questions about consuming alcohol during Trulicity treatment, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with Trulicity.
Interaction with insulin
Like Trulicity, insulin is prescribed to help manage blood sugar levels, but Trulicity can interact with insulin.
Examples of insulins include:
- insulin glargine (Lantus, Toujeo, others)
- insulin lispro (Humalog, others)
- insulin detemir (Levemir)
What could happen
Both Trulicity and insulin can cause low blood sugar. Using them at the same time can increase your risk of this side effect.
What you can do
If your condition is treated with Trulicity and insulin, your doctor may prescribe a lower dosage of insulin than is typical. This will reduce your risk of low blood sugar when these medications are used together.
If you’re prescribed Trulicity and insulin together, tell your doctor right away if you have symptoms of low blood sugar. These may include dizziness, shaking, and sweating. Your doctor can recommend ways to increase your blood sugar level. This may include consuming at least 15 grams (g) of carbohydrates from fruit juices, hard candies, or other sources.
Severely low blood sugar is a medical emergency. If your symptoms seem severe or life threatening, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. Keep in mind that severely low blood sugar may cause you to lose consciousness, so someone nearby may need to call for help on your behalf.
If you have questions about using Trulicity with insulin, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Interaction with fibrates
Trulicity can interact with fibrate drugs, which are used to treat high cholesterol.
Examples of fibrates include:
- fenofibrate (Lipofen, Triglide, others)
- fenofibric acid
- gemfibrozil (Lopid)
What could happen
Trulicity is used to help manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Taking a fibrate along with Trulicity may increase Trulicity’s effect on your blood sugar. As a result, your risk of low blood sugar may be increased.
What you can do
If you take a fibrate with Trulicity, your doctor may suggest checking your blood sugar more often than usual. They’ll recommend a healthy blood sugar range for you. They can also tell you what to do if your blood sugar falls below this range.
If you have questions about using Trulicity with fibrates, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Interaction with certain antipsychotics
Trulicity can interact with certain antipsychotic drugs used to treat mental health conditions, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Examples of antipsychotics include:
- aripiprazole (Abilify, Aristada, others)
- brexpiprazole (Rexulti)
- olanzapine (Zyprexa)
What could happen
Trulicity is used to help manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Certain antipsychotics may raise your blood sugar or worsen your diabetes. Taking these drugs with Trulicity could affect how well your blood sugar is managed.
What you can do
If you take certain antipsychotics with Trulicity, your doctor may advise you to check your blood sugar frequently. They’ll tell you what to do if your blood sugar falls outside of a healthy range.
If you have questions about using Trulicity with certain antipsychotics, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Trulicity may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See below for details. Note that the information below does not include all other possible interactions with Trulicity.
Does Trulicity interact with supplements?
Trulicity can interact with certain supplements that affect blood sugar levels. (Trulicity is used to help manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.) These supplements include:
Taking these supplements during Trulicity treatment may lower your blood sugar below the recommended range.
Before starting Trulicity, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs or vitamins and supplements you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.
If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Trulicity and herbs
There are currently no reports of Trulicity interacting with herbs. But this doesn’t mean that interactions with herbs won’t be recognized in the future. For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products during Trulicity treatment.
Trulicity interactions with vitamins or minerals
There are currently no reports of Trulicity interacting with vitamins. But Trulicity can interact with chromium, which is a mineral used to help manage blood sugar levels. (Trulicity is also used for this purpose in people with type 2 diabetes.) Using Trulicity while taking chromium could increase your risk of low blood sugar.
Your doctor can recommend whether it’s safe to take any specific vitamins or minerals during your Trulicity treatment.
Does Trulicity interact with food?
Trulicity can interact with green tea, which may help manage blood sugar levels. (Trulicity is also used for this purpose in people with type 2 diabetes.) Consuming green tea during Trulicity treatment could increase your risk of low blood sugar.
Although Trulicity may interact with garlic supplements (lowering your blood sugar below the recommended range), it should be safe to consume garlic in seasonings or foods. The amount of garlic in these products is typically much lower than what’s in a garlic supplement.
If you have additional questions about foods to avoid with Trulicity, talk with your doctor.
Does Trulicity interact with vaccines?
There are currently no reports of Trulicity interacting with vaccines. If you have questions about getting certain vaccines during your Trulicity treatment, talk with your doctor.
Does Trulicity interact with lab tests?
There are currently no reports of Trulicity interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests during your treatment with Trulicity, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.
Does Trulicity interact with cannabis or CBD?There are currently no reports of Trulicity 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 Trulicity.
Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.
Certain medical conditions or other health factors may increase the risk of interactions with Trulicity. Before starting this medication, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Trulicity is right for you.
Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Trulicity include:
Digestive system conditions: Before starting Trulicity, tell your doctor if you have a digestive system condition. An example is slow stomach emptying. Trulicity may cause severe digestive problems, and it’s not known for sure whether the drug is safe for people with these conditions. Your doctor can recommend whether Trulicity is the right treatment option for you.
Liver problems: It isn’t known for certain whether Trulicity is safe for people with liver problems. An example is liver failure. If you have a liver problem, your doctor can advise you on whether Trulicity is right for you.
Kidney problems: Before starting Trulicity, tell your doctor if you have a kidney problem. An example is kidney failure. Trulicity may cause severe digestive problems that lead to dehydration, which can worsen your kidney condition. If you have a kidney problem, your doctor can recommend whether Trulicity is a safe treatment option.
Pancreatitis: Before starting Trulicity, tell your doctor if you’ve ever had pancreatitis (inflammation of your pancreas). It isn’t known for certain whether Trulicity is safe for people who’ve had this condition. Your doctor may prescribe a treatment other than Trulicity.
Diabetic retinopathy: If you have diabetic retinopathy, talk with your doctor before starting Trulicity. The drug may cause temporary vision changes in people with this condition. Your doctor may advise you to visit an eye specialist to monitor this condition during Trulicity treatment.
Pregnancy: It’s not known whether Trulicity is safe to inject during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before starting Trulicity treatment.
Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to inject Trulicity while breastfeeding. It isn’t known whether the drug passes into breast milk or how it may affect a child who’s 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 Trulicity or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Trulicity for you. Ask them about other treatments that may be better options.
Find answers to some frequently asked questions about Trulicity and possible interactions.
Is it safe to take atorvastatin with Trulicity?
Yes, most likely. There are currently no reports of Trulicity interacting with atorvastatin (Atorvaliq, Lipitor). In fact, doctors may prescribe these drugs together. This is because both Trulicity and atorvastatin can be used in certain people with type 2 diabetes.
Trulicity helps manage blood sugar and lowers the risk of serious heart and blood vessel problems. In addition to other uses, atorvastatin lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke.
To learn more about taking atorvastatin with Trulicity, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Do any of Trulicity’s interactions increase the risk of death?
Not necessarily. Some drugs and health conditions that interact with Trulicity can lead to serious problems. In extreme cases, these effects could be life threatening. But in most cases, these interactions do not increase the risk of death.
Still, it’s important to tell your doctor about all the medications and supplements you take and all the health conditions you have. They’ll monitor you closely to help minimize the risk of any serious issues.
Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Trulicity. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:
- whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis
- other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs (they can also help you fill out a
medication list ) - what to do if you start taking a new drug during your Trulicity treatment
It’s also important to understand Trulicity’s
If you didn’t get paperwork with Trulicity, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you. If you have trouble reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.
Using Trulicity 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.