Safety, Side Effects, & Drug Interactions
It’s important to know the benefits as well as the risks, including medications that cannot be taken with PAXLOVID. Please be sure to review this information with your healthcare professional.
Important topics to cover with your healthcare professional
Talk to your healthcare professional about your medical conditions and review your recent medical records together
This will help your healthcare professional determine if PAXLOVID is right for you, if you need a different dose of PAXLOVID, or if you need to stop or change the dose of any other medicines you take.
You can help prepare for this discussion by knowing if you:
- Are allergic to nirmatrelvir, ritonavir, or any of the other ingredients in PAXLOVID
- Have liver or kidney problems, including hepatitis (bring your latest lab results, if possible)
- Have Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) infection. PAXLOVID may lead to some HIV-1 medicines not working as well in the future
- Are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, are breastfeeding, or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if PAXLOVID is safe to take during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, so be sure to discuss this with your healthcare professional
- Take a hormonal birth control medicine. PAXLOVID can affect how some birth controls work, so be sure to ask your healthcare professional if you need to use a different or an additional form of contraception
It is very important to come with a list of all the medicines you take, including over-the-counter and prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements
- Your healthcare professional can tell you if it's safe to take PAXLOVID with other medicines
- You can ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with PAXLOVID
- Don't start taking a new medicine without telling your healthcare professional
Some medications cannot be taken with PAXLOVID
- Taking certain medicines with PAXLOVID can cause severe or life-threatening side effects or death
- It is very important to tell your healthcare professional about all of the medicines you are taking because additional laboratory tests or changes in the dose of your other medicines may be necessary during treatment with PAXLOVID
- Your healthcare professional may also tell you about specific symptoms to watch out for that may indicate that you need to stop or decrease the dose of some of your other medicines
- The table below is not a complete list of all medicines that cannot be taken with PAXLOVID. PAXLOVID may increase or decrease the levels of other medicines
*Some medicines may be taken off-label. Brand names are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Get the most out of your conversation with your healthcare professional by coming prepared.
Possible Side Effects
PAXLOVID may cause side effects, some of which may be serious, such as allergic reactions or liver problems. The list below doesn't include all of the possible side effects of PAXLOVID. For more information, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist.
Some side effects of PAXLOVID are:
Allergic Reactions
Stop taking PAXLOVID and call your healthcare professional right away if you get any of the following symptoms of an allergic reaction:
- Hives, skin rash, blisters, or peeling skin
- Painful sores or ulcers in the mouth, nose, throat, or genital area
- Trouble swallowing or breathing
- Swelling of the mouth, lips, tongue, or face
- Throat tightness
- Hoarseness of voice
Liver Problems
Tell your healthcare professional right away if you have any of these signs and symptoms of liver problems:
- Loss of appetite
- Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
- Dark-colored urine
- Pale-colored stools
- Itchy skin
- Stomach-area (abdominal) pain
Most Common Side Effects
- Change in sense of taste
- Diarrhea
Other Possible Side Effects
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Stomach-area (abdominal) pain
- Nausea
- High blood pressure
- Feeling generally unwell
Contact your healthcare professional if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
Patients should always ask their doctors for medical advice about adverse events. You are encouraged to report adverse events related to Pfizer products by calling 1-800-438-1985 (U.S. only). If you prefer, you may contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) directly. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch† or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including BOXED WARNING and Important Facts.
PAXLOVID can help treat mild-to-moderate COVID‑19 in people with certain high-risk factors.
