According to Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company responsible for making Paxlovid, the first oral COVID-19 treatment approved in Canada, individuals who are taking carbamazepine, phenobarbital, or phenytoin, used to treat seizures, should not take Paxlovid. Please see section 2 – ‘Contradictions’ of Pfizer’s Product Monograph Including Patient Medication Information document for more details.

Peter Anderson, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, told NBC News “Anyone seeking Paxlovid, which must be prescribed within five days of the first symptoms, should be sure to let their prescribers and pharmacists know the complete lists of other medications and over-the-counter supplements they are taking.”