Drug Information
Common brand names:
Calan, Isoptin SR, Veralan, Covera HS, Verelan PM
Summary of Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, & Foods
Types of interactions:
Beneficial
Adverse
Check
Replenish Depleted Nutrients
Potential Negative Interaction
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Vitamin D
Vitamin D may interfere with the effectiveness of verapamil. People taking verapamil should ask their doctor before using vitamin D-containing supplements.
The interaction is supported by preliminary, weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.
Explanation Required
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Grapefruit juice may increase verapamil blood levels. The importance of this interaction regarding verapamil effectiveness and side effects is unknown. Until more is known, it makes sense for people taking this drug to either avoid drinking grapefruit juice entirely or drink grapefruit juice only under the careful monitoring and supervision of the prescribing doctor. In theory, this last possibility might allow for a decrease in drug dose, but it could be dangerous in the absence of diligent monitoring. The same effects might be seen from eating grapefruit as from drinking its juice.
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Pleurisy Root
As pleurisy root and other plants in the Aesclepius genus contain cardiac glycosides, it is best to avoid use of pleurisy root with heart medications such as calcium channel blockers.
The interaction is supported by preliminary, weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.
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Pomegranate juice has been shown to inhibit the same enzyme that is inhibited by grapefruit juice. The degree of inhibition is about the same for each of these juices. Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect that pomegranate juice might interact with verapamil in the same way that grapefruit juice does.
The interaction is supported by preliminary, weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.
The Drug-Nutrient Interactions table may not include every possible interaction. Taking medicines with meals, on an empty stomach, or with alcohol may influence their effects. For details, refer to the manufacturers’ package information as these are not covered in this table. If you take medications, always discuss the potential risks and benefits of adding a new supplement with your doctor or pharmacist.
