Drug & supplement interaction

Adrafinil + Betaxolol

Betaxolol brand names: Kerlone, Betoptic.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Adrafinil has a moderate interaction with Betaxolol. Theoretically, adrafinil might reduce the effects of antihypertensive drugs.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Adrafinil and Betaxolol

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

Why this applies to Betaxolol

Betaxolol falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS — the group Adrafinil interacts with.

Theoretically, adrafinil might reduce the effects of antihypertensive drugs.
Adrafinil is a precursor to the stimulant prescription drug modafinil. Modafinil has been shown to increase diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Retrospective analyses show that patients taking modafinil had a small but increased rate of requiring new antihypertensive drugs or increased use of antihypertensive drugs when compared with placebo.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the simple version: you're taking betaxolol (Kerlone) to bring your blood pressure down, and adrafinil works in the opposite direction. Once your liver turns adrafinil into modafinil, that stimulant can nudge your blood pressure and heart rate up a bit. So it may partly work against what betaxolol is trying to do.

In real life, this could mean your numbers creep higher, or you feel some heart racing or jitteriness even on your usual dose. I'll be honest, this concern is theoretical and based on how these drugs behave, not on strong head-to-head studies. Still, since betaxolol's whole job is steady blood pressure control, it's worth a quick chat with your doctor or pharmacist before mixing the two.

References
  1. Provigil (modafinil) [package insert]. North Wales, PA: Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. Published: January 2015. Accessed on: Nov 11, 2022.

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Adrafinil Also Interacts With Other Medications

Adrafinil has 1 major, 1,055 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Betaxolol one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Adrafinil

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Adrafinil. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Adrafinil or Betaxolol

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Adrafinil or Betaxolol, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Betaxolol

This page covers Adrafinil only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Betaxolol page lists 143 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Indian Snakeroot (major) and Tyramine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 118 moderate · 20 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Betaxolol page

“Five of the 143 supplement ingredients that interact with betaxolol (Kerlone tablets for blood pressure, Betoptic drops for glaucoma) carry a major rating, so approach this page with real caution. Since betaxolol is a beta-blocker, nearly everything here plays on blood pressure.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Betaxolol interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Adrafinil as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 7 real supplement products containing Adrafinil, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Adrafinil. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Betaxolol too, on top of Adrafinil — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Adrafinil and Betaxolol Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Adrafinil
Top half

#470 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Betaxolol
Top 10%

#175 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Adrafinil

What is Adrafinil?

Adrafinil
  • Wakefulness and alertness
  • Fatigue
  • Focus and concentration
  • Cognitive enhancement (nootropic)
  • Daytime sleepiness

Adrafinil is a synthetic compound that the body converts into modafinil, a prescription wakefulness-promoting drug. It is sometimes sold as a nootropic supplement, but it is unregulated, carries real risks (especially to the liver), and is banned in some sports and countries. Talk with a doctor or pharmacist before using it.

Read the full Adrafinil monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Betaxolol

What Is Betaxolol Used For?

Brand names: Kerlone, Betoptic

Betaxolol eye drops (including Betoptic S) are used to lower elevated intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye) in people with chronic open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension (high eye pressure without glaucoma). The eye drops may be used alone or alongside other glaucoma medications.

Betaxolol tablets are used to manage high blood pressure (hypertension). They can be used on their own or combined with other blood pressure medications, particularly thiazide-type diuretics.

See full Betaxolol drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Adrafinil

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Adrafinil — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

1Major
1,055Moderate
0Minor
1,773No known interaction
Major

1 interaction

Moderate

1,055 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,055 moderate interactions — see all 1,055 on the Adrafinil page.

No interaction 1,773 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Adrafinil and Betaxolol Together: Common Questions

Can you take Adrafinil with Betaxolol?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Adrafinil and Betaxolol interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Betaxolol and Adrafinil?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.