Drug & supplement interaction

American Pawpaw + Gentamicin (Topical)

Gentamicin (Topical) brand name: Garamycin.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between American Pawpaw and Gentamicin (Topical) in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first.

Know someone taking this? Share
Interaction report

American Pawpaw and Gentamicin (Topical)

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Gentamicin (Topical) and American Pawpaw in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

American Pawpaw safety at a glance

American Pawpaw overall Use caution The ripe fruit is generally eaten as food, but concentrated leaf, twig, and seed extracts may be toxic and lack good safety data.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough safety information, and concentrated extracts may be harmful, so avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety has not been studied, so avoid concentrated pawpaw supplements while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Gentamicin (Topical) and American Pawpaw? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Gentamicin (Topical)

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Gentamicin (Topical) is filed under a single classification — topical drugs. American Pawpaw has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antineoplastics (minor) — and none of Gentamicin (Topical)’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

American Pawpaw Does Interact With Other Medications

American Pawpaw has 25 minor known drug interactions in our database — Gentamicin (Topical) isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against American Pawpaw

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

What to actually watch for

What American Pawpaw Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Gentamicin (Topical). It is the side-effect record for American Pawpaw on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add American Pawpaw, this list is the first place to look. One entry is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Hives Worth acting on Additional detail

    “In general, American pawpaw is well tolerated. However, cases of urticaria, nausea, vomiting, bowel disturbances, headache, and faintness have been reported following ingestion of pawpaw fruit. Similarly, American pawpaw extract may cause vomiting when taken orally or contact dermatitis when applied topically.”

    American Pawpaw · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    3 sources cited
    1. 89428. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI
    2. 89429. McLaughlin JL. Paw paw and cancer: Annonaceous acetogenins from discover to commercial products. J Nat Prod. 2008;71:1311-1321.
    3. 1525. Avalos J, Rupprecht JK, McLaughlin JL, et al. Guinea pig maximization test of the bark extract from pawpaw, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Contact Dermatitis 1993;29:33-5.

    “Orally, American pawpaw fruit can cause urticaria.

    Topically, American pawpaw extract can cause contact dermatitis.”

    American Pawpaw · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    2 sources cited
    1. 89428. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI
    2. 1525. Avalos J, Rupprecht JK, McLaughlin JL, et al. Guinea pig maximization test of the bark extract from pawpaw, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Contact Dermatitis 1993;29:33-5.
  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Recorded for American Pawpaw in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Hives above.

  • Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    “Orally, American pawpaw fruit can cause nausea, vomiting, bowel disturbances, and burning of the throat and stomach. American pawpaw extract can cause vomiting when taken orally.”

    American Pawpaw · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    2 sources cited
    1. 89428. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI
    2. 89429. McLaughlin JL. Paw paw and cancer: Annonaceous acetogenins from discover to commercial products. J Nat Prod. 2008;71:1311-1321.
  • Headache Additional detail

    “Orally, American pawpaw fruit can cause headache and faintness.”

    American Pawpaw · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    1 source cited
    1. 89428. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for American Pawpaw — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Gentamicin (Topical)’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Gentamicin (Topical) column appears here.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Gentamicin (Topical)

This page covers American Pawpaw only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Gentamicin (Topical) page lists 3 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) (moderate), Turpentine Oil (moderate) and Alchemilla (minor).

By severity: 2 moderate · 1 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Gentamicin (Topical) page

“If you use gentamicin cream or ointment (Garamycin) on your skin, the supplement picture is narrow and workable. Only three ingredients are on file, none rated major, and all three matter for the same reason: they are also applied to the skin, and they can change how much of the antibiotic gets absorbed through it.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Gentamicin (Topical) interaction page

How much people look this up

Where American Pawpaw and Gentamicin (Topical) 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 American Pawpaw
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Gentamicin (Topical)
Top half

#1,202 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.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every American Pawpaw reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The American Pawpaw and Gentamicin (Topical) records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About American Pawpaw

What is American Pawpaw?

American Pawpaw
  • Anticancer interest
  • Lice and head lice treatment (topical)
  • Traditional digestive remedy
  • General wellness/antioxidant
  • Insecticide (historical seed use)

American pawpaw is a North American fruit tree whose leaves, twigs, and seeds contain compounds called acetogenins that have shown cancer-cell-killing activity in laboratory studies. However, strong human evidence for any health benefit is lacking, and the seeds, bark, and unripe parts can be toxic, so supplements should be used cautiously and only under professional guidance.

Asimina triloba · Annonaceae · Fruit, seeds, bark, leaves, and twigs · Fresh fruit, capsules, extracts, and standardized acetogenin products

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether American Pawpaw is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our American Pawpaw record says about it on its own.

American Pawpaw: dosing

There is no established standardized dose for American pawpaw supplements. Products vary widely in strength and which part of the plant they use, which makes safe dosing hard to determine.If you choose to use a pawpaw product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

From our American Pawpaw monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full American Pawpaw monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Gentamicin Topical

What Is Gentamicin Topical Used For?

Brand name: Garamycin

Gentamicin sulfate topical is used to treat primary skin infections — infections that start directly in the skin — such as impetigo contagiosa, superficial folliculitis (infected hair follicles), furunculosis (boils), ecthyma, sycosis barbae, and pyoderma gangrenosum.

It also treats secondary skin infections, where bacteria have moved into already-irritated or damaged skin. This includes infected eczema, infected contact dermatitis (like poison ivy that gets infected), pustular acne, pustular psoriasis, infected seborrheic dermatitis, and bacterial infections on top of fungal or viral skin conditions. It has also been used successfully for infected stasis ulcers, infected superficial burns, infected insect bites and stings, infected lacerations and abrasions, paronychia (infected nail folds), and wounds from minor surgery.

See full Gentamicin Topical drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & American Pawpaw

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

0Major
0Moderate
25Minor
2,804No known interaction
Minor

25 interactions

No interaction 2,804 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

American Pawpaw References

The 4 references that drive our American Pawpaw monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Avalos J, Rupprecht JK, McLaughlin JL, et al. Guinea pig maximization test of the bark extract from pawpaw, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Contact Dermatitis 1993;29:33-5.
  2. McCage, C. M., Ward, S. M., Paling, C. A., Fisher, D. A., Flynn, P. J., and McLaughlin, J. L. Development of a paw paw herbal shampoo for the removal of head lice. Phytomedicine 2002;9(8):743-748. PubMed
  3. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI
  4. McLaughlin JL. Paw paw and cancer: Annonaceous acetogenins from discover to commercial products. J Nat Prod. 2008;71:1311-1321.

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking American Pawpaw and Gentamicin (Topical) Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take American Pawpaw with Gentamicin (Topical)?
We do not list a known interaction between American Pawpaw and Gentamicin (Topical). That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
How was the American Pawpaw and Gentamicin (Topical) combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Gentamicin (Topical) is filed under 1 classification, and American Pawpaw has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Gentamicin (Topical)'s classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does American Pawpaw interact with any other medications?
Yes. American Pawpaw has 25 documented drug interactions in our database — Gentamicin (Topical) is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Gentamicin (Topical) interact with any supplements?
Yes. Gentamicin (Topical) has documented interactions with 3 supplements in our database — American Pawpaw is not one of them. The Gentamicin (Topical) interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Gentamicin (Topical) and American Pawpaw?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.