Drug & supplement interaction

Astaxanthin + Ingenol Mebutate

Ingenol Mebutate brand name: Picato.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Oct 4, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Astaxanthin and Ingenol Mebutate 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.

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Interaction report

Astaxanthin and Ingenol Mebutate

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 Ingenol Mebutate and Astaxanthin 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.

Astaxanthin safety at a glance

Astaxanthin overall Use caution Generally well tolerated in studies, but long-term safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data, so it is best to avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety data, so it is best to avoid while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Ingenol Mebutate and Astaxanthin? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ingenol Mebutate

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ingenol Mebutate is filed under a single classification — topical drugs. Astaxanthin has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being cytochrome p450 2b6 (cyp2b6) substrates (moderate) and cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates (moderate) — and none of Ingenol Mebutate’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

Astaxanthin Does Interact With Other Medications

Astaxanthin has 673 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ingenol Mebutate isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 673 No known interaction 2,157 (incl. Ingenol Mebutate)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Astaxanthin

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

What to actually watch for

What Astaxanthin Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Ingenol Mebutate. It is the side-effect record for Astaxanthin on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Astaxanthin, this list is the first place to look.

  • Stomach pain / Diarrhea Additional detail

    “Orally, astaxanthin 6 mg daily has caused two cases of increased bowel movements and two cases of red fecal color. A higher dose of astaxanthin (AstaCarox, AstaReal AB) 40 mg daily has caused severe stomach/abdominal pain in two patients.”

    Astaxanthin · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in myasthenia gravis.

    2 sources cited
    1. 91736. Choi HD, Youn YK, Shin WG. Positive effects of astaxanthin on lipid profiles and oxidative stress in overweight subjects. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2011;66:363-369. PubMed
    2. 19165. Kupcinskas L, Lafolie P, Lignell A, et al. Efficacy of the natural antioxidant astaxanthin in the treatment of functional dyspepsia in patients with or without Helicobacter pylori infection: A prospective, randomized, double blind, and placebo-controlled

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Astaxanthin — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We haven’t matched Ingenol Mebutate to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Ingenol Mebutate.

From our Q&A

Questions About Astaxanthin or Ingenol Mebutate

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Astaxanthin or Ingenol Mebutate, 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 Ingenol Mebutate

This page covers Astaxanthin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ingenol Mebutate 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 Ingenol Mebutate page

“Ingenol mebutate (Picato) is a gel applied to the skin for actinic keratosis, the rough precancerous patches caused by sun damage, and it is deliberately harsh, producing redness, flaking, and stinging as part of how it works. The few supplement interactions on record are all skin-level ones.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ingenol Mebutate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,223 real supplement products containing Astaxanthin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Astaxanthin. Even though Astaxanthin itself has no known interaction with Ingenol Mebutate, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Astaxanthin and Ingenol Mebutate 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 Astaxanthin
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ingenol Mebutate
Top half

#1,116 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 Astaxanthin reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified October 4, 2026. The Astaxanthin and Ingenol Mebutate 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 Astaxanthin

What is Astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin
  • Antioxidant support
  • Skin health and aging
  • Eye health
  • Exercise recovery
  • Heart and inflammation support

Astaxanthin is a reddish carotenoid pigment with strong antioxidant activity in the lab, and it is widely promoted for skin, eye, heart, and exercise benefits. Early human studies are promising for a few uses, but the overall evidence is still limited and not strong enough to make firm claims. It appears generally well tolerated at typical supplement doses, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before starting it.

Pigment extracted from microalgae (mainly Haematococcus pluvialis), yeast, and some seafood · Capsules, soft gels, tablets, and as an ingredient in some skin creams

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

Astaxanthin: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for astaxanthin, and amounts used in studies have varied. Because of this, the best approach is to follow the directions on the product label.Astaxanthin is fat-soluble, so it is often taken with a meal that contains some fat to help absorption.

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

Read the full Astaxanthin monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ingenol Mebutate Topical

What Is Ingenol Mebutate Topical Used For?

Brand name: Picato

  • Ingenol mebutate gel is used to treat actinic keratosis (flat, scaly growths on the skin caused by too much sun exposure). Ingenol mebutate is in a class of medications called cytotoxic agents. It works by killing fast-growing cells such as the abnormal cells associated with actinic keratoses.

See full Ingenol Mebutate Topical drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Astaxanthin

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

0Major
673Moderate
0Minor
2,156No known interaction
673 Moderate 2,156 No interaction
Moderate

673 interactions

Showing 60 of 673 moderate interactions — see all 673 on the Astaxanthin page.

No interaction 2,156 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Astaxanthin against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,156 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Astaxanthin list.

See the full Astaxanthin interactions page
See every supplement checked against Ingenol Mebutate, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Astaxanthin References

The 3 references that drive our Astaxanthin 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. Kupcinskas L, Lafolie P, Lignell A, et al. Efficacy of the natural antioxidant astaxanthin in the treatment of functional dyspepsia in patients with or without Helicobacter pylori infection: A prospective, randomized, double blind, and placebo-controlled
  2. Kistler, A., Liechti, H., Pichard, L., Wolz, E., Oesterhelt, G., Hayes, A., and Maurel, P. Metabolism and CYP-inducer properties of astaxanthin in man and primary human hepatocytes. Arch.Toxicol. 2002;75(11-12):665-675. PubMed
  3. Choi HD, Youn YK, Shin WG. Positive effects of astaxanthin on lipid profiles and oxidative stress in overweight subjects. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2011;66:363-369. PubMed

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 Astaxanthin and Ingenol Mebutate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Astaxanthin with Ingenol Mebutate?
We do not list a known interaction between Astaxanthin and Ingenol Mebutate. 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 Astaxanthin and Ingenol Mebutate combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ingenol Mebutate is filed under 1 classification, and Astaxanthin has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Ingenol Mebutate'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 Astaxanthin interact with any other medications?
Yes. Astaxanthin has 673 documented drug interactions in our database — Ingenol Mebutate 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 Ingenol Mebutate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ingenol Mebutate has documented interactions with 3 supplements in our database — Astaxanthin is not one of them. The Ingenol Mebutate interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Astaxanthin monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Ingenol Mebutate Topical drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Ingenol Mebutate supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Ingenol Mebutate, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Ingenol Mebutate and Astaxanthin?

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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.