Drug & supplement interaction

Beer + Isosorbide Dinitrate

Isosorbide Dinitrate brand names: Isordil, Angitak, Cedocard Retard, Isoket Retard, Isoket.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Beer has a moderate interaction with Isosorbide Dinitrate. Concomitant use may increase the risk of acute hypotension.

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

Beer and Isosorbide Dinitrate

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

Moderate

VASODILATORS

Why this applies to Isosorbide Dinitrate

Isosorbide Dinitrate falls under VASODILATORS — the group Beer interacts with.

Concomitant use may increase the risk of acute hypotension.
Acute alcohol intoxication can increase the risk of hypotension and additive effects with vasodilators.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence C

Interaction 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..

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

Here's the thing about mixing beer with isosorbide dinitrate: both of them widen your blood vessels. Your nitrate already lowers blood pressure on purpose to ease the heart's workload, and alcohol relaxes those vessels even more. Stack the two and your blood pressure can dip lower than expected.

What that feels like in real life is dizziness, lightheadedness, a pounding headache, flushing, or even feeling faint when you stand up. It's most likely with several drinks rather than a single small one, but everyone reacts differently. I wouldn't tell you to change anything on your own. Just check in with your pharmacist or doctor about how much alcohol, if any, is safe with your dose.

References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed

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

Beer Also Interacts With Other Medications

Beer has 654 major, 271 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Isosorbide Dinitrate 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 Beer

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Beer or Isosorbide Dinitrate

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

This page covers Beer only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Isosorbide Dinitrate page lists 22 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Mistletoe (major), Coleus (major), Hawthorn (major) and Coffee Charcoal (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 9 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Isosorbide Dinitrate page

“Isosorbide dinitrate (Isordil, Isoket) relaxes blood vessels to prevent and relieve angina, so a supplement that pushes that relaxation further, or works against it, is not a small thing, and this list of 22 warrants genuine care. Four entries rate major: herbs with vasodilating effects of their own, like hawthorn, that can stack on to…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Isosorbide Dinitrate interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Beer and Isosorbide Dinitrate 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 Beer
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Isosorbide Dinitrate
Steady interest

#1,484 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 Beer

What is Beer?

Beer
  • Social and recreational drinking
  • Relaxation
  • Heart health (popular belief)
  • Bone health (popular belief)
  • Source of antioxidants and B vitamins

Beer is an alcoholic beverage that contains some minerals, B vitamins, and plant compounds from hops and grain, but it is not a health supplement. Any possible benefits come only from light-to-moderate intake, and they are easily outweighed by the well-known harms of alcohol. The safest amount of alcohol for health is none, and beer should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Beer monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Isosorbide

What Is Isosorbide Used For?

Brand names: Isordil, Angitak, Cedocard Retard, Isoket Retard, Isoket

Isosorbide is used to prevent angina pectoris — chest pain or tightness caused by coronary artery disease. Both isosorbide dinitrate tablets and isosorbide mononitrate tablets (including Monoket and Isordil) are used for this purpose.

Important: none of these oral formulations work fast enough to stop a chest pain episode that has already started. They are taken on a schedule to prevent angina, not to treat it in the moment.

See full Isosorbide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Beer

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

654Major
271Moderate
0Minor
1,904No known interaction
Major

654 interactions

Showing 60 of 654 major interactions — see all 654 on the Beer page.

Moderate

271 interactions

Showing 60 of 271 moderate interactions — see all 271 on the Beer page.

No interaction 1,904 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 Beer and Isosorbide Dinitrate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beer with Isosorbide Dinitrate?
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 Beer and Isosorbide Dinitrate 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 Isosorbide Dinitrate and Beer?

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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.