Drug & supplement interaction

Beer + Verapamil

Verapamil brand names: Isoptin SR, Verelan, Isoptin, Calan SR, Verelan SR, and others.

Major Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Major

Verapamil falls into 2 drug categories that Beer can interact with; the most serious is rated major. Concomitant use of alcohol with hepatotoxic drugs may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMajor
LikelihoodProbable
Interactions2
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Beer and Verapamil

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Beer interacts with whole categories of medication. Verapamil falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Beer in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Major).

Major

HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Verapamil

Verapamil falls under HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS — the group Beer interacts with.

Concomitant use of alcohol with hepatotoxic drugs may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity.
Concomitant use of excessive amounts of alcohol with potentially hepatotoxic drugs can increase the risk of liver damage.
Severity Major Likelihood Probable Evidence B

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 deal with mixing beer and verapamil. Verapamil is processed by your liver, and like a number of medications, it can occasionally stress that organ. Alcohol is also hard on the liver, so when you regularly drink a lot of beer while taking verapamil, you stack two liver burdens on top of each other. That can raise the odds of liver irritation or injury.

The bigger worry is heavy or frequent drinking, not the rare single beer. Watch for things like belly pain, nausea, dark urine, or yellowing of the skin or eyes. Alcohol can also lower your blood pressure and add to verapamil's dizziness or lightheadedness. Before you decide what's safe for you, please check with your doctor or pharmacist.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
  2. Thummel, K. E., Slattery, J. T., Ro, H., Chien, J. Y., Nelson, S. D., Lown, K. E., and Watkins, P. B. Ethanol and production of the hepatotoxic metabolite of acetaminophen in healthy adults. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000;67(6):591-599. PubMed
Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

2 of 2

Verapamil also falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS.

Theoretically, concomitant use may interfere with blood pressure control.
Clinical research suggests that consumption of alcohol can increase both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, acute alcohol intoxication can also increase the risk of hypotension and additive effects with antihypertensive drugs.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence B

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 with mixing beer and verapamil: it can push your blood pressure in two different directions depending on how much you drink. Verapamil works to relax your blood vessels and slow your heart rate. Drinking heavily over time tends to raise blood pressure, which can work against what your verapamil is trying to do.

On the flip side, having a drink or two on a given evening can add to verapamil's blood-pressure-lowering effect. That can leave you feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or faint, especially when you stand up quickly. The evidence here is moderate, so an occasional drink isn't a crisis, but it's smart to talk with your pharmacist or doctor about what's safe for you.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
  2. Zilkens, R. R., Burke, V., Hodgson, J. M., Barden, A., Beilin, L. J., and Puddey, I. B. Red wine and beer elevate blood pressure in normotensive men. Hypertension 2005;45(5):874-879. PubMed
  3. Potter, J. F., Watson, R. D., Skan, W., and Beevers, D. G. The pressor and metabolic effects of alcohol in normotensive subjects. Hypertension 1986;8(7):625-631. PubMed
  4. Puddey, I. B., Beilin, L. J., Vandongen, R., Rouse, I. L., and Rogers, P. Evidence for a direct effect of alcohol consumption on blood pressure in normotensive men. A randomized controlled trial. Hypertension 1985;7(5):707-713. PubMed
  5. Puddey, I. B., Beilin, L. J., Vandongen, R., and Rouse, I. L. A randomized controlled trial of the effect of alcohol consumption on blood pressure. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1985;12(3):257-261. 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 653 major, 272 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Verapamil one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 653 Moderate 272 No known interaction 1,905 (incl. Verapamil)
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 Verapamil

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 Verapamil, 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 Verapamil

This page covers Beer only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Verapamil page lists 295 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), Coleus (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 10 major · 245 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Verapamil page

“This is one of the longer interaction lists we publish, and with verapamil (Calan, Verelan) it warrants genuine care, starting with the ten major-rated entries. Verapamil lowers blood pressure and slows the heart, so most of the 295 ingredients on file either push that effect further than intended or change how much of the drug reaches…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Verapamil interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Beer and Verapamil 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 Verapamil
Top half

#844 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 Verapamil

What Is Verapamil Used For?

Brand names: Isoptin SR, Verelan, Isoptin, Calan SR, Verelan SR, Calan, Covera HS, Verap, Veramil

Verapamil tablets and film-coated tablets are used to treat angina — including vasospastic (Prinzmetal's) angina, unstable angina, and chronic stable angina — as well as certain abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and high blood pressure (essential hypertension). For arrhythmias, regular-release tablets are used alongside digoxin to control heart rate in atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation, and to help prevent episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), a type of rapid heartbeat.

Extended-release and sustained-release oral forms (tablets and capsules) are indicated specifically for high blood pressure. Verapamil hydrochloride injection is used in hospital settings for rapid conversion of SVT to normal rhythm and for temporary control of fast heart rates in atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation.

See full Verapamil 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.

653Major
272Moderate
0Minor
1,904No known interaction
653 Major 272 Moderate 1,904 No interaction
Major

653 interactions

Showing 60 of 653 major interactions — see all 653 on the Beer page.

Moderate

272 interactions

Showing 60 of 272 moderate interactions — see all 272 on the Beer page.

No interaction 1,904 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,904 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Beer list.

See the full Beer interactions page
See every supplement checked against Verapamil, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Beer monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Verapamil supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Verapamil, ranked by severity Verapamil drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Beer and Verapamil Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beer with Verapamil?
This is rated a major interaction, so the combination is best avoided unless your doctor or pharmacist has specifically told you otherwise. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Beer and Verapamil?
Verapamil belongs to more than one drug category, and Beer interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Beer and Verapamil interaction?
We rate it Major. This is a clinically significant combination that is generally best avoided, or used only under the direct supervision of your physician or pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Verapamil 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.