Drug & supplement interaction

Beet + Trimethaphan

Trimethaphan brand name: Arfonad.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated November 2023
The bottom line Minor

Beet has a minor interaction with Trimethaphan. Beet and beetroot contain nitrates, which can cause vasodilation, potentially leading to lower blood pressure.

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

Beet and Trimethaphan

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

Minor

Antihypertensive Drugs

Why this applies to Trimethaphan

Trimethaphan falls under Antihypertensive Drugs — the group Beet interacts with.

Beet and beetroot contain nitrates, which can cause vasodilation, potentially leading to lower blood pressure. However, a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition using concentrated beetroot juice found no significant impact on blood pressure or heart rate in different age groups. Other small clinical studies suggest that while beet consumption might transiently lower blood pressure due to vessel dilation, there's no consistent evidence of a lasting effect. Overall, the theoretical risk of reduced blood pressure due to beet's nitrate content exists, but studies generally indicate a low and temporary impact rather than a sustained decrease.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence A

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. Trimethaphan is a powerful intravenous medicine used in hospitals to deliberately lower very high blood pressure, almost always in a closely monitored setting. Beets, on the other hand, give you dietary nitrate that your body can turn into nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels and may nudge blood pressure down a little. Stack a mild blood-pressure-lowering food on top of a strong blood-pressure-lowering drug, and in theory you could see a slightly bigger drop, with things like lightheadedness or dizziness.

In real life this barely matters. Trimethaphan is given by trained staff who watch and adjust your pressure constantly, and the beet effect is small and short-lived. Still, if you're somehow asked about diet around this drug, mention any beet juice or supplements to your care team.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction

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

Beet Also Interacts With Other Medications

Beet has 645 moderate, 217 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Trimethaphan one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 645 Minor 217 No known interaction 1,968 (incl. Trimethaphan)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Beet

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Trimethaphan

This page covers Beet only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Trimethaphan page lists 136 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), Tyramine (major) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 111 moderate · 21 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Trimethaphan page

“Trimethaphan (Arfonad) is given by IV to drop blood pressure quickly, often during surgery or a hypertensive emergency, so I would read this list with real vigilance rather than a shrug. Of the 136 flagged ingredients, nearly all act on blood pressure itself, some adding to the drug's lowering effect and others, tyramine being the clea…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Trimethaphan interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 4,786 real supplement products containing Beet, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Beet. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Trimethaphan too, on top of Beet — 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 Beet and Trimethaphan 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 Beet
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Trimethaphan
Top 25%

#531 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 Beet

What is Beet?

Beet
  • High blood pressure
  • Exercise and athletic performance
  • Heart and circulation support
  • General antioxidant/anti-inflammatory support
  • Liver and digestive support

Beet, especially beetroot juice, is a nitrate-rich food that may modestly lower blood pressure and slightly improve exercise performance in some people. It is generally safe as a food, but supplement effects are modest and not a substitute for prescribed treatment, so talk with your pharmacist or doctor before relying on it.

Read the full Beet monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Beet

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

0Major
645Moderate
217Minor
1,967No known interaction
645 Moderate 217 Minor 1,967 No interaction
Moderate

645 interactions

Showing 60 of 645 moderate interactions — see all 645 on the Beet page.

Minor

217 interactions

Showing 60 of 217 minor interactions — see all 217 on the Beet page.

No interaction 1,967 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,967 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Beet list.

See the full Beet interactions page
See every supplement checked against Trimethaphan, 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
Beet monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Trimethaphan supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Trimethaphan, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Beet and Trimethaphan Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beet with Trimethaphan?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Beet and Trimethaphan interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Trimethaphan and Beet?

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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.