Drug & supplement interaction

Betaine Hydrochloride + Mefenamic Acid

Mefenamic Acid brand name: Ponstel.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid 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. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid

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 Mefenamic Acid and Betaine Hydrochloride 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.

Betaine Hydrochloride safety at a glance

Betaine Hydrochlor... overall Use caution May irritate the stomach and is not safe for people with ulcers, gastritis, or true acid reflux.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough safety information, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety during breastfeeding has not been established, so avoid use.

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

Still wondering about combining Mefenamic Acid and Betaine Hydrochloride? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Mefenamic Acid

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Mefenamic Acid is filed under 8 classifications — including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids), cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) substrates, organic anion transporter 3 (oat3) substrates. Betaine Hydrochloride has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being antacids (minor), h2-blockers (minor) and proton pump inhibitors (ppis) (minor) — and none of Mefenamic Acid’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

Betaine Hydrochloride Does Interact With Other Medications

Betaine Hydrochloride has 36 minor known drug interactions in our database — Mefenamic Acid 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 Betaine Hydrochloride

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid May Share a Side Effect

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Heartburn Additional detail

    Betaine Hydrochloride

    “Theoretically, the hydrochloric acid produced from betaine hydrochloride might irritate gastric or duodenal ulcers or impede ulcer healing. It might also cause heartburn.”

    Betaine Hydrochloride · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dyspepsia.

    Mefenamic Acid

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Mefenamic Acid. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Effects for Mefenamic Acid come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Betaine Hydrochloride come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 2,182 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Mefenamic Acid that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Mefenamic Acid

This page covers Betaine Hydrochloride only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mefenamic Acid page lists 118 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major) and Wine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 86 moderate · 27 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Mefenamic Acid page

“Mefenamic acid (Ponstel), an NSAID mostly used for menstrual cramps and short-term pain, has a supplement list that earns genuine caution, and the five major-rated entries are where to start. Beer and wine are two of them, because alcohol plus any NSAID raises the risk of stomach and intestinal bleeding.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Mefenamic Acid interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,652 real supplement products containing Betaine Hydrochloride, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Betaine Hydrochloride. Even though Betaine Hydrochloride itself has no known interaction with Mefenamic Acid, 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 Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid 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 Betaine Hydrochloride
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mefenamic Acid
Top half

#1,305 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 Betaine Hydrochloride reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid 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 Betaine Hydrochloride

What is Betaine Hydrochloride?

Betaine Hydrochloride
  • Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria)
  • Bloating and gas
  • Indigestion
  • Heartburn or reflux symptoms
  • Aiding protein digestion

Betaine hydrochloride is a supplement used to temporarily increase stomach acid in people who may have low acid levels. Evidence for its benefits is limited and mostly based on tradition rather than strong clinical trials. It is not appropriate for everyone, and you should talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it—especially if you have ulcers, take acid-reducing drugs, or have reflux.

Not applicable (synthetically produced compound; betaine also occurs naturally in beets and other plants) · Capsules, tablets (often combined with pepsin)

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

Betaine Hydrochloride: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose for betaine hydrochloride. It is usually taken with meals. Do not increase the dose on your own. Because of the risk of stomach irritation, more is not better—start low and use it only under guidance.

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

Read the full Betaine Hydrochloride monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Mefenamic Acid

What Is Mefenamic Acid Used For?

Brand name: Ponstel

Mefenamic acid capsules are approved to manage mild to moderate pain in adults and adolescents 14 years of age and older, but only for short-term use — no longer than 7 days.

They are also approved to treat primary dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual periods), started at the onset of bleeding and associated symptoms.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Mefenamic Acid

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (2,182 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Nausea 314 reports
Fatigue 264 reports
Headache 238 reports
Dizziness 189 reports
Malaise 177 reports
See full Mefenamic Acid drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Betaine Hydrochloride

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

0Major
0Moderate
36Minor
2,793No known interaction
Minor

36 interactions

No interaction 2,793 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Betaine Hydrochloride References

The 2 references that drive our Betaine Hydrochloride 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. Yago MR, Frymoyer A, Benet LZ, Smelick GS, Frassetto LA, Ding X, Dean B, Salphati L, Budha N, Jin JY, Dresser MJ, Ware JA. The use of betaine HCl to enhance dasatinib absorption in healthy volunteers with rabeprazole-induced hypochlorhydria. AAPS J. 2014 PubMed
  2. Yago MR, Frymoyer AR, Smelick GS, Frassetto LA, Budha NR, Dresser MJ, Ware JA, Benet LZ. Gastric reacidification with betaine HCl in healthy volunteers with rabeprazole-induced hypochlorhydria. Mol Pharm. 2013 Nov 4;10(11):4032-7. 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 Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Betaine Hydrochloride with Mefenamic Acid?
We do not list a known interaction between Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid. 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.
Do Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
How was the Betaine Hydrochloride and Mefenamic Acid combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Mefenamic Acid is filed under 8 classifications, and Betaine Hydrochloride has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Mefenamic Acid'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 Betaine Hydrochloride interact with any other medications?
Yes. Betaine Hydrochloride has 36 documented drug interactions in our database — Mefenamic Acid 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 Mefenamic Acid interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mefenamic Acid has documented interactions with 118 supplements in our database — Betaine Hydrochloride is not one of them. The Mefenamic Acid 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 Mefenamic Acid and Betaine Hydrochloride?

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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.