Drug & supplement interaction

Black Currant + Sodium Oxybate

Sodium Oxybate brand name: Xyrem.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate 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 label for Sodium Oxybate states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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

Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate

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 Sodium Oxybate and Black Currant 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.

Black Currant safety at a glance

Black Currant overall Use caution The berry is safe as a food, but concentrated supplements are less studied and should be used carefully.
Pregnancy Use caution Eating the berry in food amounts is likely fine, but supplements lack safety data, so check with your doctor first.
Breastfeeding Use caution Food amounts are probably okay, but there is not enough information on concentrated supplements, so use caution.

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

Still wondering about combining Sodium Oxybate and Black Currant? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Sodium Oxybate

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Sodium Oxybate is filed under 3 classifications — sodium-containing drugs, seizure threshold lowering drugs, oral drugs. Black Currant has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and phenothiazines (moderate) — and none of Sodium Oxybate’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

Black Currant Does Interact With Other Medications

Black Currant has 140 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Sodium Oxybate isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 140 No known interaction 2,690 (incl. Sodium Oxybate)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Black Currant

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate 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.

  • Diarrhea Additional detail

    Black Currant

    “Of 2154 patients with hyperlipidemia taking black currant seed oil 1.8 grams twice daily for 6 weeks, 8 reports of mild diarrhea were considered related to the supplement. These adverse reactions were reported 2-10 days after beginning treatment with black currant seed oil.”

    Black Currant · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 17638. Fa-lin Z, Zhen-yu W, Yan H, et al. Efficacy of blackcurrant oil soft capsule, a Chinese herbal drug, in hyperlipidemia treatment. Phytother Res 2010;24 Suppl 2:S209-13. PubMed

    Sodium Oxybate

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Sodium Oxybate. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Effects for Sodium Oxybate come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Black Currant come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 65,315 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Sodium Oxybate 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.

How to take them

Some Sodium Oxybate Products Have a Food Rule — Black Currant Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Sodium Oxybate says to take it with food. If you take Black Currant on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Sodium Oxybate with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Sodium Oxybate products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

• Allow 2 hours after eating before dosing ( 2.3 ).

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Sodium Oxybate — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

From our Q&A

Questions About Black Currant or Sodium Oxybate

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Black Currant or Sodium Oxybate, 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 Sodium Oxybate

This page covers Black Currant only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Sodium Oxybate page lists 25 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Biofeedback (moderate), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), Dendrobium (moderate) and European Mandrake (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 15 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Sodium Oxybate page

“Activated charcoal is the single major-rated interaction with sodium oxybate (Xyrem), and it earns that rating because the drug only works if each dose is fully absorbed; charcoal can bind it in the gut and weaken the nighttime control it provides for narcolepsy. Treat this list with genuine care, since 17 of the 25 ingredients on file…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Sodium Oxybate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,265 real supplement products containing Black Currant, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Black Currant. Even though Black Currant itself has no known interaction with Sodium Oxybate, 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 Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate 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 Black Currant
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Sodium Oxybate
Top 25%

#672 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 Black Currant reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate 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 Black Currant

What is Black Currant?

Black Currant
  • Dry eyes and eye strain
  • Joint pain and inflammation
  • Immune and general wellness support
  • Cardiovascular health
  • Skin conditions (such as dry skin or eczema)

Black currant is a nutritious berry that is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, and its seed oil contains the omega-6 fatty acid GLA. While it is enjoyed safely as a food and is popular as a supplement, solid human evidence for most health claims is still limited. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.

Ribes nigrum · Grossulariaceae · Berries (fruit), seeds (seed oil), and leaves · Whole berries, juice, capsules, seed oil softgels, dried leaf for tea, extracts

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

Black Currant: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for black currant supplements. The right amount can vary depending on the form (berry, juice, seed oil, or leaf) and the product's strength.Because doses are not well established, the safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed them.

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

Read the full Black Currant monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Sodium Oxybate

What Is Sodium Oxybate Used For?

Brand name: Xyrem

Sodium oxybate treats two major symptoms of narcolepsy: cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness triggered by emotion) and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). It is available in several products, each approved for these uses.

Xyrem (oral solution) and the generic sodium oxybate oral solution are approved for cataplexy or EDS in patients with narcolepsy. Lumryz (extended-release oral suspension) is specifically approved for cataplexy or EDS in patients 7 years of age and older with narcolepsy. The generic sodium oxybate oral solution label does not include the pediatric indication due to marketing exclusivity held by Xyrem.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Sodium Oxybate

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (65,536 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Nausea 4,928 reports
Anxiety 3,979 reports
Somnolence 3,965 reports
Insomnia 3,371 reports
Feeling abnormal 3,223 reports
See full Sodium Oxybate drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Black Currant

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

0Major
140Moderate
0Minor
2,689No known interaction
140 Moderate 2,689 No interaction
Moderate

140 interactions

Showing 60 of 140 moderate interactions — see all 140 on the Black Currant page.

No interaction 2,689 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,689 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Black Currant list.

See the full Black Currant interactions page
See every supplement checked against Sodium Oxybate, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Black Currant References

The 6 references that drive our Black Currant 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. Guivernau M, Meza N, Barja P, Roman O. Clinical and experimental study on the long-term effect of dietary gamma-linolenic acid on plasma lipids, platelet aggregation, thromboxane formation, and prostacyclin production. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty A PubMed
  2. Fa-lin Z, Zhen-yu W, Yan H, et al. Efficacy of blackcurrant oil soft capsule, a Chinese herbal drug, in hyperlipidemia treatment. Phytother Res 2010;24 Suppl 2:S209-13. PubMed
  3. Holman CP and Bell AF. A trial of evening primrose oil in the treatment of chronic schizophrenia. J Orhtomolecular Psych 1983;12:302-304.
  4. Vaddadi KS. The use of gamma-linolenic acid and linoleic acid to differentiate between temporal lobe epilepsy and schizophrenia. Prostaglandins Med 1981;6(4):375-379. PubMed
  5. Norred, C. L. and Brinker, F. Potential coagulation effects of preoperative complementary and alternative medicines. Alt Ther 2001;7(6):58-67.
  6. Puri BK. The safety of evening primrose oil in epilepsy. Prostaglandins Leukotrienes Essential Fatty Acids 2007;77:101-3. 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 Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Black Currant with Sodium Oxybate?
We do not list a known interaction between Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate. 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 Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate 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.
Should I take Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Sodium Oxybate says to take it with food. If you take Black Currant on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Sodium Oxybate with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Sodium Oxybate products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Black Currant and Sodium Oxybate combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Sodium Oxybate is filed under 3 classifications, and Black Currant has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Sodium Oxybate'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 Black Currant interact with any other medications?
Yes. Black Currant has 140 documented drug interactions in our database — Sodium Oxybate 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 Sodium Oxybate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Sodium Oxybate has documented interactions with 25 supplements in our database — Black Currant is not one of them. The Sodium Oxybate 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

Black Currant monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Sodium Oxybate drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Sodium Oxybate supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Sodium Oxybate, 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 6 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Sodium Oxybate and Black Currant?

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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.