Drug & supplement interaction

Black Seed + Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate

Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate brand name: Vituz.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated October 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate falls into 2 drug categories that Black Seed can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, concomitant use with drugs that have sedative properties may cause additive effects.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Black Seed and Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Black Seed interacts with whole categories of medication. Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Black Seed in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CNS DEPRESSANTS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate

Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate falls under CNS DEPRESSANTS — the group Black Seed interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use with drugs that have sedative properties may cause additive effects.
Animal research suggests that black seed may have CNS depressant effects.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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 thing to know about Vituz: it already pulls double duty when it comes to making you drowsy. The hydrocodone is an opioid, and chlorpheniramine is a sedating antihistamine (the same family as Benadryl), so this combo can leave you sleepy, foggy, and slowed down on its own. Black seed may add a little to that. Animal studies hint that black seed can have its own calming, CNS-depressant effect, so stacking it on top could deepen the drowsiness, dizziness, or slow breathing.

To be fair, this is theoretical and based only on lab and animal research, not solid human studies. A pinch of black seed as a spice in food is unlikely to matter. Concentrated capsules or oil are the bigger question mark, so check with your pharmacist or doctor before pairing them.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Al Naggar, T. B., Gomez-Serranillos, M. P., Carretero, M. E., and Villar, A. M. Neuropharmacological activity of Nigella sativa L. extracts. J Ethnopharmacol. 2003;88(1):63-68. PubMed
Moderate

SEROTONERGIC DRUGS

2 of 2

Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate also falls under SEROTONERGIC DRUGS.

Theoretically, combining serotonergic drugs with black seed might increase the risk of serotonergic side effects, including serotonin syndrome and cerebral vasoconstrictive disorders.
Animal research suggests that black seed can increase brain serotonin levels. In one case report, a 35-year-old man undergoing endoscopic surgery experienced immediate postoperative serotonin syndrome that was likely associated with the use of black seed oil 600 mg daily starting 4 days before surgery, and precipitated by the use of serotonergic pain medications, including fentanyl and oxycodone. Monitor patients for signs of serotonin syndrome and other serotonergic side effects if using black seed with serotonergic drugs.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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

Vituz combines hydrocodone, an opioid cough and pain reliever, with chlorpheniramine, an antihistamine. The hydrocodone part has mild serotonin activity, and black seed may nudge brain serotonin levels a little higher too. Put together, there is a theoretical chance of building up too much serotonin, which can cause restlessness, a racing heart, sweating, shakiness, muscle twitching, or confusion.

I want to keep this in perspective. This warning rests on animal data and a single surgical case report, so it is far from proven. Food-amount black seed is unlikely to matter, but concentrated oil capsules are less studied. If you take both, watch for those symptoms and check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting or stopping anything.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Akhondian, J., Parsa, A., and Rakhshande, H. The effect of Nigella sativa L. (black cumin seed) on intractable pediatric seizures. Med Sci Monit. 2007;13(12):CR555-CR559.
  2. Perveen T, Haider S, Zuberi NA, et al. Increased 5-HT levels following repeated administration of Nigella sativa L. (Black Seed) oil produce antidepressant effects in rats. Sci Pharm 2013;82:161-70. PubMed
  3. Warner ME, Warner PA, Sprung J, Warner MA. Black seed oil and perioperative serotonin syndrome: A case report. A A Pract. 2019;13(11):420-422. 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

Black Seed Also Interacts With Other Medications

Black Seed has 912 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 912 No known interaction 1,918 (incl. Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Black Seed

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Black Seed or Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate

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 Seed or Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate, 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 Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate

This page covers Black Seed only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate page lists 258 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 12 major · 204 moderate · 42 minor.

Open the Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 226 real supplement products containing Black Seed, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Black Seed. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate too, on top of Black Seed — 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 Black Seed and Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate 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 Seed
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate
Top 10%

#178 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 Black Seed

What is Black Seed?

Black Seed
  • Respiratory support (asthma, allergies, cough)
  • Digestive upset
  • Immune support
  • Blood sugar and cholesterol support
  • General inflammation

Black seed (Nigella sativa) is a traditional spice and remedy that has been studied for asthma, blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure, with early research showing some promise but no firmly proven benefits. It is generally well tolerated in food amounts, but supplement-strength doses are less studied, so talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it—especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or take other medicines.

Read the full Black Seed monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Black Seed

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

0Major
912Moderate
0Minor
1,917No known interaction
912 Moderate 1,917 No interaction
Moderate

912 interactions

Showing 60 of 912 moderate interactions — see all 912 on the Black Seed page.

No interaction 1,917 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,917 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Black Seed list.

See the full Black Seed interactions page
See every supplement checked against Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate, 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
Black Seed monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate, 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 Black Seed and Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Black Seed with Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Black Seed and Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate?
Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate belongs to more than one drug category, and Black Seed 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 Black Seed and Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate 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 Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Black Seed?

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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.