Drug & supplement interaction

Blond Psyllium + Diltiazem

Diltiazem brand names: Cardizem, Cardizem SR, Diltiaz SR, Cardizem CD, Tiazac, and others.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Blond Psyllium has a minor interaction with Diltiazem. Theoretically, psyllium might increase, decrease, or have no effect on the absorption of oral drugs.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Interaction report

Blond Psyllium and Diltiazem

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

Minor

ORAL DRUGS

Why this applies to Diltiazem

Diltiazem falls under ORAL DRUGS — the group Blond Psyllium interacts with.

Theoretically, psyllium might increase, decrease, or have no effect on the absorption of oral drugs.
Psyllium seems to have variable effects on drug absorption. To avoid changes in absorption, take psyllium 30-60 minutes after oral medications. Animal research shows that blond psyllium delays and increases the absorption of metformin and ethinyl estradiol. Conversely, case reports and animal research suggest that blond psyllium might reduce absorption of lithium, digoxin, olanzapine, and carbamazepine. Finally, some pharmacokinetic studies show that psyllium does not affect the absorption of levothyroxine or warfarin.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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: blond psyllium is a thick, gel-forming fiber, and once it's in your gut it can grab onto whatever else is in there, including a pill like diltiazem. The concern is timing, not chemistry. If you swallow both at the same time, the fiber gel could slow down or slightly reduce how much diltiazem your body absorbs. With a blood pressure and chest pain medicine, that theoretically could mean it works a touch less reliably.

The good news: this is rated minor, and it's mostly a theoretical, low-quality concern. The easy fix is spacing them out. A common suggestion is to take psyllium about 30 to 60 minutes after your diltiazem. If you take an extended-release form, run that plan past your pharmacist first.

References
  1. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  2. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  3. Covington TR, et al. Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. 11th ed. Washington, DC: American Pharmaceutical Association, 1996.
  4. Robinson DS, Benjamin DM, McCormack JJ. Interaction of warfarin and nonsystemic gastrointestinal drugs. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1971;12:491-5. PubMed
  5. Garcia JJ, Fernandez N, Diez MJ, et al. Influence of two dietary fibers in the oral bioavailability and other pharmacokinetic parameters of ethinyloestradiol. Contraception 2000;62:253-7. PubMed
  6. Semen plantaginis in: WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants, volume 1. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1999. Available at http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js2200e/. Accessed November 26, 1026.
  7. Diez R, Garcia JJ, Diez MJ, Sierra M, Sahagun AM, Fernandez N. Influence of Plantago ovata husk (dietary fiber) on the bioavailability and other pharmacokinetic parameters of metformin in diabetic rabbits. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 Jun 7;17(1):298. PubMed
  8. Chiu AC, Sherman SI. Effects of pharmacological fiber supplements on levothyroxine absorption. Thyroid. 1998;8(8):667-71. PubMed
  9. Merrick C, Madden CA, Capurso NA. A Case of Blunted Orally Disintegrating Olanzapine Effect Due to Coadministered Psyllium. J Clin Psychiatry 2021;82(2):20cr13633. 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

Blond Psyllium Also Interacts With Other Medications

Blond Psyllium has 23 moderate, 2,001 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Diltiazem one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Blond Psyllium

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Blond Psyllium or Diltiazem

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Blond Psyllium or Diltiazem, 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 Diltiazem

This page covers Blond Psyllium only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Diltiazem page lists 260 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: 7 major · 214 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Diltiazem page

“Someone on diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac) is usually managing blood pressure, angina, or a fast heart rhythm, so this list deserves genuine care. Seven of the 260 ingredients on file carry a major rating, and two of those are things people actually buy: grapefruit, which blocks the enzyme that clears diltiazem and can push its blood leve…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Diltiazem interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 97 real supplement products containing Blond Psyllium, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Blond Psyllium. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Diltiazem too, on top of Blond Psyllium — 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 Blond Psyllium and Diltiazem 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 Blond Psyllium
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Diltiazem
Top 10%

#281 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 Blond Psyllium

What is Blond Psyllium?

Blond Psyllium
  • Constipation relief
  • Diarrhea and loose stools
  • High cholesterol
  • Digestive/gut health
  • Blood sugar support
  • Feeling fuller for weight management

Blond psyllium is a soluble fiber from the seed husks of Plantago ovata, and it is one of the better-studied fiber supplements. It can help with both constipation and diarrhea and may modestly lower cholesterol and blood sugar. It is generally well tolerated when taken with plenty of water, but always start low and check with your pharmacist or doctor first.

Read the full Blond Psyllium monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Diltiazem

What Is Diltiazem Used For?

Brand names: Cardizem, Cardizem SR, Diltiaz SR, Cardizem CD, Tiazac, Diltiaz XT, Diltiaz CD, Dilacor, Diltiaz, Cardizem LA, Dilacor XR, Cartia XT, Tiamate, Adizem-SR, Adizem-XL, Angitil SR, Angitil XL, Calcicard CR, Dilcardia SR, Dilzem SR, Dilzem XL, Slozem, Tildiem LA, Tildiem Retard, Viazem XL, Zemtard 120XL, Zemtard 180XL, Zemtard 240XL, Zemtard 300XL

Oral extended-release forms of diltiazem — including Matzim LA, Cardizem LA, Cartia, Cartia XT, Tiadylt ER, and various generic capsules and tablets — are used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and chronic stable angina (chest pain brought on by activity). Some capsule formulations, including Cartia, Cartia XT, and certain generics, are also approved for angina due to coronary artery spasm (sudden chest pain caused by a sudden tightening of a coronary artery).

Injectable forms of diltiazem are used in hospital settings to temporarily slow a dangerously fast heart rate in atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (rapid, irregular heart rhythms), and to restore a normal heart rhythm in paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) — sudden episodes of a very fast but regular heartbeat originating above the heart's lower chambers.

See full Diltiazem drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Blond Psyllium

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

0Major
23Moderate
2,001Minor
805No known interaction
Moderate

23 interactions

Minor

2,001 interactions

Showing 60 of 2,001 minor interactions — see all 2,001 on the Blond Psyllium page.

No interaction 805 drugs checked — show the list
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
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Blond Psyllium and Diltiazem Together: Common Questions

Can you take Blond Psyllium with Diltiazem?
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 Blond Psyllium and Diltiazem 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 Diltiazem and Blond Psyllium?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.