Drug & supplement interaction

Cade + Dexamethasone

Dexamethasone brand names: Decadron, Hexadrol, Dexone, Ozurdex, Dexycu, and others.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Cade and Dexamethasone 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

Cade and Dexamethasone

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 Dexamethasone and Cade 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Cade at all — not against Dexamethasone, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Cade safety at a glance

Cade overall Use caution Generally used topically only and in small amounts; not for internal use and best used under guidance.
Pregnancy Avoid Safety has not been established, so avoid use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information, so avoid use while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Dexamethasone and Cade? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Cade and Dexamethasone May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

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. 5 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • An electrolyte imbalance Worth acting on Additional detail

    Cade

    “Topical application of rectified cade oil 1% to 5% is well tolerated (16). Oral use of rectified or crude cade oil and topical use of crude cade oil are associated with serious adverse effects when taken either in single or multiple doses. Adverse effects associated with topical application generally occur in infants and children.”

    Cade · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards).

    5 sources cited
    1. 16. Gennaro A. Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy. 19th ed. Lippincott: Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
    2. 94770. Achour S, Abourazzak S, Mokhtari A, et al. Juniper tar (cade oil) poisoning in new born after a cutaneous application. BMJ Case Reports 2011 Oct 28;2011. PubMed
    3. 94772. Skalli S, Chebat A, Badrane N, Bencheikh RS. Side effects of cade oil in Morocco: an analysis of reports in the Moroccan herbal products database from 2004 to 2012. Food Chem Toxicol 2014;64:81-5. PubMed
    4. 57209. Koruk, S. T., Ozyilkan, E., Kaya, P., Colak, D., Donderici, O., and Cesaretli, Y. Juniper tar poisoning. Clin.Toxicol.(Phila) 2005;43(1):47-49. PubMed
    5. 94776. Rahmani H, Leonhardt S, Beladdale D, et al. Severe acute lung oedema after rectal enema with cade oil (abstract). European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists XXIV International Congress, Strasbourg, 2004. Clin Toxicol 2004;42(4):487

    Dexamethasone

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

  • Heart failure Worth acting on Additional detail

    Cade

    “Oral ingestion and topical application of cade oil have been associated with hypotension, tachycardia, and heart failure.”

    Cade · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in congestive heart failure (chf).

    2 sources cited
    1. 94770. Achour S, Abourazzak S, Mokhtari A, et al. Juniper tar (cade oil) poisoning in new born after a cutaneous application. BMJ Case Reports 2011 Oct 28;2011. PubMed
    2. 94776. Rahmani H, Leonhardt S, Beladdale D, et al. Severe acute lung oedema after rectal enema with cade oil (abstract). European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists XXIV International Congress, Strasbourg, 2004. Clin Toxicol 2004;42(4):487

    Dexamethasone

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

  • Seizures Worth acting on Additional detail

    Cade

    “Oral ingestion and topical application of cade oil have been associated with headache, convulsions, and coma.”

    Cade · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    3 sources cited
    1. 57209. Koruk, S. T., Ozyilkan, E., Kaya, P., Colak, D., Donderici, O., and Cesaretli, Y. Juniper tar poisoning. Clin.Toxicol.(Phila) 2005;43(1):47-49. PubMed
    2. 94770. Achour S, Abourazzak S, Mokhtari A, et al. Juniper tar (cade oil) poisoning in new born after a cutaneous application. BMJ Case Reports 2011 Oct 28;2011. PubMed
    3. 94776. Rahmani H, Leonhardt S, Beladdale D, et al. Severe acute lung oedema after rectal enema with cade oil (abstract). European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists XXIV International Congress, Strasbourg, 2004. Clin Toxicol 2004;42(4):487

    Dexamethasone

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

  • Hives / Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    Cade

    “Topical application of cade oil can cause urticaria, localized edema, and purpura. After oral ingestion of a "spoonful" of homemade cade oil, a 32-year old man developed a maculopapular rash with pustular lesions around the nose and mouth.”

    Cade · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pregnancy-related edema.

    2 sources cited
    1. 94772. Skalli S, Chebat A, Badrane N, Bencheikh RS. Side effects of cade oil in Morocco: an analysis of reports in the Moroccan herbal products database from 2004 to 2012. Food Chem Toxicol 2014;64:81-5. PubMed
    2. 57209. Koruk, S. T., Ozyilkan, E., Kaya, P., Colak, D., Donderici, O., and Cesaretli, Y. Juniper tar poisoning. Clin.Toxicol.(Phila) 2005;43(1):47-49. PubMed

    Dexamethasone

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

  • A fast or pounding heartbeat / Low blood pressure Additional detail

    Cade

    Recorded for Cade in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under An electrolyte imbalance above.

    Dexamethasone

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

  • Drowsiness / Anxiety or restlessness Additional detail

    Cade

    Recorded for Cade in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under An electrolyte imbalance above.

    Dexamethasone

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

  • Swelling Additional detail

    Cade

    “Oral ingestion and topical application of cade oil have been associated with respiratory distress, tachypnea, and pulmonary edema.”

    Cade · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards).

    2 sources cited
    1. 94770. Achour S, Abourazzak S, Mokhtari A, et al. Juniper tar (cade oil) poisoning in new born after a cutaneous application. BMJ Case Reports 2011 Oct 28;2011. PubMed
    2. 94776. Rahmani H, Leonhardt S, Beladdale D, et al. Severe acute lung oedema after rectal enema with cade oil (abstract). European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists XXIV International Congress, Strasbourg, 2004. Clin Toxicol 2004;42(4):487

    Dexamethasone

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

Showing the 10 most notable of 14 shared effects — ranked by how unusual each one is, not just whether both lists mention it.

Reported for Cade but not commonly for Dexamethasone: shortness of breath, cough, a low platelet count and kidney problems.

Effects for Dexamethasone come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Cade come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 308,307 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Dexamethasone 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Cade or Dexamethasone

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

This page covers Cade only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Dexamethasone page lists 221 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lily-of-the-valley (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Acacia Rigidula (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 182 moderate · 35 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Dexamethasone page

“People take dexamethasone for serious reasons, a chemotherapy course, an autoimmune flare, brain swelling, so I want anyone on it to give its 221 supplement interactions genuine attention, starting with the four rated major. Grapefruit and St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Dexamethasone interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Cade and Dexamethasone 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 Cade
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Dexamethasone
Top 25%

#546 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 Cade reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Cade and Dexamethasone 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 Cade

What is Cade?

  • Psoriasis and eczema
  • Itchy or scaly scalp (dandruff)
  • Minor skin irritation
  • Antiseptic for the skin
  • Hair and scalp care

Cade oil (juniper tar) is a dark, tar-like oil distilled from the wood of the prickly juniper and is used almost entirely on the skin and scalp for conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and dandruff. Good-quality human research is limited, and there are real safety concerns, so it should only be used on the skin, carefully and in small amounts. Talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it, and never take it by mouth.

Juniperus oxycedrus · Cupressaceae · Wood and branches, used to make cade oil (juniper tar) · Cade oil (juniper tar), topical creams, ointments, shampoos, and soaps

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

Cade: dosing

There is no established standard dose for cade oil. It is most often found already mixed into shampoos, soaps, creams, or ointments at low concentrations rather than used as a pure oil.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not apply more or more often than recommended.

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

Read the full Cade monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Dexamethasone

What Is Dexamethasone Used For?

Brand names: Decadron, Hexadrol, Dexone, Ozurdex, Dexycu, Hemady, Dextenza

Dexamethasone is used to treat a wide range of conditions depending on the form and route. Oral tablets and solutions treat severe allergic reactions (such as asthma, contact dermatitis, and seasonal allergic rhinitis), inflammatory skin diseases, endocrine disorders including adrenal insufficiency and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis and regional enteritis, blood disorders, rheumatic conditions, kidney disease, and respiratory conditions including tuberculosis complications. Hemady (oral tablet) is specifically approved, in combination with other medicines, for multiple myeloma in adults. TaperDex (6-day and 12-day oral tablet packs) are used for the same broad range of allergic, inflammatory, and endocrine conditions.

Injectable forms (intramuscular and intravenous) are used when oral treatment is not possible, covering endocrine emergencies, shock, rheumatic disorders, and more. Eye-specific products treat different conditions: Dextenza (intracanalicular insert) treats eye inflammation and pain after eye surgery and itching from allergic conjunctivitis. Ozurdex (intravitreal implant) treats macular edema from retinal vein occlusion and diabetic macular edema, and non-infectious uveitis in the back of the eye. Dexycu (intraocular injection) treats inflammation after eye surgery. Maxidex (ophthalmic suspension) and dexamethasone sodium phosphate eye drops treat steroid-responsive inflammatory conditions of the eye. The ophthalmic/otic solution also treats steroid-responsive inflammation of the outer ear canal. A topical ointment (Seacall) is used for skin conditions including contact dermatitis, eczema, and neurodermatitis.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Dexamethasone

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (308,307 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 17,772 reports
Diarrhea 17,597 reports
Nausea 14,727 reports
Plasma cell myeloma 14,363 reports
Pneumonia 14,122 reports
See full Dexamethasone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Cade

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Cade References

The 5 references that drive our Cade 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. Gennaro A. Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy. 19th ed. Lippincott: Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
  2. Koruk, S. T., Ozyilkan, E., Kaya, P., Colak, D., Donderici, O., and Cesaretli, Y. Juniper tar poisoning. Clin.Toxicol.(Phila) 2005;43(1):47-49. PubMed
  3. Achour S, Abourazzak S, Mokhtari A, et al. Juniper tar (cade oil) poisoning in new born after a cutaneous application. BMJ Case Reports 2011 Oct 28;2011. PubMed
  4. Skalli S, Chebat A, Badrane N, Bencheikh RS. Side effects of cade oil in Morocco: an analysis of reports in the Moroccan herbal products database from 2004 to 2012. Food Chem Toxicol 2014;64:81-5. PubMed
  5. Rahmani H, Leonhardt S, Beladdale D, et al. Severe acute lung oedema after rectal enema with cade oil (abstract). European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists XXIV International Congress, Strasbourg, 2004. Clin Toxicol 2004;42(4):487

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 Cade and Dexamethasone Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Cade with Dexamethasone?
We do not list a known interaction between Cade and Dexamethasone. 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 Cade and Dexamethasone have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 10 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.
Does Dexamethasone interact with any supplements?
Yes. Dexamethasone has documented interactions with 221 supplements in our database — Cade is not one of them. The Dexamethasone 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 Dexamethasone and Cade?

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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.