Drug & supplement interaction

Carrageenan + Cyclosporine

Cyclosporine brand names: Neoral, Gengraf, Sandimmune, Ciclosporine, Cequa, and others.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Carrageenan and Cyclosporine 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

Carrageenan and Cyclosporine

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 Cyclosporine and Carrageenan 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.

Carrageenan safety at a glance

Carrageenan overall Use caution Food-grade carrageenan is widely used, but its value and safety as a supplement is uncertain and degraded forms may irritate the gut.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using larger amounts; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using larger amounts; avoid using. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Cyclosporine and Carrageenan? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Cyclosporine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Cyclosporine is filed under 10 classifications — including immunosuppressants, cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) inhibitors, topical drugs. Carrageenan has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) — and none of Cyclosporine’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

Carrageenan Does Interact With Other Medications

Carrageenan has 122 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Cyclosporine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 122 No known interaction 2,708 (incl. Cyclosporine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Carrageenan

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Carrageenan and Cyclosporine 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    Carrageenan

    “In one clinical study in males, carrageenan gel applied topically to the penis and anus prior to anal intercourse was reported to cause rectal bleeding that was not directly related to anal intercourse in 8% of patients, compared with 0% of patients using placebo.”

    Carrageenan · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in bleeding.

    1 source cited
    1. 107851. Laurie C, El-Zein M, Tota JE, et al. Efficacy of a carrageenan gel in preventing anal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection: interim analysis of the Lubricant Investigation in Men to Inhibit Transmission of HPV Infection (LIMIT-HPV) randomised controlled t

    Cyclosporine

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

  • Itching Additional detail

    Carrageenan

    “Intravaginally, carrageenan gel has been associated with mild vaginal itching and burning, a vaginal abrasion, bladder fullness, and urinary hesitancy. However, it is unclear if carrageenan was the causal factor of these symptoms.”

    Carrageenan · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pruritus.

    2 sources cited
    1. 40044. Coggins, C., Blanchard, K., Alvarez, F., Brache, V., Weisberg, E., Kilmarx, P. H., Lacarra, M., Massai, R., Mishell, D., Jr., Salvatierra, A., Witwatwongwana, P., Elias, C., and Ellertson, C. Preliminary safety and acceptability of a carrageenan gel for
    2. 40068. Elias, C. J., Coggins, C., Alvarez, F., Brache, V., Fraser, I. S., Lacarra, M., Lahteenmaki, P., Massai, R., Mishell, D. R., Jr., Phillips, D. M., and Salvatierra, A. M. Colposcopic evaluation of a vaginal gel formulation of iota-carrageenan. Contracepti PubMed

    Cyclosporine

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

Effects for Cyclosporine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Carrageenan come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Carrageenan in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using larger amounts; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

From our Q&A

Questions About Carrageenan or Cyclosporine

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

This page covers Carrageenan only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cyclosporine page lists 229 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), Berberine (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 9 major · 182 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Cyclosporine page

“Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune, Gengraf) keeps a transplanted organ from being rejected, and small shifts in its blood level can tip you toward rejection on one side or toxicity on the other. So approach these 229 interacting supplements with real care.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Cyclosporine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 31 real supplement products containing Carrageenan, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Carrageenan. Even though Carrageenan itself has no known interaction with Cyclosporine, 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 Carrageenan and Cyclosporine 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 Carrageenan
Steady interest

#1,084 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Cyclosporine
Top 25%

#633 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 Carrageenan reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Carrageenan and Cyclosporine 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 Carrageenan

What is Carrageenan?

  • Food thickener and stabilizer
  • Digestive complaints (traditional use)
  • Cough and sore throat (traditional use)
  • Laxative or bowel-related uses
  • Antiviral (laboratory interest)

Carrageenan is a fiber-like substance taken from red seaweed and is mostly used as a thickener and gelling agent in foods. There is little solid human evidence supporting it as a health supplement, and some forms (especially degraded carrageenan) have raised digestive and inflammation concerns, so it should not be relied on to treat any condition.

Extracted polysaccharide from red seaweed (Rhodophyceae) · Food additive (thickener/gel), capsules, and occasional supplement blends

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

Carrageenan: dosing

There is no established standard supplement dose of carrageenan. In foods, it is used in small amounts purely as a texture ingredient, not as a measured health dose.If you choose to use a product that contains carrageenan, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Carrageenan monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Cyclosporine

What Is Cyclosporine Used For?

Brand names: Neoral, Gengraf, Sandimmune, Ciclosporine, Cequa, Verkazia, Vevye

Cyclosporine is prescribed to help prevent the body from rejecting a transplanted kidney, liver, or heart. It is often used alongside other immunosuppressive medicines as part of a full transplant care plan.

It is also used for adults with severe, active rheumatoid arthritis that hasn't responded well enough to methotrexate, and for adults with severe plaque psoriasis who haven't had success with other standard treatments.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Cyclosporine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Eye irritation 10,005 reports
Eye pain 4,619 reports
Fever 4,174 reports
Headache 3,888 reports
Nausea 3,776 reports
See full Cyclosporine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Carrageenan

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

0Major
122Moderate
0Minor
2,707No known interaction
122 Moderate 2,707 No interaction
Moderate

122 interactions

Showing 60 of 122 moderate interactions — see all 122 on the Carrageenan page.

No interaction 2,707 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,707 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Carrageenan list.

See the full Carrageenan interactions page
See every supplement checked against Cyclosporine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Carrageenan References

The 6 references that drive our Carrageenan 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. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
  2. Fetrow CW, Avila JR. Professional's Handbook of Complementary & Alternative Medicines. 1st ed. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corp., 1999.
  3. Coggins, C., Blanchard, K., Alvarez, F., Brache, V., Weisberg, E., Kilmarx, P. H., Lacarra, M., Massai, R., Mishell, D., Jr., Salvatierra, A., Witwatwongwana, P., Elias, C., and Ellertson, C. Preliminary safety and acceptability of a carrageenan gel for
  4. Tobacman, J. K., Wallace, R. B., and Zimmerman, M. B. Consumption of carrageenan and other water-soluble polymers used as food additives and incidence of mammary carcinoma. Med.Hypotheses 2001;56(5):589-598. PubMed
  5. Elias, C. J., Coggins, C., Alvarez, F., Brache, V., Fraser, I. S., Lacarra, M., Lahteenmaki, P., Massai, R., Mishell, D. R., Jr., Phillips, D. M., and Salvatierra, A. M. Colposcopic evaluation of a vaginal gel formulation of iota-carrageenan. Contracepti PubMed
  6. Laurie C, El-Zein M, Tota JE, et al. Efficacy of a carrageenan gel in preventing anal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection: interim analysis of the Lubricant Investigation in Men to Inhibit Transmission of HPV Infection (LIMIT-HPV) randomised controlled t

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 Carrageenan and Cyclosporine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Carrageenan with Cyclosporine?
We do not list a known interaction between Carrageenan and Cyclosporine. 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 Carrageenan and Cyclosporine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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 Carrageenan and Cyclosporine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Cyclosporine is filed under 10 classifications, and Carrageenan has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Cyclosporine'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 Carrageenan interact with any other medications?
Yes. Carrageenan has 122 documented drug interactions in our database — Cyclosporine 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 Cyclosporine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Cyclosporine has documented interactions with 229 supplements in our database — Carrageenan is not one of them. The Cyclosporine 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

Carrageenan monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Cyclosporine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Cyclosporine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Cyclosporine, 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 Cyclosporine and Carrageenan?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.