Drug & supplement interaction

Carrageenan + Iloprost

Iloprost brand names: Ventavis, Aurlumyn.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Carrageenan has a moderate interaction with Iloprost. Theoretically, carrageenan may increase the risk of bleeding in patients taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.

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

Carrageenan and Iloprost

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Iloprost

Iloprost falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Carrageenan interacts with.

Theoretically, carrageenan may increase the risk of bleeding in patients taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
Laboratory research suggests that carrageenan has anticoagulant effects. However, this has not been reported in humans.
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 connection worth knowing. Inhaled iloprost (Ventavis) does more than open up the blood vessels in your lungs. Like other prostacyclin medicines, it also makes platelets less sticky, so it gently nudges your blood toward thinning. That's where carrageenan comes in: in lab studies, this seaweed-derived fiber has shown its own mild blood-thinning activity. Stack the two and, in theory, you could see a bit more bruising, nosebleeds, or bleeding that takes longer to stop.

But please don't lose sleep over this. This concern comes only from test-tube research and has never been reported in real people, and ordinary food amounts of carrageenan are very unlikely to matter. Concentrated supplements are the bigger question mark. If you're considering one, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. Fetrow CW, Avila JR. Professional's Handbook of Complementary & Alternative Medicines. 1st ed. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corp., 1999.

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

Carrageenan Also Interacts With Other Medications

Carrageenan has 121 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Iloprost 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 Carrageenan

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Iloprost

This page covers Carrageenan only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Iloprost page lists 287 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), Danshen (major) and Piracetam (major).

By severity: 6 major · 254 moderate · 27 minor.

Open the Iloprost 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. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Iloprost too, on top of Carrageenan — 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 Carrageenan and Iloprost 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

#1,086 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Iloprost
Top half

#1,000 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 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.

Read the full Carrageenan monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Iloprost

What Is Iloprost Used For?

Brand names: Ventavis, Aurlumyn

Aurlumyn (iloprost injection, given intravenously) is approved to treat severe frostbite in adults, specifically to reduce the risk of losing fingers or toes (digit amputations). Its effectiveness was established in young, healthy adults who experienced frostbite at high altitudes.

See full Iloprost 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
121Moderate
0Minor
2,708No known interaction
Moderate

121 interactions

Showing 60 of 121 moderate interactions — see all 121 on the Carrageenan page.

No interaction 2,708 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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Carrageenan and Iloprost Together: Common Questions

Can you take Carrageenan with Iloprost?
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.
How serious is the Carrageenan and Iloprost 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 Iloprost and Carrageenan?

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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.