Drug & supplement interaction

Carrageenan + Urokinase

Urokinase brand name: Abbokinase.

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

Carrageenan has a moderate interaction with Urokinase. 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 Urokinase

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Urokinase

Urokinase 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 situation with urokinase: it's a powerful clot-buster given in the hospital, usually through an IV, to break up dangerous blood clots in things like the lungs or blocked catheters. Because its whole job is to dissolve clots, bleeding is already the main thing the medical team watches for.

Now, lab studies hint that carrageenan may have its own mild blood-thinning action. The thought is that stacking it on top of urokinase could, in theory, nudge your bleeding risk a little higher, meaning easier bruising or harder-to-stop bleeding. But I want to be honest: this is theoretical only and has never actually been seen in people. The food amounts in everyday products are very unlikely to matter. If you take concentrated carrageenan supplements, just mention it to your care team so they're aware.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
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 Urokinase one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 121 No known interaction 2,709 (incl. Urokinase)
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 Urokinase

This page covers Carrageenan only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Urokinase page lists 219 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Danshen (major), Piracetam (major), Aconite (moderate) and Allspice (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 191 moderate · 25 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Urokinase page

“Urokinase (Abbokinase) exists to dissolve dangerous blood clots, which means it already pushes your clotting system about as far as medicine dares. Nearly everything on this page, more than 200 herbs and supplements, thins the blood or slows platelets in its own right, so adding any of them raises the odds of serious bleeding on top of…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Urokinase 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 Urokinase 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 Urokinase 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
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Urokinase
Steady interest

#1,914 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
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
121 Moderate 2,708 No 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

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 2,708 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Carrageenan list.

See the full Carrageenan interactions page
See every supplement checked against Urokinase, 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
Carrageenan monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Urokinase supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Urokinase, 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 Carrageenan and Urokinase Together: Common Questions

Can you take Carrageenan with Urokinase?
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 Urokinase 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 Urokinase 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.