Drug & supplement interaction

Chondroitin Sulfate + Pilocarpine

Pilocarpine brand names: Salagen, Pilocar, Vuity, Qlosi.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 27, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine 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

Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine

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 Pilocarpine and Chondroitin Sulfate 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.

Chondroitin Sulfate safety at a glance

Chondroitin Sulfat... overall Use caution Generally well tolerated for short-term use, but quality varies and benefit is uncertain.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Pilocarpine and Chondroitin Sulfate? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Pilocarpine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Pilocarpine is filed under 3 classifications — cholinergic drugs, topical drugs, oral drugs. Chondroitin Sulfate has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being warfarin (coumadin) (moderate) — and none of Pilocarpine’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

Chondroitin Sulfate Does Interact With Other Medications

Chondroitin Sulfate has 2 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Pilocarpine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 2 No known interaction 2,828 (incl. Pilocarpine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Chondroitin Sulfate

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine 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.

  • Nausea / Diarrhea reported in 6.2% of FDA reports for Pilocarpine Additional detail

    Chondroitin Sulfate

    “Orally, chondroitin might cause nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, dyspepsia, and epigastric burning.”

    Chondroitin Sulfate · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    6 sources cited
    1. 42396. Oliviero, U., Sorrentino, G. P., De Paola, P., Tranfaglia, E., D'Alessandro, A., Carifi, S., Porfido, F. A., Cerio, R., Grasso, A. M., Policicchio, D., and . Effects of the treatment with matrix on elderly people with chronic articular degeneration. Drug
    2. 42436. Crowley, D. C., Lau, F. C., Sharma, P., Evans, M., Guthrie, N., Bagchi, M., Bagchi, D., Dey, D. K., and Raychaudhuri, S. P. Safety and efficacy of undenatured type II collagen in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: a clinical trial. Int.J.Med.Sc PubMed
    3. 42541. Pavelka and et al. Double-blind, dose effect study of oral cs 4 & 6 1200mg, 800mg, 200mg against placebo in the treatment of femorotibial osteoarthritis. Wular Rheumatol Liter 1998;27(suppl 2):63.
    4. 89561. Greenlee H, Crew KD, Shao T, Kranwinkel G, Kalinsky K, Maurer M, Brafman L, Insel B, Tsai WY, Hershman DL. Phase II study of glucosamine with chondroitin on aromatase inhibitor-associated joint symptoms in women with breast cancer. Support Care Cancer 201 PubMed
    5. 110628. Chu EC, Huang KHK, Cheung G, Ng G, Lin A. Delayed Skin Allergy to Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplement. Cureus 2023;15(3):e36310. PubMed
    6. 111647. Lila AM, Alekseeva LI, Baranov AA, et al. Chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine combination in patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis: A long-term observational study in Russia. World J Orthop 2023;14(6):443-457. PubMed

    Pilocarpine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Pilocarpine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Chondroitin Sulfate but not commonly for Pilocarpine: heart failure, liver problems, a heart attack and wheezing.

Effects for Pilocarpine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Chondroitin Sulfate come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 3,286 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Pilocarpine 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.

Overlapping uses

What Pilocarpine Is Prescribed For, and What Chondroitin Sulfate Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Pilocarpine is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Chondroitin Sulfate is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Pilocarpine is prescribed for: Pilocarpine eye drops are used to lower elevated pressure inside the eye in people with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, to manage acute angle-closure glaucoma, to prevent pressure spikes after laser eye surgery, and to cause pupil constriction (miosis) when needed. Vuity and Qlosi eye drops, as well as Pilocarpine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic solution, are specifically approved to treat presbyopia (age-related difficulty focusing up close) in adults. Pilocarpine tablets — including Salagen and generic pilocarpine hydrochloride tablets — are used by mouth to relieve dry mouth caused by salivary gland damage from radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, or from Sjögren's syndrome (an autoimmune condition that reduces saliva and tear production).

Chondroitin Sulfate has been studied for:

  • Cancer studied, not established Chondroitin Sulfate has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Chondroitin Sulfate for cancer

    Some low-quality observational studies suggest that oral chondroitin use is not associated with a lower risk of cancer.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Pilocarpine on your own; if you are taking Chondroitin Sulfate for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Pilocarpine

This page covers Chondroitin Sulfate only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Pilocarpine page lists 40 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Bacopa (moderate), Bael (moderate), Betel Nut (moderate) and Boxwood (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 28 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Pilocarpine page

“Pilocarpine stimulates the body's cholinergic system, whether as Salagen tablets for the dry mouth of Sjogren's or radiation treatment or as eye drops like Vuity, and its supplement list calls for real care. The one major-rated interaction among the 40 on file is activated charcoal, which soaks up the drug in the gut and can cut how mu…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Pilocarpine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,347 real supplement products containing Chondroitin Sulfate, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Chondroitin Sulfate. Even though Chondroitin Sulfate itself has no known interaction with Pilocarpine, 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 Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine 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 Chondroitin Sulfate
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Pilocarpine
Steady interest

#1,441 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 Chondroitin Sulfate reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 27, 2026. The Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine 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 Chondroitin Sulfate

What is Chondroitin Sulfate?

  • Osteoarthritis joint pain
  • Joint stiffness
  • Cartilage support
  • Dry eye (eye drops)

Chondroitin sulfate is a naturally occurring building block of cartilage that is widely taken, often with glucosamine, for osteoarthritis joint pain. The evidence is mixed—some people report modest relief while large studies show little or no benefit—but it appears generally well tolerated. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, especially if you have allergies or other health conditions.

Cartilage from animal sources (cattle, pig, shark, or fish) · Capsules, tablets, powders (often combined with glucosamine)

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

Chondroitin Sulfate: dosing

There is no single official dose of chondroitin sulfate that is agreed upon for everyone. It is often taken once daily or split into smaller doses through the day, and it is frequently combined with glucosamine in joint-support products.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not take more than recommended.

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

Read the full Chondroitin Sulfate monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Pilocarpine

What Is Pilocarpine Used For?

Brand names: Salagen, Pilocar, Vuity, Qlosi

Pilocarpine eye drops are used to lower elevated pressure inside the eye in people with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, to manage acute angle-closure glaucoma, to prevent pressure spikes after laser eye surgery, and to cause pupil constriction (miosis) when needed. Vuity and Qlosi eye drops, as well as Pilocarpine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic solution, are specifically approved to treat presbyopia (age-related difficulty focusing up close) in adults.

Pilocarpine tablets — including Salagen and generic pilocarpine hydrochloride tablets — are used by mouth to relieve dry mouth caused by salivary gland damage from radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, or from Sjögren's syndrome (an autoimmune condition that reduces saliva and tear production).

See full Pilocarpine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Chondroitin Sulfate

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

0Major
2Moderate
0Minor
2,827No known interaction
2 Moderate 2,827 No interaction
Moderate

2 interactions

No interaction 2,827 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,827 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Chondroitin Sulfate list.

See the full Chondroitin Sulfate interactions page
See every supplement checked against Pilocarpine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Chondroitin Sulfate References

The 22 references that drive our Chondroitin Sulfate 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. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2002.
  2. Tallia AF, Cardone DA. Asthma exacerbation associated with glucosamine-chondroitin supplement. J Am Board Fam Pract 2002;15:481-4..
  3. Danao-Camara T. Potential side effects of treatment with glucosamine and chondroitin. Arthritis Rheum 2000;43:2853. PubMed
  4. Rozenfeld V, Crain JL, Callahan AK. Possible augmentation of warfarin effect by glucosamine-chondroitin. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2004;61:306-307. PubMed
  5. Clegg DO, Reda DJ, Harris CL, et al. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med 2006;354:795-808. DOI
  6. Knudsen J, Sokol GH. Potential glucosamine-warfarin interaction resulting in increased international normalized ratio: Case report and review of the literature and MedWatch database. Pharmacotherapy 2008;28:540-8. PubMed
  7. Yue QY, Strandell J, Myrberg O. Concomitant use of glucosamine potentiates the effect of warfarin. Jan 2006. Drug Safety 29(10):911-1010. DOI
  8. Nordling, J. and van, Ophoven A. Intravesical glycosaminoglycan replenishment with chondroitin sulphate in chronic forms of cystitis. A multi-national, multi-centre, prospective observational clinical trial. Arzneimittelforschung. 2008;58(7):328-335. PubMed
  9. Nickel, J. C., Egerdie, B., Downey, J., Singh, R., Skehan, A., Carr, L., and Irvine-Bird, K. A real-life multicentre clinical practice study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravesical chondroitin sulphate for the treatment of interstitial cystit
  10. Oliviero, U., Sorrentino, G. P., De Paola, P., Tranfaglia, E., D'Alessandro, A., Carifi, S., Porfido, F. A., Cerio, R., Grasso, A. M., Policicchio, D., and . Effects of the treatment with matrix on elderly people with chronic articular degeneration. Drug
  11. Crowley, D. C., Lau, F. C., Sharma, P., Evans, M., Guthrie, N., Bagchi, M., Bagchi, D., Dey, D. K., and Raychaudhuri, S. P. Safety and efficacy of undenatured type II collagen in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: a clinical trial. Int.J.Med.Sc PubMed
  12. Nickel, J. C., Egerdie, R. B., Steinhoff, G., Palmer, B., and Hanno, P. A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group pilot evaluation of the efficacy and safety of intravesical sodium chondroitin sulfate versus vehicle control in patients with
  13. Sawitzke, A. D., Shi, H., Finco, M. F., Dunlop, D. D., Harris, C. L., Singer, N. G., Bradley, J. D., Silver, D., Jackson, C. G., Lane, N. E., Oddis, C. V., Wolfe, F., Lisse, J., Furst, D. E., Bingham, C. O., Reda, D. J., Moskowitz, R. W., Williams, H. J.
  14. Wildi, L. M., Raynauld, J. P., Martel-Pelletier, J., Beaulieu, A., Bessette, L., Morin, F., Abram, F., Dorais, M., and Pelletier, J. P. Chondroitin sulphate reduces both cartilage volume loss and bone marrow lesions in knee osteoarthritis patients starti
  15. Pavelka and et al. Double-blind, dose effect study of oral cs 4 & 6 1200mg, 800mg, 200mg against placebo in the treatment of femorotibial osteoarthritis. Wular Rheumatol Liter 1998;27(suppl 2):63.

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 Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Chondroitin Sulfate with Pilocarpine?
We do not list a known interaction between Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine. 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 Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine 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.
Are Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Chondroitin Sulfate in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Pilocarpine is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Chondroitin Sulfate and Pilocarpine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Pilocarpine is filed under 3 classifications, and Chondroitin Sulfate has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Pilocarpine'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 Chondroitin Sulfate interact with any other medications?
Yes. Chondroitin Sulfate has 2 documented drug interactions in our database — Pilocarpine 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 Pilocarpine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Pilocarpine has documented interactions with 40 supplements in our database — Chondroitin Sulfate is not one of them. The Pilocarpine 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

Chondroitin Sulfate monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Pilocarpine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Pilocarpine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Pilocarpine, 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 22 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

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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.