Drug & supplement interaction

Clove + Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine

Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine brand name: Midol Max Strength Menstrual.

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

Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine falls into 2 drug categories that Clove can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, concomitant use of clove may increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Clove and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Clove interacts with whole categories of medication. Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Clove in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine

Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Clove interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use of clove may increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.
In vitro research shows that eugenol, the principal constituent of clove, can inhibit CYP1A2 in a dose-dependent manner,. This effect 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 gist with Midol Max Strength and clove. The caffeine in this product is cleared by a liver enzyme called CYP1A2. In lab dishes, eugenol (clove's main oil) can slow that enzyme down. If that happened in the body, caffeine could hang around longer than usual, which might mean more jitteriness, a racing heart, trouble sleeping, or an upset stomach. The acetaminophen and pyrilamine pieces aren't really the concern here.

The important part: this is only theoretical, seen in test tubes and not in actual people. Normal cooking amounts of clove are very unlikely to matter. Concentrated clove oil or supplements are a different story, so if you use those regularly, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Alharbi NFM, Ahad A, Bin Jardan YA, Al-Jenoobi FI. Effect of eugenol on cytochrome P450 1A2, 2C9, 2D6, and 3A4 activity in human liver microsomes. Saudi Pharm J 2024;32(7):102118. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, concomitant use of clove may increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.
In vitro research shows that eugenol, the principal constituent of clove, can inhibit CYP3A4 in a dose-dependent manner. This effect 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 simple version for your Midol Max Strength, which combines acetaminophen, caffeine, and pyrilamine. In lab dishes, eugenol (the main oil in clove) can slow down an enzyme called CYP3A4 that helps your body process certain medicines. If that slowdown happened in real life, levels of these ingredients could drift a little higher, which might mean a bit more caffeine jitteriness or extra drowsiness and dry mouth from the pyrilamine.

The honest part: this is only seen in test-tube studies, never in actual people, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. A sprinkle of clove in food is a non-issue. If you're using concentrated clove oil or capsules regularly, just mention it to your pharmacist to be safe.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Alharbi NFM, Ahad A, Bin Jardan YA, Al-Jenoobi FI. Effect of eugenol on cytochrome P450 1A2, 2C9, 2D6, and 3A4 activity in human liver microsomes. Saudi Pharm J 2024;32(7):102118. PubMed

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

Clove Also Interacts With Other Medications

Clove has 916 moderate, 60 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 916 Minor 60 No known interaction 1,854 (incl. Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Clove

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine

This page covers Clove only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine page lists 322 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), Ephedra (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 16 major · 260 moderate · 46 minor.

Open the Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 59 real supplement products containing Clove, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Clove. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine too, on top of Clove — 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 Clove and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine 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 Clove
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine
Top half

#922 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 Clove

What is Clove?

Clove
  • Toothache and oral pain
  • Digestive upset
  • Antimicrobial and antifungal
  • Cough and respiratory complaints
  • Flavoring in food and drinks

Clove is a common cooking spice that is also used in traditional medicine, especially as a topical numbing agent for tooth pain thanks to its main compound, eugenol. Food amounts are generally safe, but concentrated clove oil and supplements can be irritating or toxic if overused, and human evidence for most health claims is limited. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using clove medicinally, especially in children or during pregnancy.

Read the full Clove monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Clove

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

0Major
916Moderate
60Minor
1,853No known interaction
916 Moderate 60 Minor 1,853 No interaction
Moderate

916 interactions

Showing 60 of 916 moderate interactions — see all 916 on the Clove page.

Minor

60 interactions

No interaction 1,853 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,853 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Clove list.

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

Can you take Clove with Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Clove and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine?
Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine belongs to more than one drug category, and Clove interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Clove and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine 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 Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Pyrilamine and Clove?

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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.