Drug & supplement interaction

Coca + Esomeprazole

Esomeprazole brand name: Nexium.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Coca and Esomeprazole 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 label for Esomeprazole states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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

Coca and Esomeprazole

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 Esomeprazole and Coca 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.

Coca safety at a glance

Coca overall Avoid Coca leaf naturally contains cocaine and is a controlled substance in most countries; only cocaine-free extract is legal as a flavoring.
Pregnancy Unsafe When inhaled or used orally. Coca, and the constituent cocaine, are contraindicated due to abortifacient and teratogenic effects. Coca use is also associated wi... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Unsafe When inhaled or used orally. Coca and the constituent, cocaine, are contraindicated. Cocaine is excreted into human milk and intoxication can occur in infants c... 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 Esomeprazole and Coca? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Esomeprazole

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Esomeprazole is filed under 6 classifications — including proton pump inhibitors (ppis), cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) inhibitors, cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) inducers. Coca has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — the most serious being alcohol (ethanol) (major), nifedipine (procardia) (major) and antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — and none of Esomeprazole’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

Coca Does Interact With Other Medications

Coca has 2 major, 257 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Esomeprazole isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Coca

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Coca and Esomeprazole 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. 5 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Wheezing / Shortness of breath Worth acting on Additional detail

    Coca

    “Orally, the cocaine constituent of coca can cause serious adverse effects. Respiratory adverse effects include exacerbation of asthma, thermal airway injury, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, pulmonary thrombosis, bronchiolitis obliterans, pulmonary edema, pulmonary infiltrates, pulmonary vascular disease, and pulmonary hemorrhage (17).

    Intranasally, chronic cocaine abuse is…”

    Coca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards).

    2 sources cited
    1. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
    2. 1258. Alexandrakis G, Tse DT, Rosa RH Jr, Johnson TE. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction and orbital cellulitis associated with chronic intranasal cocaine abuse. Arch Ophthalmol 1999;117:1617-22. PubMed

    Esomeprazole

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

  • Low mood Worth acting on Additional detail

    Coca

    “Orally, the cocaine constituent of coca can cause serious adverse effects. Psychiatric adverse effects include paranoia, depression, and violence (17).”

    Coca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in depression.

    1 source cited
    1. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.

    Esomeprazole

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

  • Anemia Worth acting on Additional detail

    Coca

    “Chewing coca leaves can cause anorexia, which often leads to malnutrition. Poor eating habits may contribute to anemia in people that chew coca leaves.

    Orally, the cocaine constituent of coca can cause serious adverse effects. Hematologic effects include mesenteric ischemia, pulmonary thrombosis, stroke, and intracranial and intracerebral hemorrhage (17).”

    Coca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anemia.

    2 sources cited
    1. 9458. Buck AA, Sasaki TT, Hewitt JJ, Macrae AA. Coca chewing and health. An epidemiologic study among residents of a Peruvian village. Am J Epidemiol 1968;88:159-77.. PubMed
    2. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.

    Esomeprazole

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

  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    Coca

    Recorded for Coca in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Wheezing / Shortness of breath above.

    Esomeprazole

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

  • Migraine / Anxiety or restlessness / Headache Additional detail

    Coca

    “Orally, the cocaine constituent of coca can cause serious adverse effects. Initially, the neurologic effects of coca can include euphoria, hyperactivity, and restlessness. Tremors, hyperreflexia, and seizures can develop later on. Finally, coma, hyporeflexia, and death may occur. Cocaine can also cause migraine headaches, stroke, and intracranial and intracerebral hemorrhage (17,5092).”

    Coca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in epilepsy.

    2 sources cited
    1. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
    2. 5092. McEvoy AW, Kitchen ND, Thomas DG. Intracerebral haemorrhage in young adults: the emerging importance of drug misuse. BMJ 2000;320:1322-4.

    Esomeprazole

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

  • Reduced appetite Additional detail

    Coca

    “There is limited reliable information available about the safety of coca leaves when used orally. The cocaine constituent of coca can cause serious adverse effects.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Anorexia and oral mucosal lesions when the leaves are chewed.

    Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):

    Orally: Cocaine, a constituent of coca, can cause cardiovascular disease, stroke, seizures, and death.”

    Coca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anorexia.

    Esomeprazole

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

  • Swelling Additional detail

    Coca

    Recorded for Coca in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Wheezing / Shortness of breath above.

    Esomeprazole

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

Reported for Coca but not commonly for Esomeprazole: a heart attack, severe muscle breakdown, low blood sugar and blood clots.

Effects for Esomeprazole come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Coca come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 235,235 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Esomeprazole 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.

Special populations

Coca in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Unsafe

When inhaled or used orally. Coca, and the constituent cocaine, are contraindicated due to abortifacient and teratogenic effects. Coca use is also associated with a high incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Lactation Unsafe

When inhaled or used orally. Coca and the constituent, cocaine, are contraindicated. Cocaine is excreted into human milk and intoxication can occur in infants consuming human milk after recent exposure to cocaine.

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

How to take them

Some Esomeprazole Products Have a Food Rule — Coca Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Esomeprazole says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Coca included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Esomeprazole on its own and move Coca to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Esomeprazole products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Table 2: Recommended Dosage of Esomeprazole Magnesium Delayed-Release Capsules in Pediatric Patients by Indication Indication Patient Age Recommended Dosage Duration Healing of EE 12 years to 17 years Esomeprazole magnesium delayed-release capsules: 20 mg or 40 mg once daily 4 to 8 Weeks Treatment of Symptomatic GERD 12 years to 17 years Esomeprazole magnesium delayed-release capsules: 20 mg once

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Esomeprazole — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

From our Q&A

Questions About Coca or Esomeprazole

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

This page covers Coca only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Esomeprazole page lists 154 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 102 moderate · 49 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Esomeprazole page

“St. John's wort can lower the amount of esomeprazole (Nexium) in your blood by speeding up how the liver clears it, which can leave heartburn or ulcer treatment falling short.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Esomeprazole interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Coca and Esomeprazole 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 Coca
Steady interest

#1,201 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Esomeprazole
Steady interest

#1,509 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 Coca reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Coca and Esomeprazole records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 Coca

What is Coca?

Coca
  • Altitude sickness
  • Fatigue and low energy
  • Appetite and hunger suppression
  • Digestive upset
  • Flavoring agent in foods and drinks

Coca is a South American plant best known as the natural source of cocaine. While the leaves have a long history of traditional use for altitude sickness, fatigue, and hunger, the whole plant contains cocaine and other alkaloids that make it legally controlled and potentially dangerous in most countries. Only decocainized (cocaine-free) coca extract is used in foods, and there is little reliable evidence to recommend coca as a supplement.

Erythroxylum coca · Erythroxylaceae · Leaves (and decocainized extract) · Tea (mate de coca), chewed leaves, decocainized extract used as a flavoring

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

Coca: dosing

There is no established safe or standard dose of coca as a dietary supplement, and the cocaine-containing leaf is illegal in most countries. We do not recommend a dose.For products that use cocaine-free coca extract as a flavoring, follow the directions on the product label.

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

Read the full Coca monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Esomeprazole

What Is Esomeprazole Used For?

Brand name: Nexium

Esomeprazole treats problems caused by excess stomach acid. It's used to heal erosive esophagitis (damage to the esophagus from acid), control GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) symptoms like heartburn, and protect the stomach lining in people at risk for ulcers caused by NSAIDs (anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen).

It's also used as part of a three-drug combination to wipe out H. pylori — a stomach bacteria linked to ulcers — and for people with rare conditions that cause the stomach to overproduce acid, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Esomeprazole

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (235,235 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Chronic kidney disease 35,589 reports
Acute kidney injury 20,510 reports
Renal failure 16,295 reports
Nausea 13,667 reports
Gastrooesophageal reflux disease 12,006 reports
See full Esomeprazole drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Coca

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

2Major
257Moderate
0Minor
2,570No known interaction
Major

2 interactions

Moderate

257 interactions

Showing 60 of 257 moderate interactions — see all 257 on the Coca page.

No interaction 2,570 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Coca References

The 15 references that drive our Coca 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. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
  2. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  3. Alexandrakis G, Tse DT, Rosa RH Jr, Johnson TE. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction and orbital cellulitis associated with chronic intranasal cocaine abuse. Arch Ophthalmol 1999;117:1617-22. PubMed
  4. McEvoy AW, Kitchen ND, Thomas DG. Intracerebral haemorrhage in young adults: the emerging importance of drug misuse. BMJ 2000;320:1322-4.
  5. Potter SM, Zelazo PR, Stack DM, Papageorgiou AN. Adverse effects of fetal cocaine exposure on neonatal auditory information processing. Pediatrics 2000;105:E40.. PubMed
  6. Bolla KI, Funderburk FR, Cadet JL. Differential effects of cocaine and cocaine alcohol on neurocognitive performance. Neurology 2000;54:2285-92. PubMed
  7. Heesch CM, Wilhelm CR, Ristich J, et al. Cocaine activates platelets and increases the formation of circulating platelet containing microaggregates in humans. Heart 2000;83:688-95. PubMed
  8. Favier R, Caceres E, Guillon L, et al. Coca chewing for exercise: hormonal and metabolic responses of nonhabitual chewers. J Appl Physiol 1996;81:1901-7.. PubMed
  9. Favier R, Caceres E, Sempore B, et al. Fluid regulatory hormone response to exercise after coca-induced body fluid shifts. J Appl Physiol 1997;83:376-82.. PubMed
  10. Buck AA, Sasaki TT, Hewitt JJ, Macrae AA. Coca chewing and health. An epidemiologic study among residents of a Peruvian village. Am J Epidemiol 1968;88:159-77.. PubMed
  11. Roldan CA, Aliabadi D, Crawford MH. Prevalence of heart disease in asymptomatic chronic cocaine users. Cardiology 2001;95:25-30.. PubMed
  12. Galarza Guzman M, Penaloza Imana R, Echalar Afcha L, et al. Effects of coca chewing on glucose tolerance test. Medicina (B Aires) 1997;57(3):261-4.
  13. Spielvogel H, Rodriguez A, Sempore B, et al. Body fluid homeostasis and cardiovascular adjustments during submaximal exercise: influence of chewing coca leaves. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1997;75(5):400-6. PubMed
  14. Spielvogel, H., Caceres, E., Koubi, H., Sempore, B., Sauvain, M., and Favier, R. Effects of coca chewing on metabolic and hormonal changes during graded incremental exercise to maximum. J.Appl.Physiol 1996;80(2):643-649. PubMed
  15. Favier, R., Caceres, E., Koubi, H., Sempore, B., Sauvain, M., and Spielvogel, H. Effects of coca chewing on hormonal and metabolic responses during prolonged submaximal exercise. J.Appl.Physiol 1996;80(2):650-655. PubMed

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 Coca and Esomeprazole Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Coca with Esomeprazole?
We do not list a known interaction between Coca and Esomeprazole. 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 Coca and Esomeprazole have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 10 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.
Should I take Coca and Esomeprazole at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Esomeprazole says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Esomeprazole on its own and move Coca to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Coca and Esomeprazole combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Esomeprazole is filed under 6 classifications, and Coca has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — none of Esomeprazole'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 Coca interact with any other medications?
Yes. Coca has 259 documented drug interactions in our database — Esomeprazole 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 Esomeprazole interact with any supplements?
Yes. Esomeprazole has documented interactions with 154 supplements in our database — Coca is not one of them. The Esomeprazole interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

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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.