Drug & supplement interaction

Coca + Ribavirin Aerosol

Ribavirin Aerosol brand name: Virazole.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Coca and Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Ribavirin Aerosol

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 Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Ribavirin Aerosol and Coca? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ribavirin Aerosol

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ribavirin Aerosol is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. 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 Ribavirin Aerosol’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 — Ribavirin Aerosol isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 2 Moderate 257 No known interaction 2,571 (incl. Ribavirin Aerosol)
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 Ribavirin Aerosol 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. 3 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Anemia Worth acting on reported in 13.1% of FDA reports for Ribavirin Aerosol 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.

    Ribavirin Aerosol

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ribavirin Aerosol, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. 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.

    Ribavirin Aerosol

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

  • 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

    Ribavirin Aerosol

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

  • Anxiety or restlessness / Headache reported in 7.5% of FDA reports for Ribavirin Aerosol 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.

    Ribavirin Aerosol

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ribavirin Aerosol, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. 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.

    Ribavirin Aerosol

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

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

Effects for Ribavirin Aerosol 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 63,877 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Ribavirin Aerosol Products Have a Food Rule — Coca Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Ribavirin Aerosol says to take it with food. If you take Coca on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Ribavirin Aerosol with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Ribavirin Aerosol 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.

Ribavirin capsules should be taken with food [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Ribavirin Aerosol — 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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ribavirin Aerosol

This page covers Coca only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ribavirin Aerosol page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ribavirin Aerosol page

“Ribavirin Aerosol (Virazole) is an inhaled antiviral used mostly in hospitals against severe RSV infection, and with an infection that serious, losing drug exposure is not a small problem, so I would approach this list with genuine care. Its one major-rated interaction, activated charcoal, can pull ribavirin out of the body even though…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ribavirin Aerosol interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Coca and Ribavirin Aerosol 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

#1,190 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Ribavirin Aerosol
Top 10%

#267 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 Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Ribavirin

What Is Ribavirin Used For?

Brand name: Virazole

Ribavirin comes in different forms for different uses. Ribavirin capsules are used in combination with interferon alfa-2b (pegylated or non-pegylated) to treat chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in patients 3 years and older with compensated liver disease. Ribavirin tablets are used in combination with PEGASYS® (peginterferon alfa-2a) to treat chronic hepatitis C in patients 5 years and older with compensated liver disease who have not previously been treated with interferon — including adults who also have HIV. Ribavirin for inhalation solution is a separate product used to treat hospitalized infants and young children with severe lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Ribavirin must never be used alone to treat hepatitis C — it only works as part of combination therapy. Only the most severe RSV infections requiring hospitalization should be treated with the inhaled form; mild RSV illness in children does not require this treatment.

See full Ribavirin 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
2 Major 257 Moderate 2,570 No 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

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,570 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Coca list.

See the full Coca interactions page
See every supplement checked against Ribavirin Aerosol, ranked by severity
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 Ribavirin Aerosol Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Coca with Ribavirin Aerosol?
We do not list a known interaction between Coca and Ribavirin Aerosol. 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 Ribavirin Aerosol have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 6 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 Ribavirin Aerosol at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Ribavirin Aerosol says to take it with food. If you take Coca on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Ribavirin Aerosol with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Ribavirin Aerosol products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Coca and Ribavirin Aerosol combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ribavirin Aerosol is filed under 1 classification, and Coca has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — none of Ribavirin Aerosol'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 — Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Ribavirin Aerosol interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ribavirin Aerosol has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Coca is not one of them. The Ribavirin Aerosol 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

Coca monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Ribavirin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Ribavirin Aerosol supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Ribavirin Aerosol, 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 15 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Ribavirin Aerosol and Coca?

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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.