Drug & supplement interaction

Coca + Semaglutide

Semaglutide brand names: Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy.

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

Coca has a moderate interaction with Semaglutide. Theoretically, coca might reduce the effects of antidiabetes drugs.

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

Coca and Semaglutide

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Semaglutide

Semaglutide falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Coca interacts with.

Theoretically, coca might reduce the effects of antidiabetes drugs.
Some clinical research suggests that coca and the coca constituent cocaine have hyperglycemic effects. Theoretically, concomitant use of coca with antidiabetes drugs might interfere with glucose control and decrease the effectiveness of antidiabetes drugs.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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: semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) helps your body release insulin and lowers your blood sugar. The catch with coca is that the cocaine and other alkaloids it contains act as stimulants, and some research suggests they can actually push blood sugar up. So if you used coca alongside your semaglutide, it could work against you and make your blood sugar harder to control, even though your medication is doing its job.

To be fair, this is mostly theoretical and based on lower-quality evidence, so I don't want to alarm you. But coca also carries serious legal and heart-related risks of its own. If you're thinking about coca for altitude or energy, please talk it over with your pharmacist or doctor first, and keep an eye on your blood sugar readings.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. 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
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. 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

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

Coca Also Interacts With Other Medications

Coca has 2 major, 256 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Semaglutide one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 2 Moderate 256 No known interaction 2,572 (incl. Semaglutide)
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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Coca or Semaglutide

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 Semaglutide, 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 Semaglutide

This page covers Coca only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Semaglutide page lists 256 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 215 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Semaglutide page

“Semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy) lowers blood sugar, and so do most of the 256 supplements on this page, which is why I read this list with real vigilance rather than a shrug. Nearly all of the entries either add to its glucose-lowering effect and raise the risk of hypoglycemia, or push sugar the other way and blunt it, as niaci…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Semaglutide interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Coca and Semaglutide 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

#1,207 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Semaglutide
Top 1%

#24 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 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.

Read the full Coca monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Semaglutide

What Is Semaglutide Used For?

Brand names: Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy

Semaglutide is available as Wegovy (injection and tablet) and Ozempic (injection), and each product has its own approved uses. Wegovy injection is approved — alongside diet and exercise — to reduce excess body weight in adults and in children aged 12 and older with obesity, to lower the risk of serious heart events (heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death) in adults with obesity or overweight who also have established heart disease, and for treatment of a liver condition called MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, formerly called NASH) with moderate-to-advanced scarring in adults. Wegovy tablets share the cardiovascular risk reduction and weight management uses in adults, but are not approved for MASH or for use in children. Ozempic injection is approved to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes (alongside diet and exercise) and to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who also have established heart disease.

All forms are used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Ozempic is not approved for type 1 diabetes. The MASH approval for Wegovy injection is an accelerated approval, meaning continued approval may depend on results from a confirmatory study.

See full Semaglutide 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
256Moderate
0Minor
2,571No known interaction
2 Major 256 Moderate 2,571 No interaction
Major

2 interactions

Moderate

256 interactions

Showing 60 of 256 moderate interactions — see all 256 on the Coca page.

No interaction 2,571 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 2,571 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Coca list.

See the full Coca interactions page
See every supplement checked against Semaglutide, 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
Coca monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Semaglutide supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Semaglutide, ranked by severity Semaglutide drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication 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 Coca and Semaglutide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Coca with Semaglutide?
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 Coca and Semaglutide 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 Semaglutide 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.