Drug & supplement interaction

Cocoa + Drospirenone

Drospirenone brand name: Drospirenone.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Cocoa has a minor interaction with Drospirenone. Theoretically, concomitant use might increase the effects and adverse effects of caffeine found in cocoa.

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

Cocoa and Drospirenone

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

Minor

CONTRACEPTIVE DRUGS

Why this applies to Drospirenone

Drospirenone falls under CONTRACEPTIVE DRUGS — the group Cocoa interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use might increase the effects and adverse effects of caffeine found in cocoa.
Cocoa contains caffeine. Oral contraceptives decrease the rate of caffeine clearance by 40% to 65%.
Severity Minor 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 thing to know with drospirenone (a birth control hormone) and cocoa: the interaction isn't really about your contraceptive working differently. It's about the caffeine in cocoa. Birth control pills slow down how fast your body clears caffeine, sometimes by quite a bit. So the small amount of caffeine in chocolate or a cocoa supplement can hang around longer and hit a little harder.

In plain terms, you might feel more of the usual caffeine effects: jitteriness, a racing heart, trouble sleeping, or feeling wired. This is rated minor, and a normal cup of cocoa or a chocolate treat usually isn't a big deal. If you take concentrated cocoa supplements or are sensitive to caffeine, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist.

References
  1. Pollock BG, Wylie M, Stack JA, et al. Inhibition of caffeine metabolism by estrogen replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. J Clin Pharmacol 1999;39:936-40. PubMed
  2. Abernethy DR, Todd EL. Impairment of caffeine clearance by chronic use of low-dose oestrogen-containing oral contraceptives. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1985;28:425-8. 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

Cocoa Also Interacts With Other Medications

Cocoa has 635 moderate, 25 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Drospirenone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Cocoa

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Drospirenone

This page covers Cocoa only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Drospirenone page lists 168 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 · 116 moderate · 49 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Drospirenone page

“Most people taking drospirenone use it as birth control, often alongside everyday things like coffee, melatonin, or fish oil, and that is why this list of 168 ingredients deserves genuine care. Three entries rate major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Drospirenone interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 844 real supplement products containing Cocoa, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Cocoa. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Drospirenone too, on top of Cocoa — 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 Cocoa and Drospirenone 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 Cocoa
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Drospirenone
Steady interest

#1,540 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 Cocoa

What is Cocoa?

Cocoa
  • Heart and blood vessel health
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Mental focus and mood
  • Skin moisturizing (cocoa butter)

Cocoa is rich in plant compounds called flavanols that may modestly support blood vessel function and blood pressure, but most chocolate products are high in sugar, fat, and calories, which can offset any benefit. Enjoy cocoa as part of a balanced diet, and talk to your pharmacist before using concentrated cocoa supplements, especially if you have heart or blood pressure conditions.

Read the full Cocoa monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Cocoa

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

0Major
635Moderate
25Minor
2,169No known interaction
Moderate

635 interactions

Showing 60 of 635 moderate interactions — see all 635 on the Cocoa page.

Minor

25 interactions

No interaction 2,169 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Cocoa and Drospirenone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Cocoa with Drospirenone?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Cocoa and Drospirenone interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Drospirenone and Cocoa?

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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.