Drug & supplement interaction

Coconut + Mesalamine

Mesalamine brand names: Pentasa, Asacol, Canasa, Rowasa, Lialda, and others.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Coconut and Mesalamine 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 Mesalamine 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.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Coconut and Mesalamine

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 Mesalamine and Coconut 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.

Coconut safety at a glance

Coconut overall Generally safe Coconut is generally safe when eaten in normal food amounts.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of coconut when used in medicinal amounts during pregnan... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of coconut when used in medicinal amounts during pregnan... 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 Mesalamine and Coconut? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Mesalamine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Mesalamine is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Coconut has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (minor) — and none of Mesalamine’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

Coconut Does Interact With Other Medications

Coconut has 86 minor known drug interactions in our database — Mesalamine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Minor 86 No known interaction 2,744 (incl. Mesalamine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Coconut

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Coconut and Mesalamine 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    Coconut

    “Although coconut is a stone fruit, in the US, coconut is grouped with tree nuts for allergen declaration purposes. Orally or topically, coconut can cause allergic reactions ranging from hives to anaphylaxis in those with hypersensitivity to coconut or its pollen.”

    Coconut · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in allergic rhinitis (hay fever).

    6 sources cited
    1. 107673. Kruse L, Lor J, Yousif R, Pongracic JA, Fishbein AB. Coconut allergy: Characteristics of reactions and diagnostic predictors in a pediatric tertiary care center. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2021;126(5):562-568.
    2. 12359. Teuber SS, Peterson WR. Systemic allergic reaction to coconut (Cocos nucifera) in 2 subjects with hypersensitivity to tree nut and demonstration of cross-reactivity to legumin-like seed storage proteins: new coconut and walnut food allergens. J Allergy Cl PubMed
    3. 26561. Rosado A, Fernandez-Rivas M, Gonzalez-Mancebo E, et al. Anaphylaxis to coconut. Allergy 2002;57(2):182-3. PubMed
    4. 95806. Anagnostou K. Coconut Allergy Revisited. Children (Basel). 2017;4(10). pii: E85. PubMed
    5. 95807. Cifuentes L, Mistrello G, Amato S, et al. Identification of cross-reactivity between buckwheat and coconut. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2015;115(6):530-2. PubMed
    6. 95808. Michavila Gomez A, Amat Bou M, Gonzalez Cortés MV, Segura Navas L, Moreno Palanques MA, Bartolomé B. Coconut anaphylaxis: Case report and review. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2015;43(2):219-20. PubMed

    Mesalamine

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

  • Vomiting Additional detail

    Coconut

    Recorded for Coconut in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under An allergic reaction above.

    Mesalamine

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

Reported for Coconut but not commonly for Mesalamine: a severe allergic reaction, shortness of breath, hives and swelling.

Effects for Mesalamine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Coconut come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Coconut in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of coconut when used in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and lactation; avoid use.

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 Mesalamine Products Have a Food Rule — Coconut Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Coconut on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Mesalamine 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 Mesalamine 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.

( 2 ) Administer mesalamine delayed-release tablets with food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Mesalamine — 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 Coconut or Mesalamine

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

This page covers Coconut only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mesalamine 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 Mesalamine page

“Activated charcoal is the one entry here I would treat as a genuine problem for anyone taking mesalamine (Asacol, Lialda, Pentasa, and others). It is the lone major-rated interaction among the 17 on file, because charcoal soaks up drugs in the gut and can pull mesalamine out of the picture before it does its job.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Mesalamine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 806 real supplement products containing Coconut, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Coconut. Even though Coconut itself has no known interaction with Mesalamine, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Coconut and Mesalamine 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 Coconut
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mesalamine
Top 25%

#314 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 Coconut reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Coconut and Mesalamine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Coconut

What is Coconut?

  • Skin and hair care
  • Source of dietary fats (MCTs)
  • Hydration with coconut water
  • Cooking and weight management
  • Antimicrobial (traditional use)

Coconut is a nutritious tropical food enjoyed as oil, water, milk, and flesh, and it is generally safe to eat in normal food amounts. While some uses (like skin moisturizing and hydration) have reasonable support, many health claims for coconut oil are weak or unproven, and coconut oil is high in saturated fat. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using coconut products in large or medicinal amounts.

Cocos nucifera · Arecaceae · Fruit (flesh and water), oil, and milk · Coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk, dried/shredded flesh, capsules (MCT oil)

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

Coconut: dosing

There is no standardized medicinal dose for coconut products. As a food, coconut oil, water, milk, and flesh are used in everyday cooking and drinking amounts.If you use a coconut or MCT oil supplement, follow the directions on the product label.

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

Read the full Coconut monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Mesalamine

What Is Mesalamine Used For?

Brand names: Pentasa, Asacol, Canasa, Rowasa, Lialda, Delzicol

Mesalamine is used to treat mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis — a condition where the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed and ulcerated. Depending on the product and formulation, it can be used to bring the disease under control (induction of remission) and/or to keep it from coming back (maintenance of remission).

Different products target different parts of the lower digestive tract. Oral forms (tablets and capsules) treat the colon more broadly. Rectal forms — including enemas (ROWASA, sfROWASA, mesalamine rectal suspension) — are used for distal ulcerative colitis, proctosigmoiditis, or proctitis (inflammation limited to the lower end of the colon or rectum). Rectal suppositories (CANASA, mesalamine rectal suppositories) are specifically for ulcerative proctitis (inflammation of the rectum only).

See full Mesalamine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Coconut

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

0Major
0Moderate
86Minor
2,743No known interaction
86 Minor 2,743 No interaction
Minor

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 minor interactions — see all 86 on the Coconut page.

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,743 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Coconut list.

See the full Coconut interactions page
See every supplement checked against Mesalamine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Coconut References

The 10 references that drive our Coconut 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. Teuber SS, Peterson WR. Systemic allergic reaction to coconut (Cocos nucifera) in 2 subjects with hypersensitivity to tree nut and demonstration of cross-reactivity to legumin-like seed storage proteins: new coconut and walnut food allergens. J Allergy Cl PubMed
  2. Rosado A, Fernandez-Rivas M, Gonzalez-Mancebo E, et al. Anaphylaxis to coconut. Allergy 2002;57(2):182-3. PubMed
  3. Karmakar PR, Das A, Chatterjee BP. Placebo-controlled immunotherapy with Cocos nucifera pollen extract. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 1994;103(2):194-201. PubMed
  4. Anagnostou K. Coconut Allergy Revisited. Children (Basel). 2017;4(10). pii: E85. PubMed
  5. Cifuentes L, Mistrello G, Amato S, et al. Identification of cross-reactivity between buckwheat and coconut. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2015;115(6):530-2. PubMed
  6. Michavila Gomez A, Amat Bou M, Gonzalez Cortés MV, Segura Navas L, Moreno Palanques MA, Bartolomé B. Coconut anaphylaxis: Case report and review. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2015;43(2):219-20. PubMed
  7. 21CFR170.3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Department of Health and Human Services. Updated April 1, 2017. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=170.3
  8. Alatawi KA, Alshubaily FA. Coconut products alleviate hyperglycaemic, hyperlipidimic and nephropathy indices in streptozotocin-induced diabetic wistar rats. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2021;28(8):4224-4231. PubMed
  9. Kruse L, Lor J, Yousif R, Pongracic JA, Fishbein AB. Coconut allergy: Characteristics of reactions and diagnostic predictors in a pediatric tertiary care center. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2021;126(5):562-568.
  10. Pathmanandavel K, Kaur N, Joshi P, Ford LS. Anaphylaxis and allergy to coconut: An Australian pediatric case series. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020;8(10):3657-3659. 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 Coconut and Mesalamine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Coconut with Mesalamine?
We do not list a known interaction between Coconut and Mesalamine. 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 Coconut and Mesalamine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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 Coconut and Mesalamine at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Coconut on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Mesalamine with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Mesalamine products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Coconut and Mesalamine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Mesalamine is filed under 1 classification, and Coconut has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Mesalamine'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 Coconut interact with any other medications?
Yes. Coconut has 86 documented drug interactions in our database — Mesalamine 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 Mesalamine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mesalamine has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Coconut is not one of them. The Mesalamine 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

Coconut monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Mesalamine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Mesalamine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Mesalamine, 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 10 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Mesalamine and Coconut?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.