Drug & supplement interaction

Coffee Charcoal + Amylase, Lipase, Protease

Amylase, Lipase, Protease brand names: Pangestyme MT 16, Pangestyme CN 10, Pangestyme CN 20, Pangestyme EC, Pangestyme UL 12, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Coffee Charcoal has a moderate interaction with Amylase, Lipase, Protease. Coffee charcoal can reduce the absorption of orally administered drugs and should be separated from oral drug administration by at least two hours.

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

Coffee Charcoal and Amylase, Lipase, Protease

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

Moderate

ORAL DRUGS

Why this applies to Amylase, Lipase, Protease

Amylase, Lipase, Protease falls under ORAL DRUGS — the group Coffee Charcoal interacts with.

Coffee charcoal can reduce the absorption of orally administered drugs and should be separated from oral drug administration by at least two hours.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence D

Interaction 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..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the thing to keep in mind: your pancreatic enzyme capsules (amylase, lipase, and protease) need to mix with your food right in your gut to do their job of breaking down fats, starches, and proteins. Coffee charcoal acts like other charcoals, with a porous surface that can grab onto things passing through your digestive tract. In theory, it could soak up some of those enzymes before they get a chance to work on your meal.

If that happened, you might notice your enzymes working less well, with symptoms like greasy or floating stools, bloating, gas, or belly discomfort coming back. This concern is based on how charcoal behaves, not on solid studies, so it may be modest. To be safe, separate the two by at least a couple of hours and check with your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.

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

Coffee Charcoal Also Interacts With Other Medications

Coffee Charcoal has 2,021 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Amylase, Lipase, Protease 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 Coffee Charcoal

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Amylase, Lipase, Protease

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

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

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

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Amylase, Lipase, Protease page

“Pancreatic enzyme replacements (amylase, lipase, and protease, the Pangestyme brands) only work if the capsules reach your gut and mix with food, and all 17 supplements listed here can interfere with that, so the list deserves real care. Activated charcoal is the one major-rated entry; it soaks up medicines in the digestive tract befor…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Amylase, Lipase, Protease interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Coffee Charcoal and Amylase, Lipase, Protease 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 Coffee Charcoal
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Amylase, Lipase, Protease
Top 10%

#281 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 Coffee Charcoal

What is Coffee Charcoal?

  • Diarrhea
  • Inflammatory bowel conditions
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Mild digestive upset
  • Wound and skin care (topical, traditional)

Coffee charcoal is made by roasting green coffee beans until they turn black, creating a charcoal-like material used traditionally for diarrhea and digestive complaints. Scientific evidence supporting its benefits is very limited, and it should not replace proven treatments. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a chronic gut condition.

Read the full Coffee Charcoal monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Pancrelipase

What Is Pancrelipase Used For?

Brand names: Pangestyme MT 16, Pangestyme CN 10, Pangestyme CN 20, Pangestyme EC, Pangestyme UL 12, Pangestyme UL 18, Pangestyme UL 20, Pancrelipase, Pancrelipase 10,000, Lipram 10,000, Pancrecarb Ms-4, Ku-Zyme, Kutrase, Digepepsin, Pancrecarb Ms-8, Pancrelipase 16,000, Pancrelipase 20,000, Pancron 20, Festal II, Microspheres, Zymase, Entozyme, Ku-Zyme HP, Protilase, Ilozyme, Plaretase, Ultresa

Pancrelipase is used to treat exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) — a condition where the pancreas doesn't produce enough digestive enzymes. Without these enzymes, the body struggles to break down and absorb nutrients from food.

It is indicated for adults with EPI caused by chronic pancreatitis (long-term pancreas inflammation) or pancreatectomy (surgical removal of the pancreas, in whole or in part). It is also used in people with cystic fibrosis who develop EPI.

See full Pancrelipase drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Coffee Charcoal

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

0Major
2,021Moderate
0Minor
808No known interaction
Moderate

2,021 interactions

Showing 60 of 2,021 moderate interactions — see all 2,021 on the Coffee Charcoal page.

No interaction 808 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 808 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Coffee Charcoal 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 Coffee Charcoal and Amylase, Lipase, Protease Together: Common Questions

Can you take Coffee Charcoal with Amylase, Lipase, Protease?
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 Coffee Charcoal and Amylase, Lipase, Protease 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 Amylase, Lipase, Protease and Coffee Charcoal?

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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.