Drug & supplement interaction

Coleus + Ezetimibe

Ezetimibe brand name: Zetia.

No Known Interaction

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026

The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Coleus and Ezetimibe 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 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

Coleus and Ezetimibe

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 Ezetimibe and Coleus 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.

Coleus safety at a glance

Coleus overall Use caution May lower blood pressure and is not well studied for long-term use, so use with care and professional guidance.

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally. Evidence from animal research suggests that high doses of coleus can inhibit embryo implantation and/or delay fetal development; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail

Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety data; avoid use while breastfeeding.

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 Ezetimibe and Coleus? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›

How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ezetimibe

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ezetimibe is filed under 2 classifications — including oral drugs. Coleus has documented interactions with 7 drug classes — the most serious being calcium channel blockers (major), nitrates (major) and anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) — and none of Ezetimibe’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

Coleus Does Interact With Other Medications

Coleus has 29 major, 886 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ezetimibe isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 29 Moderate 886 No known interaction 1,915 (incl. Ezetimibe)

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Coleus

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Coleus and Ezetimibe 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.

Diarrhea / Nausea reported in 6.0% of FDA reports for Ezetimibe Additional detail
Coleus
“Orally, coleus can cause dose-related diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Increased bowel movements and loose stools have been reported in 1 of 15 patients taking coleus extract in a clinical trial. Some retrospective evidence reports about a 10% rate of gastrointestinal adverse effects from oral coleus use; 81% of these adverse effects were related to diarrhea.”

Coleus · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.
2 sources cited

91885. Loftus HL, Astell KJ, Mathai ML, et al. Coleus forskohlii Extract Supplementation in Conjunction with a Hypocaloric Diet Reduces the Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2015;7(11): PubMed

100851. Nishijima C, Chiba T, Sato Y, Umegaki K. Nationwide Online Survey Enables the Reevaluation of the Safety of Coleus forskohlii Extract Intake Based on the Adverse Event Frequencies. Nutrients. 2019;11(4). pii: E866. PubMed
Ezetimibe

Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ezetimibe, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›
A skin rash Additional detail
Coleus
“Two cases of contact dermatitis have been reported following airborne exposure to coleus.”

Coleus · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.
2 sources cited

44426. Dooms-Goossens, A., Borghijs, A., Degreef, H., Devriese, E. G., and Geuns, J. M. Airborne contact dermatitis to Coleus. Contact Dermatitis 1987;17(2):109-110. PubMed

44418. van Hecke, E., Hindryckx, P., Geuns, J. M., and Devriese, E. Airborne contact dermatitis from coleus in a housewife. Contact Dermatitis 1991;25(2):128-129. PubMed
Ezetimibe

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

Reported for Coleus but not commonly for Ezetimibe: eye irritation or redness, constipation, anxiety or restlessness and a fast or pounding heartbeat.

Effects for Ezetimibe come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Coleus come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 89,884 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ezetimibe 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

Coleus in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe

When used orally. Evidence from animal research suggests that high doses of coleus can inhibit embryo implantation and/or delay fetal development; avoid using.

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

Overlapping uses

What Ezetimibe Is Prescribed For, and What Coleus Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Ezetimibe is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Coleus is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Ezetimibe is prescribed for: Ezetimibe is used to reduce elevated LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), total cholesterol, and related blood fats as an addition to a cholesterol-lowering diet. It is approved for adults and, in certain situations, for children 9 or 10 years of age and older, depending on the condition being treated. Specific uses include: primary hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol from diet or genetics), mixed hyperlipidemia (when combined with fenofibrate), heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH — an inherited form of high cholesterol), homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH — a more severe inherited form), and homozygous familial sitosterolemia (a rare condition where the body absorbs too many plant sterols). Zetia is also specifically approved to lower LDL in pediatric patients 10 and older with HeFH or HoFH when combined with a statin.

Coleus has been studied for:

Angina studied, not established Coleus has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

Coleus for angina

Although there has been interest in using oral coleus for angina, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of coleus for this purpose.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Ezetimibe on your own; if you are taking Coleus for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Coleus or Ezetimibe

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

This page covers Coleus only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ezetimibe page lists 18 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), Flaxseed Oil (moderate) and Glucomannan (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 8 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ezetimibe page

“Almost everything that interacts with ezetimibe (Zetia) works in the gut, and one entry calls for genuine care. Activated charcoal can soak up the drug before your body gets it, which for a cholesterol pill means quietly losing the protection you count on.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ezetimibe interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 803 real supplement products containing Coleus, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Coleus. Even though Coleus itself has no known interaction with Ezetimibe, 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 Coleus and Ezetimibe 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 Coleus

Top 25%

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

29 days ago today

Medication Ezetimibe

Top 25%

#389 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 Coleus reference on this page ↓
Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Coleus and Ezetimibe 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 Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS.

Supplement

About Coleus

What is Coleus?

Weight management
Asthma and breathing
High blood pressure
Heart conditions
Glaucoma (eye pressure)
Exercise and body composition

Coleus is a plant from the mint family whose root contains a compound called forskolin, often marketed for weight loss, asthma, and heart health. While early lab and small human studies are interesting, solid proof that Coleus supplements help any of these conditions is limited. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have heart problems or low blood pressure.

Coleus forskohlii · Lamiaceae · Roots (source of forskolin) · Capsules, tablets, standardized extracts (often standardized to forskolin), powders

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

Coleus: dosing

There is no official, well-established dose for Coleus. Products vary widely in strength and are often standardized to a certain percentage of forskolin, but the best dose for any health goal has not been proven.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Coleus monograph & all interactions

Medication

About Ezetimibe

What Is Ezetimibe Used For?

Brand name: Zetia

Ezetimibe is used to reduce elevated LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), total cholesterol, and related blood fats as an addition to a cholesterol-lowering diet. It is approved for adults and, in certain situations, for children 9 or 10 years of age and older, depending on the condition being treated.

Specific uses include: primary hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol from diet or genetics), mixed hyperlipidemia (when combined with fenofibrate), heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH — an inherited form of high cholesterol), homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH — a more severe inherited form), and homozygous familial sitosterolemia (a rare condition where the body absorbs too many plant sterols). Zetia is also specifically approved to lower LDL in pediatric patients 10 and older with HeFH or HoFH when combined with a statin.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Ezetimibe

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (89,884 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 5,751 reports

Nausea 5,435 reports

Myalgia 5,190 reports

Diarrhea 4,561 reports

Dizziness 4,318 reports

See full Ezetimibe drug information

Keep checking

Other Drugs & Coleus

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

29Major

886Moderate

0Minor

1,914No known interaction

29 Major 886 Moderate 1,914 No interaction

Major

29 interactions

Moderate

886 interactions

Showing 60 of 886 moderate interactions — see all 886 on the Coleus page.

No interaction 1,914 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,914 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Coleus list.

See the full Coleus interactions page

See every supplement checked against Ezetimibe, ranked by severity

Evidence & sources

Coleus References

The 16 references that drive our Coleus 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.

Baumann G, Felix S, Sattelberger U, Klein G. Cardiovascular effects of forskolin (HL-362) in patients with idiopathic congestiv cardiomyopathy. A comparative study with dobutamine and sodium nitroprusside. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 1990;16:93-100.
Kramer W, Thormann J, Kindler M, Schlepper M. Effects of forskolin on left ventricular function in dilated cardiomyopathy. Arzneimittelforschung 1987;37:364-7.
Bauer K, Dietersdorfer F, Kaspar S, et al. Pharmacodynamic effects of inhaled dry powder formulations of fenoterol and colforsin in asthma. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1993;53:76-83. PubMed
Christenson JT, Thulesius O, Nazzal MM. The effect of forskolin on blood flow, platelet metabolism, aggregation and ATP release. Vasa 1995;24:56-61.
Agarwal KC, Zielinski BA, Maitra RS. Significance of plasma adenosine in the antiplatelet activity of forskolin: potentiation by dipyridamole and dilazep. Thromb Haemost 1989;61:106-10. DOI
Agarwal KC, Parks RE. Forskolin: a potential antimetastatic agent. Int J Cancer 1983;32:801-4. PubMed
Almeida, F. C. and Lemonica, I. P. The toxic effects of Coleus barbatus B. on the different periods of pregnancy in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2000;73(1-2):53-60. PubMed
Ding, X. and Staudinger, J. L. Induction of drug metabolism by forskolin: the role of the pregnane X receptor and the protein kinase a signal transduction pathway. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2005;312(2):849-856. PubMed
Staudinger, J. L., Ding, X., and Lichti, K. Pregnane X receptor and natural products: beyond drug-drug interactions. Expert.Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2006;2(6):847-857. PubMed
van Hecke, E., Hindryckx, P., Geuns, J. M., and Devriese, E. Airborne contact dermatitis from coleus in a housewife. Contact Dermatitis 1991;25(2):128-129. PubMed
Schlepper, M., Thormann, J., and Mitrovic, V. Cardiovascular effects of forskolin and phosphodiesterase-III inhibitors. Basic Res Cardiol 1989;84 Suppl 1:197-212. PubMed
Dooms-Goossens, A., Borghijs, A., Degreef, H., Devriese, E. G., and Geuns, J. M. Airborne contact dermatitis to Coleus. Contact Dermatitis 1987;17(2):109-110. PubMed
Lindner, E., Dohadwalla, A. N., and Bhattacharya, B. K. Positive inotropic and blood pressure lowering activity of a diterpene derivative isolated from Coleus forskohli: Forskolin. Arzneimittelforschung 1978;28(2):284-289.
Loftus HL, Astell KJ, Mathai ML, et al. Coleus forskohlii Extract Supplementation in Conjunction with a Hypocaloric Diet Reduces the Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2015;7(11): PubMed
Yokotani K, Chiba T, Sato Y, et al. Hepatic cytochrome P450 mediates interaction between warfarin and Coleus forskohlii extract in vivo and in vitro. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2012;64(12):1793-801.
Nishijima C, Chiba T, Sato Y, Umegaki K. Nationwide Online Survey Enables the Reevaluation of the Safety of Coleus forskohlii Extract Intake Based on the Adverse Event Frequencies. Nutrients. 2019;11(4). pii: E866. 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 Coleus and Ezetimibe Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Coleus with Ezetimibe?

We do not list a known interaction between Coleus and Ezetimibe. 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 Coleus and Ezetimibe have any of the same side effects?

Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 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.

Are Coleus and Ezetimibe used for the same thing?

They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Coleus in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Ezetimibe is being adjusted to a target.

How was the Coleus and Ezetimibe combination checked?

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ezetimibe is filed under 2 classifications, and Coleus has documented interactions with 7 drug classes — none of Ezetimibe'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 Coleus interact with any other medications?

Yes. Coleus has 915 documented drug interactions in our database — Ezetimibe 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 Ezetimibe interact with any supplements?

Yes. Ezetimibe has documented interactions with 18 supplements in our database — Coleus is not one of them. The Ezetimibe 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

Coleus monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Ezetimibe drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Ezetimibe supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Ezetimibe, 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 16 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Ezetimibe and Coleus?

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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.