Drug & supplement interaction

Foxglove + Sumatriptan

Sumatriptan brand name: Tosymra.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Foxglove and Sumatriptan 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

Foxglove and Sumatriptan

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 Sumatriptan and Foxglove 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.

Foxglove safety at a glance

Foxglove overall Avoid Foxglove is poisonous and can cause fatal heart rhythm problems; it should never be self-used.
Pregnancy Unsafe When used orally for self-medication; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Unsafe When used orally for self-medication; avoid using. 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 Sumatriptan and Foxglove? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Sumatriptan

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Sumatriptan is filed under 4 classifications — including qt interval-prolonging drugs, serotonergic drugs, serotonergic drugs. Foxglove has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — the most serious being digoxin (lanoxin) (major), quinine (major) and diuretic drugs (moderate) — and none of Sumatriptan’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

Foxglove Does Interact With Other Medications

Foxglove has 3 major, 130 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Sumatriptan isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 3 Moderate 130 No known interaction 2,697 (incl. Sumatriptan)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Foxglove

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Foxglove and Sumatriptan 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.

  • Seizures Worth acting on Additional detail

    Foxglove

    “Orally, acute poisoning of foxglove includes symptoms of dizziness, stupor, confusion, convulsions, fatigue and sometimes vision disturbances (6,159,501,102790,105852). Chronic use of foxglove can lead to intoxication symptoms including visual halos and yellow-green vision (6).”

    Foxglove · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in fatigue.

    5 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 159. Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
    3. 501. De Smet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R, Chandler RF, Eds. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 1. Verlag, Berlin: Springer, 1992. DOI
    4. 102790. Negroni MS, Marengo A, Caruso D, et al. A case report of accidental intoxication following ingestion of foxglove confused with borage: High digoxinemia without major complications. Case Rep Cardiol. 2019;2019:9707428. PubMed
    5. 105852. Rouault E, Ghnassia C, Filippi-Codaccioni E, Maillard N. Dose and efficacy of repeated administrations of digoxin-specific antibody fragments: Case report of foxglove poisoning. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2021;128(1):183-186. PubMed

    Sumatriptan

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

  • Dizziness Additional detail

    Foxglove

    Recorded for Foxglove in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Seizures above.

    Sumatriptan

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

Reported for Foxglove but not commonly for Sumatriptan: an electrolyte imbalance, muscle weakness, blurred vision and a slow heartbeat.

Effects for Sumatriptan come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Foxglove 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

Foxglove in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Unsafe

When used orally for self-medication; 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 Sumatriptan Is Prescribed For, and What Foxglove Has Been Studied For

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

Sumatriptan is prescribed for: Sumatriptan is used to stop a migraine headache once it starts — with or without aura (the visual or sensory warning signs some people get before a migraine). It is available as tablets, nasal sprays, nasal capsules, and subcutaneous (under-the-skin) injections for this purpose. Sumatriptan subcutaneous injections (brands: Imitrex injection, Sumatriptan Injection, Sumatriptan Succinate Injection) are also approved to treat acute cluster headaches in adults. Sumatriptan is not used to prevent migraines or cluster headaches — it only treats attacks once they begin.

Foxglove has been studied for:

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

    Foxglove for headache

    Although there has been interest in using oral foxglove for headache, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of foxglove 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 Sumatriptan on your own; if you are taking Foxglove for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Foxglove or Sumatriptan

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

This page covers Foxglove only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Sumatriptan page lists 50 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 8 major · 31 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Sumatriptan page

“The supplement risk that matters most with sumatriptan (Tosymra) is serotonin overload. This migraine drug works through serotonin receptors, and 20 of the 50 interacting ingredients on file, 5-HTP among them, can push serotonin activity higher still, raising the risk of serotonin syndrome (agitation, racing heart, fever).”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Sumatriptan interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1 real supplement products containing Foxglove, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Foxglove. Even though Foxglove itself has no known interaction with Sumatriptan, 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 Foxglove and Sumatriptan 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 Foxglove
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Sumatriptan
Top 5%

#37 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 Foxglove reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Foxglove and Sumatriptan 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 Foxglove

What is Foxglove?

  • Heart failure (historical/medical use)
  • Irregular heartbeat (historical/medical use)
  • Fluid retention or 'dropsy' (historical use)
  • Ornamental garden plant

Foxglove is a beautiful but highly poisonous plant that contains powerful heart-affecting compounds called cardiac glycosides. It should never be used as a home remedy or supplement because even small amounts can cause life-threatening heart problems. The purified prescription drugs derived from it (like digoxin) are used only under close medical supervision.

Digitalis purpurea · Plantaginaceae · Leaves (the dried leaf was historically the source of medicine) · Not recommended in any form; historically used as dried leaf, tincture, or purified drug (digoxin/digitoxin)

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

Foxglove: dosing

There is no safe home dose of foxglove. Because the strength of the natural plant cannot be measured reliably, it should not be taken in any amount as a supplement, tea, or tincture.If your doctor decides you need the heart medicine derived from this plant, you will receive a purified, prescription product with a precise dose and regular blood tests and monitoring.

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

Read the full Foxglove monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Sumatriptan

What Is Sumatriptan Used For?

Brand name: Tosymra

Sumatriptan is used to stop a migraine headache once it starts — with or without aura (the visual or sensory warning signs some people get before a migraine). It is available as tablets, nasal sprays, nasal capsules, and subcutaneous (under-the-skin) injections for this purpose.

Sumatriptan subcutaneous injections (brands: Imitrex injection, Sumatriptan Injection, Sumatriptan Succinate Injection) are also approved to treat acute cluster headaches in adults. Sumatriptan is not used to prevent migraines or cluster headaches — it only treats attacks once they begin.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Sumatriptan

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (46,096 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Headache 3,911 reports
Nausea 3,510 reports
Migraine 3,445 reports
Fatigue 2,617 reports
Dizziness 2,121 reports
See full Sumatriptan drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Foxglove

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

3Major
130Moderate
0Minor
2,696No known interaction
3 Major 130 Moderate 2,696 No interaction
Major

3 interactions

Moderate

130 interactions

Showing 60 of 130 moderate interactions — see all 130 on the Foxglove page.

No interaction 2,696 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,696 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Foxglove list.

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

Foxglove References

The 19 references that drive our Foxglove 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. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
  2. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  3. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  4. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
  5. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  6. Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
  7. De Smet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R, Chandler RF, Eds. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 1. Verlag, Berlin: Springer, 1992. DOI
  8. Burnham TH, ed. Drug Facts and Comparisons, Updated Monthly. Facts and Comparisons, St. Louis, MO.
  9. Ramlakhan, S. L. and Fletcher, A. K. It could have happened to Van Gogh: a case of fatal purple foxglove poisoning and review of the literature. Eur.J Emerg.Med 2007;14(6):356-359. PubMed
  10. Yaginuma, M., Orimo, S., Kurosawa, T., Arai, M., and Hiyamuta, E. [Muscle weakness of the upper arms in the last trimester of administering digitalis]. Rinsho Shinkeigaku 1988;28(3):338-341.
  11. Friedman, P. L. and Smith, T. W. Foxglove and Fab: immunological approaches to digitalis intoxication. Int.J.Cardiol. 1983;3(2):237-240. PubMed
  12. Rich, S. A., Libera, J. M., and Locke, R. J. Treatment of foxglove extract poisoning with digoxin-specific Fab fragments. Ann.Emerg.Med 1993;22(12):1904-1907. PubMed
  13. Janssen RM, Berg M, Ovakim DH. Two cases of cardiac glycoside poisoning from accidental foxglove ingestion. CMAJ. 2016;188(10):747-50. PubMed
  14. Lin CC, Yang CC, Phua DH, Deng JF, Lu LH. An outbreak of foxglove leaf poisoning. J Chin Med Assoc. 2010;73(2):97-100. PubMed
  15. Wu IL, Yu JH, Lin CC, Seak CJ, Olson KR, Chen HY. Fatal cardiac glycoside poisoning due to mistaking foxglove for comfrey. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2017:1-4. 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 Foxglove and Sumatriptan Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Foxglove with Sumatriptan?
We do not list a known interaction between Foxglove and Sumatriptan. 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 Foxglove and Sumatriptan 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.
Are Foxglove and Sumatriptan 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 Foxglove in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Sumatriptan is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Foxglove and Sumatriptan combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Sumatriptan is filed under 4 classifications, and Foxglove has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — none of Sumatriptan'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 Foxglove interact with any other medications?
Yes. Foxglove has 133 documented drug interactions in our database — Sumatriptan 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 Sumatriptan interact with any supplements?
Yes. Sumatriptan has documented interactions with 50 supplements in our database — Foxglove is not one of them. The Sumatriptan 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

Foxglove monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Sumatriptan drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Sumatriptan supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Sumatriptan, 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 19 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Sumatriptan and Foxglove?

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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.