Drug & supplement interaction

Hemp + Diclofenac Potassium

Diclofenac Potassium brand names: Voltaren Rapide, Cataflam, Cataflam IR, Voltarol Rapid, Cambia.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Hemp has a minor interaction with Diclofenac Potassium. Theoretically, hemp seed might increase the risk of bleeding when used concomitantly with anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs.

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

Hemp and Diclofenac Potassium

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

Minor

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Diclofenac Potassium

Diclofenac Potassium falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Hemp interacts with.

Theoretically, hemp seed might increase the risk of bleeding when used concomitantly with anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs.
In animal research, hemp seed at 5% of the diet inhibits platelet aggregation in vitro. However, in human research, taking hemp seed oil 2 grams daily for 12 weeks does not inhibit the aggregation of platelets in vitro.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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 gist for you. Diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren) is an NSAID, and like other drugs in that family it can already nudge up your bleeding risk by affecting how your platelets clump together and by irritating the stomach lining. Hemp seed and hemp oil bring healthy fats to the table, and the worry is that they might add to that bleeding tendency a bit.

The honest truth: this is mostly a theoretical concern. It comes from lab and animal work, and in actual people, hemp seed oil at 2 grams a day for 12 weeks did not measurably thin the blood. Everyday food amounts of hemp are very unlikely to cause trouble. Still, if you notice easy bruising, dark stools, or stomach upset, loop in your pharmacist or doctor.

References
  1. Kaul N, Kreml R, Austria JA, et al. A comparison of fish oil, flaxseed oil and hempseed oil supplementation on selected parameters of cardiovascular health in healthy volunteers. J Am Coll Nutr 2008;27:51-8. PubMed
  2. Richard MN, Ganguly R, Steigerwald SN, Al-Khalifa A, Pierce GN. Dietary hempseed reduces platelet aggregation. J Thromb Haemost. 2007;5(2):424-5. 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

Hemp Also Interacts With Other Medications

Hemp has 41 moderate, 896 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Diclofenac Potassium 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 Hemp

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Hemp or Diclofenac Potassium

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

This page covers Hemp only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Diclofenac Potassium page lists 306 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Danshen (major) and Piracetam (major).

Open the Diclofenac Potassium interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 720 real supplement products containing Hemp, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Hemp. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Diclofenac Potassium too, on top of Hemp — 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 Hemp and Diclofenac Potassium 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 Hemp
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Diclofenac Potassium
Top half

#1,142 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 Hemp

What is Hemp?

Hemp
  • Plant-based protein source
  • Heart health support
  • Skin and hair health
  • Reducing inflammation
  • General nutrition (omega fatty acids)

Hemp seeds and hemp seed oil are nutritious foods rich in protein, fiber, and healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and they are generally safe for most people as part of the diet. While the nutrition is real, strong human evidence that hemp supplements treat specific medical conditions is limited. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using hemp products for a health concern, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Read the full Hemp monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Diclofenac

What Is Diclofenac Used For?

Brand names: Voltaren Rapide, Cataflam, Cataflam IR, Voltarol Rapid, Cambia

Diclofenac sodium topical gel is used to treat actinic keratoses (AK) — rough, scaly skin patches that form after years of sun exposure. These patches are considered precancerous, meaning they can develop into skin cancer if left untreated.

This is a topical gel, meaning it is applied directly to the skin over the affected area rather than taken by mouth. It belongs to the NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) family.

See full Diclofenac drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Hemp

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

0Major
41Moderate
896Minor
1,892No known interaction
Moderate

41 interactions

Minor

896 interactions

Showing 60 of 896 minor interactions — see all 896 on the Hemp page.

No interaction 1,892 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 Hemp and Diclofenac Potassium Together: Common Questions

Can you take Hemp with Diclofenac Potassium?
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 Hemp and Diclofenac Potassium 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 Diclofenac Potassium and Hemp?

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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.