Drug & supplement interaction

Hesperidin + Morphine Sulfate

Morphine Sulfate brand names: MS Contin, Kadian, Avinza, Morphabond, Arymo ER.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Morphine Sulfate falls into 2 drug categories that Hesperidin can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, concomitant use with CNS depressants may cause additive sedative effects.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Hesperidin and Morphine Sulfate

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Hesperidin interacts with whole categories of medication. Morphine Sulfate falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Hesperidin in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CNS DEPRESSANTS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Morphine Sulfate

Morphine Sulfate falls under CNS DEPRESSANTS — the group Hesperidin interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use with CNS depressants may cause additive sedative effects.
Animal studies show that hesperidin has sedative effects, due to opioid receptor activity and can increase sedation when used with diazepam. This effect has not been reported in humans.
Severity Moderate 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 with hesperidin and your morphine. Morphine already works by calming the brain and nervous system, which is how it eases pain but also why it can make you drowsy, slow your breathing, and leave you foggy. Lab and animal research suggests hesperidin may have its own mild sedative effect by nudging opioid receptors, so in theory the two together could add up to more sleepiness.

I want to be honest about how thin this evidence is: it comes from animal studies and has not been seen in people. Everyday citrus fruit isn't a concern here. If you take concentrated hesperidin supplements while on morphine, just mention it to your pharmacist or doctor and watch for extra drowsiness, especially when starting out.

References
  1. Fernandez, S. P., Wasowski, C., Paladini, A. C., and Marder, M. Synergistic interaction between hesperidin, a natural flavonoid, and diazepam. Eur.J.Pharmacol. 4-11-2005;512(2-3):189-198. PubMed
  2. Loscalzo, L. M., Wasowski, C., Paladini, A. C., and Marder, M. Opioid receptors are involved in the sedative and antinociceptive effects of hesperidin as well as in its potentiation with benzodiazepines. Eur.J.Pharmacol. 2-12-2008;580(3):306-313. PubMed
Moderate

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Morphine Sulfate also falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, hesperidin might inhibit P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux and potentially increase levels of drugs that are substrates of P-glycoprotein.
In vitro research shows that hesperidin can inhibit P-glycoprotein efflux. This effect has not been reported in humans.
Severity Moderate 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 with morphine and hesperidin. Your body uses a kind of cellular bouncer called P-glycoprotein to push morphine back out of cells, including in your gut and at the barrier around your brain. In lab dish studies, hesperidin seems to slow that bouncer down. If that happened in real life, a bit more morphine could stay in your system, which in theory could nudge up its effects like drowsiness, constipation, nausea, and slowed breathing.

The big caveat: this has only been seen in test tubes, never confirmed in actual people, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Still, morphine is potent, so if you take a hesperidin supplement regularly, just give your pharmacist or doctor a quick heads-up.

References
  1. El-Readi, M. Z., Hamdan, D., Farrag, N., El-Shazly, A., and Wink, M. Inhibition of P-glycoprotein activity by limonin and other secondary metabolites from Citrus species in human colon and leukaemia cell lines. Eur.J.Pharmacol. 1-25-2010;626(2-3):139-145 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

Hesperidin Also Interacts With Other Medications

Hesperidin has 701 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Morphine Sulfate one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Hesperidin

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Hesperidin or Morphine Sulfate

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

This page covers Hesperidin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Morphine Sulfate page lists 172 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major) and Kava (major).

By severity: 8 major · 138 moderate · 26 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Morphine Sulfate page

“With morphine sulfate (MS Contin, Kadian, Avinza), an opioid powerful enough to slow breathing on its own, this list warrants genuine respect. Of the 172 supplements and foods on file, 8 carry a major rating, and most of those pile extra sedation onto a drug that already sedates.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Morphine Sulfate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,895 real supplement products containing Hesperidin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Hesperidin. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Morphine Sulfate too, on top of Hesperidin — 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 Hesperidin and Morphine Sulfate 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 Hesperidin
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Morphine Sulfate
Steady interest

#1,573 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 Hesperidin

What is Hesperidin?

Hesperidin
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Varicose veins and poor circulation
  • Leg swelling (venous insufficiency)
  • High blood pressure
  • Antioxidant support

Hesperidin is a flavonoid found in citrus fruits that is often combined with diosmin and used for vein and circulation problems like hemorrhoids and varicose veins. Some evidence supports these uses, but data for many other claims is limited. It is generally well tolerated, but pregnant and breastfeeding people should avoid it because safety has not been established.

Read the full Hesperidin monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Morphine

What Is Morphine Used For?

Brand names: MS Contin, Kadian, Avinza, Morphabond, Arymo ER

Morphine is used to manage acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) pain that is severe enough to need an opioid and that hasn't been adequately treated by other options. The higher-concentration liquid form is reserved for adults who are already opioid-tolerant — meaning their body is used to opioid medications.

Because of real risks of addiction, misuse, and overdose, morphine is only prescribed when other pain treatments have not worked or are not expected to work. It is not intended for long-term use unless the pain continues to be severe and no alternatives are suitable.

See full Morphine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Hesperidin

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

0Major
701Moderate
0Minor
2,128No known interaction
Moderate

701 interactions

Showing 60 of 701 moderate interactions — see all 701 on the Hesperidin page.

No interaction 2,128 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 Hesperidin and Morphine Sulfate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Hesperidin with Morphine Sulfate?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Hesperidin and Morphine Sulfate?
Morphine Sulfate belongs to more than one drug category, and Hesperidin interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Hesperidin and Morphine Sulfate 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

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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.