Drug & supplement interaction

Honey + Ivermectin

Ivermectin brand names: Stromectol, Mectizan, Sklice, Soolantra.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Honey and Ivermectin 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 label for Ivermectin states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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

Honey and Ivermectin

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 Ivermectin and Honey 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.

Honey safety at a glance

Honey overall Generally safe Generally safe as a food for adults and children over 1 year of age.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When consumed in food amounts. The concern about botulism pertains to children under 12 months of age and not to pregnant adults. There is insufficient reliable... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When consumed in food amounts. The concern about botulism pertains to children under 12 months of age and not to pregnant adults. There is insufficient reliable... 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 Ivermectin and Honey? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ivermectin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ivermectin is filed under 4 classifications — including topical drugs, p-glycoprotein substrates, oral drugs. Honey has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being phenytoin (dilantin) (moderate), anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (minor) and cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates (minor) — and none of Ivermectin’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

Honey Does Interact With Other Medications

Honey has 5 moderate, 731 minor known drug interactions in our database — Ivermectin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Honey

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Honey and Ivermectin 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.

  • Low blood pressure Additional detail

    Honey

    “Honey from the Black Sea coast of Turkey has been linked with a unique form of poisoning. Honey from this region sometimes contains excessive concentrations of grayanotoxins from rhododendrons, which can cause bradycardia, atrioventricular (AV) block, cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, and hypotension within a few minutes to several hours after consumption. Fatalities have not been reported.”

    Honey · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in arrhythmia.

    6 sources cited
    1. 12220. Ozhan H, Akdemir R, Yazici M, et al. Cardiac emergencies caused by honey ingestion: a single centre experience. Emerg Med J 2004;21:742-4. PubMed
    2. 55110. Gunduz, A., Turedi, S., Uzun, H., and Topbas, M. Mad honey poisoning. Am J Emerg.Med 2006;24(5):595-598.
    3. 55126. Akinci, S., Arslan, U., Karakurt, K., and Cengel, A. An unusual presentation of mad honey poisoning: acute myocardial infarction. Int J Cardiol 2008;129(2):e56-e58. PubMed
    4. 55129. Yildirim, N., Aydin, M., Cam, F., and Celik, O. Clinical presentation of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in the course of intoxication with mad honey. Am J Emerg Med 2008;26(1):108.e-2. PubMed
    5. 55238. Yarlioglues, M., Akpek, M., Ardic, I., Elcik, D., Sahin, O., and Kaya, M. G. Mad-honey sexual activity and acute inferior myocardial infarctions in a married couple. Tex.Heart Inst.J 2011;38(5):577-580.
    6. 55269. Biberoglu, S., Biberoglu, K., and Komsuoglu, B. Mad honey. JAMA 4-1-1988;259(13):1943.

    Ivermectin

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

  • Stomach pain Additional detail

    Honey

    Recorded for Honey in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Low blood pressure above.

    Ivermectin

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

  • Dizziness Additional detail

    Honey

    “Orally, honey may cause nervousness, insomnia, and hyperactivity in children. Honey from the Black Sea coast of Turkey has been linked with a unique form of poisoning. Honey from this region sometimes contains excessive concentrations of grayanotoxins, which can cause dizziness, sweating, and weakness within a few minutes to several hours after consumption.”

    Honey · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in insomnia.

    6 sources cited
    1. 91366. Oduwole O, Meremikwu MM, Oyo-Ita A, Udoh EE. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Dec 23;12:CD007094. PubMed
    2. 97693. Oduwole O, Udoh EE, Oyo-Ita A, Meremikwu MM. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;4:CD007094. PubMed
    3. 12220. Ozhan H, Akdemir R, Yazici M, et al. Cardiac emergencies caused by honey ingestion: a single centre experience. Emerg Med J 2004;21:742-4. PubMed
    4. 55110. Gunduz, A., Turedi, S., Uzun, H., and Topbas, M. Mad honey poisoning. Am J Emerg.Med 2006;24(5):595-598.
    5. 55119. Koca, I. and Koca, A. F. Poisoning by mad honey: a brief review. Food Chem Toxicol 2007;45(8):1315-1318. PubMed
    6. 55296. von Malottki, K. and Wiechmann, H. W. [Acute life-threatening bradycardia: food poisoning by Turkish wild honey]. Dtsch.Med.Wochenschr. 7-26-1996;121(30):936-938.

    Ivermectin

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

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Honey

    “Orally, honey can cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis (6,11,108531,108532). These reactions may be due to various components of the honey, including the honey itself, pollen, or bee secretions. When used topically, local allergic reactions have been reported in people with pre-existing atopy. Allergic contact dermatitis related to honey enriched with propolis has been reported.”

    Honey · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in atopic disease.

    6 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 11. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
    3. 108531. Jhawar N, Gonzalez-Estrada A. Honey-induced anaphylaxis in an adult. QJM 2022;115(5):325-326. PubMed
    4. 108532. Di Costanzo M, De Paulis N, Peveri S, Montagni M, Berni Canani R, Biasucci G. Anaphylaxis caused by artisanal honey in a child: a case report. J Med Case Rep 2021;15(1):235. PubMed
    5. 91370. Vezir E, Kaya A, Toyran M, Azkur D, Dibek Misirlioglu E, Kocabas CN. Anaphylaxis/angioedema caused by honey ingestion. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2014 Jan-Feb;35(1):71-4. PubMed
    6. 16356. Simon A, Traynor K, Santos K, et al. Medical honey for wound care - still the 'latest resort'? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2009;6:165-73. PubMed

    Ivermectin

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

  • Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Honey

    “Orally, honey may cause mild nausea, vomiting, and stomach ache. Honey from the Black Sea coast of Turkey has been linked with a unique form of poisoning. Honey from this region sometimes contains excessive concentrations of grayanotoxins. These toxins can cause increased salivation, nausea, and vomiting within a few minutes to several hours after consumption. Intranasally, honey may cause nausea.”

    Honey · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    6 sources cited
    1. 12220. Ozhan H, Akdemir R, Yazici M, et al. Cardiac emergencies caused by honey ingestion: a single centre experience. Emerg Med J 2004;21:742-4. PubMed
    2. 55119. Koca, I. and Koca, A. F. Poisoning by mad honey: a brief review. Food Chem Toxicol 2007;45(8):1315-1318. PubMed
    3. 55190. Shrestha, P., Vaidya, R., and Sherpa, K. Mad honey poisoning: a rare case report of seven cases. Nepal Med Coll J 2009;11(3):212-213.
    4. 55294. Sutlupinar, N., Mat, A., and Satganoglu, Y. Poisoning by toxic honey in Turkey. Arch.Toxicol. 1993;67(2):148-150. PubMed
    5. 97693. Oduwole O, Udoh EE, Oyo-Ita A, Meremikwu MM. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;4:CD007094. PubMed
    6. 55216. Thamboo, A., Thamboo, A., Philpott, C., Javer, A., and Clark, A. Single-blind study of manuka honey in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2011;40(3):238-243.

    Ivermectin

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

Reported for Honey but not commonly for Ivermectin: a heart attack, an irregular heartbeat, an allergic reaction and anxiety or restlessness.

Effects for Ivermectin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Honey come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 6,298 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ivermectin 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

Honey in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When consumed in food amounts. The concern about botulism pertains to children under 12 months of age and not to pregnant adults. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of honey when used for medicinal purposes when pregnant or breast-feeding.

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

How to take them

Some Ivermectin Products Have a Food Rule — Honey Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Ivermectin says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Honey included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Ivermectin on its own and move Honey to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Ivermectin products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Patients should take tablets on an empty stomach with water.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Ivermectin — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Overlapping uses

What Ivermectin Is Prescribed For, and What Honey Has Been Studied For

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

Ivermectin is prescribed for: Ivermectin tablets (including Stromectol) are used to treat two parasitic infections: strongyloidiasis (a roundworm infection of the intestinal tract) and onchocerciasis (river blindness, caused by a parasitic worm spread by blackfly bites). These are prescription uses for serious infections. Topical ivermectin lotion — sold under several names including RID One and Done, Head Lice Treatment Ivermectin Lotion, Scalp Care Lotions, and others — is applied to the scalp to treat head lice. A separate topical ivermectin cream (1%), available as Soolantra and ivermectin cream 1%, is used to treat the inflammatory pimple-like bumps of rosacea.

Honey has been studied for:

  • Rosacea Natural Medicines rates the evidence for Honey: Possibly Effective Read what the research shows

    Honey for rosacea

    Topical honey seems to be beneficial for rosacea.

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 Ivermectin on your own; if you are taking Honey for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Honey or Ivermectin

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

This page covers Honey only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ivermectin page lists 58 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), St. John's Wort (major), Sweet Orange (major), Bitter Melon (moderate) and Black Pepper (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 37 moderate · 18 minor.

Open the Ivermectin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 298 real supplement products containing Honey, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Honey. Even though Honey itself has no known interaction with Ivermectin, 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 Honey and Ivermectin 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 Honey
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ivermectin
Top 1%

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

What is Honey?

Honey
  • Cough and sore throat
  • Wound and burn care
  • Soothing minor skin irritation
  • Sweetener and home remedy
  • Digestive upset

Honey is a natural food with some real, modest evidence for easing coughs and helping certain wounds, especially when special medical-grade or Manuka honey is used. It is generally safe for most adults and children over 1 year, but should never be given to infants under 12 months because of the risk of botulism.

Honey produced by honeybees from flower nectar · Raw honey, processed honey, Manuka honey, medical-grade honey, lozenges, syrups, topical wound dressings

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

Honey: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for honey.

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

Read the full Honey monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ivermectin

What Is Ivermectin Used For?

Brand names: Stromectol, Mectizan, Sklice, Soolantra

Ivermectin tablets (including Stromectol) are used to treat two parasitic infections: strongyloidiasis (a roundworm infection of the intestinal tract) and onchocerciasis (river blindness, caused by a parasitic worm spread by blackfly bites). These are prescription uses for serious infections.

Topical ivermectin lotion — sold under several names including RID One and Done, Head Lice Treatment Ivermectin Lotion, Scalp Care Lotions, and others — is applied to the scalp to treat head lice. A separate topical ivermectin cream (1%), available as Soolantra and ivermectin cream 1%, is used to treat the inflammatory pimple-like bumps of rosacea.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Ivermectin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (6,298 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Headache 647 reports
Asthenia 590 reports
Fever 485 reports
Pruritus 388 reports
Diarrhea 292 reports
See full Ivermectin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Honey

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

0Major
5Moderate
731Minor
2,093No known interaction
Moderate

5 interactions

Minor

731 interactions

Showing 60 of 731 minor interactions — see all 731 on the Honey page.

No interaction 2,093 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Honey References

The 40 references that drive our Honey 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. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
  3. Bose B. Honey or sugar in treatment of infected wounds? Lancet 1982;1:963. PubMed
  4. Ozhan H, Akdemir R, Yazici M, et al. Cardiac emergencies caused by honey ingestion: a single centre experience. Emerg Med J 2004;21:742-4. PubMed
  5. Centers for Disease Control. Botulism in the Unites Sates, 1899-1996. Handbook for epidemiologists, clinicians, and laboratory workers, 1998. Available online: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/botulism.PDF.
  6. Simon A, Traynor K, Santos K, et al. Medical honey for wound care - still the 'latest resort'? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2009;6:165-73. PubMed
  7. Gethin G, Cowman S. Case series of use of Manuka honey in leg ulceration. Int Wound J 2005;2:10-15. PubMed
  8. Ingle R, Levin J, Polinder K. Wound healing with honey - a randomised controlled trial. S Afr Med J 2006;96:831-5.
  9. Johnson DW, van Eps C, Mudge DW, et al. Randomized, controlled trial of topical exit-site application of honey (Medihoney) versus mupirocin for the prevention of catheter-associated infections in hemodialysis patients. J Am Soc Nephrol 2005;16:1456-62. PubMed
  10. Sukriti and Garg, S. K. Influence of honey on the pharmacokinetics of phenytoin in rabbits. Ind J Pharmacol 2002;34(147).
  11. Jung, A. and Ottosson, J. [Infantile botulism caused by honey]. Ugeskr Laeger 2001;163(2):169.
  12. Gunduz, A., Turedi, S., Uzun, H., and Topbas, M. Mad honey poisoning. Am J Emerg.Med 2006;24(5):595-598.
  13. van der Vorst, M. M., Jamal, W., Rotimi, V. O., and Moosa, A. Infant botulism due to consumption of contaminated commercially prepared honey. First report from the Arabian Gulf States. Med Princ.Pract. 2006;15(6):456-458. PubMed
  14. Tushar, T., Vinod, T., Rajan, S., Shashindran, C., and Adithan, C. Effect of honey on CYP3A4, CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 enzyme activity in healthy human volunteers. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2007;100(4):269-272. PubMed
  15. Nilforoushzadeh, M. A., Jaffary, F., Moradi, S., Derakhshan, R., and Haftbaradaran, E. Effect of topical honey application along with intralesional injection of glucantime in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. BMC Complement Altern Med 2007;7:13. 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 Honey and Ivermectin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Honey with Ivermectin?
We do not list a known interaction between Honey and Ivermectin. 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 Honey and Ivermectin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 6 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.
Should I take Honey and Ivermectin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Ivermectin says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Ivermectin on its own and move Honey to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Honey and Ivermectin 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 Honey in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Ivermectin is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Honey and Ivermectin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ivermectin is filed under 4 classifications, and Honey has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Ivermectin'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 Honey interact with any other medications?
Yes. Honey has 736 documented drug interactions in our database — Ivermectin 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 Ivermectin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ivermectin has documented interactions with 58 supplements in our database — Honey is not one of them. The Ivermectin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Ivermectin and Honey?

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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.