Drug & supplement interaction

Kombucha + Gabapentin

Gabapentin brand names: Neurontin, Gralise.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Kombucha and Gabapentin 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

Kombucha and Gabapentin

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 Gabapentin and Kombucha 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.

Kombucha safety at a glance

Kombucha overall Use caution Usually fine in moderation for healthy adults, but contamination and acidity can cause problems.
Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Possibly Unsafe When used orally; 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 Gabapentin and Kombucha? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Gabapentin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Gabapentin is filed under 4 classifications — including anticonvulsants, cns depressants, oral drugs. Kombucha has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) and disulfiram (antabuse) (minor) — and none of Gabapentin’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

Kombucha Does Interact With Other Medications

Kombucha has 86 moderate, 1 minor known drug interactions in our database — Gabapentin 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 Kombucha

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Kombucha and Gabapentin 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.

  • Dizziness reported in 4.5% of FDA reports for Gabapentin Additional detail

    Kombucha

    “Dizziness associated with consumption of kombucha, possibly due to its alcohol content, has been reported.”

    Kombucha · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in vertigo.

    2 sources cited
    1. 57733. Ernst, E. Kombucha: a systematic review of the clinical evidence. Forsch.Komplementarmed.Klass.Naturheilkd. 2003;10(2):85-87. PubMed
    2. 57762. McNaughton, C. and Eidsness, L. M. Ethics of alternative therapies. S.D.J.Med. 1995;48(7):209-211.

    Gabapentin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Gabapentin, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Nausea / Vomiting reported in 6.3% of FDA reports for Gabapentin Additional detail

    Kombucha

    “Orally, use of kombucha has been associated with reports of stomach problems, nausea, and vomiting. The acidic content of kombucha increases with the duration of fermentation during preparation, which may contribute to development of stomach ulcers.”

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

    5 sources cited
    1. 2652. Kombucha-toxicity alert. Crit Path AIDS Proj, 1994;30:31-32 1994-5.
    2. 2656. Srinivasan R, Smolinske S, Greenbaum DJ. Probable gastrointestinal toxicity of Kombucha tea: is this beverage healthy or harmful? J Gen Intern Med 1997;12:643-4. PubMed
    3. 57733. Ernst, E. Kombucha: a systematic review of the clinical evidence. Forsch.Komplementarmed.Klass.Naturheilkd. 2003;10(2):85-87. PubMed
    4. 57742. Sabouraud, S., Coppere, B., Rousseau, C., Testud, F., Pulce, C., Tholly, F., Blanc, M., Culoma, F., Facchin, A., Ninet, J., Chambon, P., Medina, B., and Descotes, J. [Environmental lead poisoning from lead-glazed earthenware used for storing drinks]. Rev
    5. 103179. Jakubczyk K, Kałduńska J, Kochman J, Janda K. Chemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of the Kombucha Beverage Derived from White, Green, Black and Red Tea. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020;9(5):E447. doi: 10.3390/antiox9050447. PubMed

    Gabapentin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Gabapentin, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Kombucha but not commonly for Gabapentin: bleeding in the gut and kidney problems.

Effects for Gabapentin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Kombucha come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 361,481 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Gabapentin 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

Kombucha in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Unsafe

When used orally; 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

From our Q&A

Questions About Kombucha or Gabapentin

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

This page covers Kombucha only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Gabapentin page lists 106 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: 7 major · 82 moderate · 17 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Gabapentin page

“Gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise) calms overactive nerves, which means it already slows your nervous system down, and that is exactly what 78 of the 106 supplements on this list also do. So the dominant risk here is sedation stacked on sedation, extra drowsiness at best and dangerously slowed breathing at worst, and with seven entries ra…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Gabapentin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 30 real supplement products containing Kombucha, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Kombucha. Even though Kombucha itself has no known interaction with Gabapentin, 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 Kombucha and Gabapentin 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 Kombucha
Steady interest

#1,074 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Gabapentin
Top 5%

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

What is Kombucha?

  • General wellness and gut health
  • Digestion
  • Immune support
  • Energy and detox claims
  • Source of probiotics

Kombucha is a fermented tea that many people enjoy as a probiotic-rich beverage, but solid human research proving specific health benefits is lacking. It is generally fine in moderate amounts for healthy adults, though homemade or unpasteurized versions can carry contamination risks. Pregnant people, those who are breastfeeding, and people with weakened immune systems should be cautious or avoid it.

Fermented sweetened tea (made with Camellia sinensis tea and a SCOBY culture) · Bottled drink, homemade fermented tea, occasionally powders or supplements

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

Kombucha: dosing

There is no established standard dose for kombucha. Many people drink a small glass (a few ounces) once a day or less, and start with a small amount to see how their body reacts.Follow the serving size on the product label, and choose reputable, commercially made brands rather than untested homemade versions.

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

Read the full Kombucha monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Gabapentin

What Is Gabapentin Used For?

Brand names: Neurontin, Gralise

Gabapentin (brands include Neurontin, Relgaabi, Gabarone, Gralise, and Horizant) is primarily used to manage postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) — the nerve pain that lingers after a shingles outbreak — in adults. Neurontin, Relgaabi, Gabarone, and gabapentin capsules, tablets, and oral solution are also used as add-on therapy for partial onset seizures (a type of epilepsy) in adults and children aged 3 and older.

Horizant (gabapentin enacarbil extended-release tablet) has two specific approvals: treatment of moderate-to-severe primary restless legs syndrome (RLS) in adults, and management of postherpetic neuralgia in adults. Horizant is not recommended for people who need to sleep during the day and stay awake at night. Gralise is approved only for postherpetic neuralgia and cannot be substituted for other gabapentin products due to its different release profile.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Gabapentin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (361,481 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 24,972 reports
Nausea 22,728 reports
Diarrhea 18,114 reports
Headache 17,897 reports
Dizziness 16,238 reports
See full Gabapentin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Kombucha

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

0Major
86Moderate
1Minor
2,742No known interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the Kombucha page.

Minor

1 interaction

No interaction 2,742 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Kombucha References

The 15 references that drive our Kombucha 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. Phan TG, Estell J, Duggin G, et al. Lead poisoning from drinking Kombucha tea brewed in a ceramic pot. Med J Aust 1998;169:644-6. PubMed
  2. FDA Talk Paper. FDA Cautions Consumers on "Kombucha Mushroom Tea." Available at: www.vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/TPMUSHRM.html
  3. Kombucha-toxicity alert. Crit Path AIDS Proj, 1994;30:31-32 1994-5.
  4. CDC. Unexplained severe illness possibly associated with consumption of Kombucha tea-Iowa, 1995. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1995;44:892-3,899-900.
  5. Srinivasan R, Smolinske S, Greenbaum DJ. Probable gastrointestinal toxicity of Kombucha tea: is this beverage healthy or harmful? J Gen Intern Med 1997;12:643-4. PubMed
  6. Ernst, E. Kombucha: a systematic review of the clinical evidence. Forsch.Komplementarmed.Klass.Naturheilkd. 2003;10(2):85-87. PubMed
  7. Derk, C. T., Sandorfi, N., and Curtis, M. T. A case of anti-Jo1 myositis with pleural effusions and pericardial tamponade developing after exposure to a fermented Kombucha beverage. Clin.Rheumatol. 2004;23(4):355-357. PubMed
  8. Sabouraud, S., Coppere, B., Rousseau, C., Testud, F., Pulce, C., Tholly, F., Blanc, M., Culoma, F., Facchin, A., Ninet, J., Chambon, P., Medina, B., and Descotes, J. [Environmental lead poisoning from lead-glazed earthenware used for storing drinks]. Rev
  9. SungHee, Kole A., Jones, H. D., Christensen, R., and Gladstein, J. A case of Kombucha tea toxicity. J.Intensive Care Med. 2009;24(3):205-207. PubMed
  10. Aloulou, A., Hamden, K., Elloumi, D., Ali, M. B., Hargafi, K., Jaouadi, B., Ayadi, F., Elfeki, A., and Ammar, E. Hypoglycemic and antilipidemic properties of kombucha tea in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. BMC.Complement Altern.Med. 2012;12:63. PubMed
  11. McNaughton, C. and Eidsness, L. M. Ethics of alternative therapies. S.D.J.Med. 1995;48(7):209-211.
  12. No author. Unexplained severe illness possibly associated with consumption of Kombucha tea--Iowa, 1995. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA 1-10-1996;275(2):96-98.
  13. Jakubczyk K, Kałduńska J, Kochman J, Janda K. Chemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of the Kombucha Beverage Derived from White, Green, Black and Red Tea. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020;9(5):E447. doi: 10.3390/antiox9050447. PubMed
  14. Jang SS, McIntyre L, Chan M, Brown PN, Finley J, Chen SX. Ethanol concentration of kombucha teas in British Columbia, Canada. J Food Prot 2021;84(11):1878-83. PubMed
  15. Xu S, Wang Y, Wang J, Geng W. Kombucha reduces hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes of mice by regulating gut microbiota and Its metabolites. Foods 2022;11(5):754. 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 Kombucha and Gabapentin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Kombucha with Gabapentin?
We do not list a known interaction between Kombucha and Gabapentin. 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 Kombucha and Gabapentin 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.
How was the Kombucha and Gabapentin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Gabapentin is filed under 4 classifications, and Kombucha has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Gabapentin'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 Kombucha interact with any other medications?
Yes. Kombucha has 87 documented drug interactions in our database — Gabapentin 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 Gabapentin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Gabapentin has documented interactions with 106 supplements in our database — Kombucha is not one of them. The Gabapentin 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 Gabapentin and Kombucha?

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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.