Drug & supplement interaction

L-cysteine + Riociguat

Riociguat brand name: Adempas.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated June 2026 · Pair last verified Oct 4, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between L-cysteine and Riociguat 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.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

L-cysteine and Riociguat

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 Riociguat and L-cysteine 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.

L-cysteine safety at a glance

L-cysteine overall Use caution Generally well tolerated in food amounts, but the safety of high-dose supplements over time is not well studied.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally in amounts found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of amounts greater than those found in foods;... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally in amounts found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of amounts greater than those found in foods;... 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 Riociguat and L-cysteine? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Riociguat

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Riociguat is filed under 4 classifications — including antihypertensive drugs, p-glycoprotein substrates, cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates. L-cysteine has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — and none of Riociguat’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

L-cysteine Does Interact With Other Medications

L-cysteine has 86 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Riociguat isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 86 No known interaction 2,744 (incl. Riociguat)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against L-cysteine

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

What to actually watch for

What Riociguat’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves L-cysteine. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Riociguat’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 3 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Trouble swallowing Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on
  • Heartburn
  • Low blood pressure mentioned in 10.5% of FDA reports for Riociguat
  • Bloating or gas
  • A stuffy or runny nose
  • A fast or pounding heartbeat
  • Dizziness mentioned in 10.9% of FDA reports for Riociguat
  • Stomach upset

Showing the 10 most notable of 16 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Riociguat. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 32,415 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Riociguat that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. L-cysteine’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no L-cysteine side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that L-cysteine has no side effects.

Special populations

L-cysteine in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally in amounts found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of amounts greater than those found in foods; avoid use. Some research suggests that taking L-cysteine during lactation increases levels of free L-cysteine in breastmilk. However, these levels are lower than those found in some commercial hydrolyzed protein infant formulas.

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Riociguat

This page covers L-cysteine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Riociguat page lists 230 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Grapefruit (major) and St. John's Wort (major).

By severity: 6 major · 187 moderate · 37 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Riociguat page

“Riociguat (Adempas) works by relaxing the blood vessels in your lungs, which also lowers blood pressure, so I read this list of 230 supplements and herbs with real concern, and the six rated major are what to understand first. Grapefruit can push riociguat levels up and intensify its effect, while St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Riociguat interaction page

One more smart check

Taking L-cysteine as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Riociguat
Steady interest

#2,529 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 L-cysteine reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified October 4, 2026. The L-cysteine and Riociguat records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 L-cysteine

What is L-cysteine?

  • Antioxidant support
  • Skin and hair health
  • Liver support
  • Respiratory and mucus thinning
  • General protein/amino acid supplementation

L-cysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid your body uses to make proteins and the antioxidant glutathione. Most people get enough from food, and supplements are usually well tolerated, but strong evidence supporting specific health benefits from extra L-cysteine is limited. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before starting it, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a health condition.

Amino acid (not a plant part) · Capsules, tablets, powder; also available as N-acetylcysteine (NAC)

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

L-cysteine: dosing

There is no official standardized dose of L-cysteine established for general supplement use. Products vary widely in strength, and much of the dosing research actually involves NAC rather than plain L-cysteine.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount. Higher doses have not been well studied and may increase the risk of side effects.

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

Read the full L-cysteine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Riociguat

What Is Riociguat Used For?

Brand name: Adempas

Riociguat — sold as Adempas and under the generic name Riociguat — is used to treat adults with two conditions that cause dangerously high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs.

  • Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH): Used after surgical treatment, or when surgery is not an option, to improve exercise capacity and functional class.
  • Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH): Used to improve exercise capacity, functional class, and to delay the condition from getting worse. It can be used alone or combined with certain other PAH medicines.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Riociguat

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (32,415 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Dyspnea 5,718 reports
Headache 4,513 reports
Nausea 3,769 reports
Diarrhea 3,533 reports
Dizziness 3,522 reports
See full Riociguat drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & L-cysteine

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

0Major
86Moderate
0Minor
2,743No known interaction
86 Moderate 2,743 No interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the L-cysteine page.

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,743 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full L-cysteine list.

See the full L-cysteine interactions page
See every supplement checked against Riociguat, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

L-cysteine References

The 2 references that drive our L-cysteine 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. Dowlati Y, Maheux M, Meyer JH. The effect of oral L-cysteine on breast milk and plasma cysteine concentrations. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2020;16:3163-3172.
  2. Lee S, Han KH, Nakamura Y, et al. Dietary L-cysteine improves the antioxidative potential and lipid metabolism in rats fed a normal diet. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2013;77(7):1430-4.

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 L-cysteine and Riociguat Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take L-cysteine with Riociguat?
We do not list a known interaction between L-cysteine and Riociguat. 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.
How was the L-cysteine and Riociguat combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Riociguat is filed under 4 classifications, and L-cysteine has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Riociguat'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 L-cysteine interact with any other medications?
Yes. L-cysteine has 86 documented drug interactions in our database — Riociguat 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 Riociguat interact with any supplements?
Yes. Riociguat has documented interactions with 230 supplements in our database — L-cysteine is not one of them. The Riociguat 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

L-cysteine monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Riociguat drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Riociguat supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Riociguat, 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 2 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Riociguat and L-cysteine?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.