Drug & supplement interaction

Nutmeg + Escitalopram

Escitalopram brand name: Lexapro.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Nutmeg and Escitalopram 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

Nutmeg and Escitalopram

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 Escitalopram and Nutmeg 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.

Nutmeg safety at a glance

Nutmeg overall Use caution Safe as a food spice, but larger doses can be toxic and cause serious poisoning.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately in amounts commonly found in foods. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of nutmeg when used... 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 Escitalopram and Nutmeg? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Escitalopram

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Escitalopram is filed under 7 classifications — including antidepressant drugs, cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) inhibitors, cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) inhibitors. Nutmeg has documented interactions with 5 drug classes — the most serious being anticholinergic drugs (moderate), cholinergic drugs (moderate) and cns depressants (moderate) — and none of Escitalopram’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

Nutmeg Does Interact With Other Medications

Nutmeg has 528 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Escitalopram isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 528 No known interaction 2,302 (incl. Escitalopram)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Nutmeg

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Nutmeg and Escitalopram 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. 3 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Thoughts of self-harm Worth acting on Additional detail

    Nutmeg

    “Orally, visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations, depression, suicidal ideation, insomnia, restlessness, and bizarre behavior have been reported following nutmeg intoxication in various reports (12,2563,19300,19492,103372,103373). Other adverse effects associated with high intake of nutmeg have included disorientation, stupor, euphoria, anxiety, and agitation.”

    Nutmeg · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anxiety.

    6 sources cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
    2. 2563. Sangalli BC, Chiang W. Toxicology of nutmeg abuse. Clin Toxicol 2000;38:671-8. PubMed
    3. 19300. Stein U, Greyer H, Hentschel H. Nutmeg (myristicin) poisoning-report on a fatal case and a series of cases recorded by a poison information centre. Forensic Sci Int 2001;118:87-90. PubMed
    4. 19492. Abernethy MK, Becker LB. Acute nutmeg intoxication. Am J Emerg Med 1992;10:429-30. PubMed
    5. 103372. Beckerman B, Persaud H. Nutmeg overdose: Spice not so nice. Complement Ther Med. 2019;46:44-46. PubMed
    6. 103373. Reynoard J, Torrents R, Domange B, Glaizal M, de Haro L, Simon N. Nutmeg poisoning: Ten years (2008-2018) of experience from the Marseille Poison Control Center. Presse Med. 2019;48(9):994-996. PubMed

    Escitalopram

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

  • Low sodium Worth acting on Additional detail

    Nutmeg

    “Orally, hyponatremia and leukocytosis with neutrophilia associated with nutmeg overdose have been rarely reported.”

    Nutmeg · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hyponatremia.

    1 source cited
    1. 103372. Beckerman B, Persaud H. Nutmeg overdose: Spice not so nice. Complement Ther Med. 2019;46:44-46. PubMed

    Escitalopram

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

  • Seizures Worth acting on Additional detail

    Nutmeg

    “Orally, headache, dizziness, and drowsiness were reported in a 13-year-old female consuming nutmeg capsules while smoking cannabis. Adverse effects associated with high intake of nutmeg have included confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, hallucinations, headache, incoherent speech, hot and cold sensations, sensations of limb loss, convulsions, and coma.”

    Nutmeg · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    6 sources cited
    1. 2563. Sangalli BC, Chiang W. Toxicology of nutmeg abuse. Clin Toxicol 2000;38:671-8. PubMed
    2. 19294. Panayotopoulos DJ, Chisholm DD. Hallucinogenic effect of nutmeg. Br Med J 1970;1:754. PubMed
    3. 19299. Forrester MB. Nutmeg intoxication in Texas, 1998-2004. Hum Exp Toxicol 2005;24:563-6. PubMed
    4. 19300. Stein U, Greyer H, Hentschel H. Nutmeg (myristicin) poisoning-report on a fatal case and a series of cases recorded by a poison information centre. Forensic Sci Int 2001;118:87-90. PubMed
    5. 19487. Venables GS, Evered D, Hall R. Letter: Nutmeg poisoning. Br Med J 1976;1:96. PubMed
    6. 19489. Carstairs SD, Cantrell FL. The spice of life: an analysis of nutmeg exposures in California. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2011;49:177-80. PubMed

    Escitalopram

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

  • Anxiety or restlessness / Trouble sleeping reported in 4.8% of FDA reports for Escitalopram Additional detail

    Nutmeg

    Recorded for Nutmeg in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Thoughts of self-harm above.

    Escitalopram

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

  • Sweating / Drowsiness / Tiredness / Dizziness reported in 6.8% of FDA reports for Escitalopram Additional detail

    Nutmeg

    Recorded for Nutmeg in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Seizures above.

    Escitalopram

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

  • Diarrhea reported in 5.0% of FDA reports for Escitalopram Additional detail

    Nutmeg

    “Orally, nausea was reported in a 13-year-old female consuming nutmeg capsules while smoking cannabis. Vomiting was reported in a case of a 19-year-old female using high doses of nutmeg with a history of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and cannabis use. Burning epigastric pain, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, nausea, and increased thirst have been reported in other cases of intentional or unintentional nutmeg overdose.”

    Nutmeg · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    6 sources cited
    1. 2563. Sangalli BC, Chiang W. Toxicology of nutmeg abuse. Clin Toxicol 2000;38:671-8. PubMed
    2. 19294. Panayotopoulos DJ, Chisholm DD. Hallucinogenic effect of nutmeg. Br Med J 1970;1:754. PubMed
    3. 19293. McKenna A, Nordt SP, Ryan J. Acute nutmeg poisoning. Eur J Emerg Med 2004;11:240-1. PubMed
    4. 19299. Forrester MB. Nutmeg intoxication in Texas, 1998-2004. Hum Exp Toxicol 2005;24:563-6. PubMed
    5. 19300. Stein U, Greyer H, Hentschel H. Nutmeg (myristicin) poisoning-report on a fatal case and a series of cases recorded by a poison information centre. Forensic Sci Int 2001;118:87-90. PubMed
    6. 19489. Carstairs SD, Cantrell FL. The spice of life: an analysis of nutmeg exposures in California. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2011;49:177-80. PubMed

    Escitalopram

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

Showing the 10 most notable of 12 shared effects — ranked by how unusual each one is, not just whether both lists mention it.

Reported for Nutmeg but not commonly for Escitalopram: increased thirst, confusion, hallucinations and a fast or pounding heartbeat.

Effects for Escitalopram come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Nutmeg come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 139,512 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Escitalopram 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

Nutmeg in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Likely Safe

When used orally and appropriately in amounts commonly found in foods.

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe

When used orally in medicinal amounts. Nutmeg might have abortifacient activity, and its safrole content might be mutagenic.

Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally and appropriately in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of nutmeg when used in larger, medicinal amounts during lactation; 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 Nutmeg or Escitalopram

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

This page covers Nutmeg only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Escitalopram page lists 55 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Lithium (major), 5-htp (moderate), Acetyl-l-carnitine (moderate) and Ayahuasca (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 38 moderate · 15 minor.

Open the Escitalopram interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 182 real supplement products containing Nutmeg, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Nutmeg. Even though Nutmeg itself has no known interaction with Escitalopram, 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 Nutmeg and Escitalopram 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 Nutmeg
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Escitalopram
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 Nutmeg reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Nutmeg and Escitalopram records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 Nutmeg

What is Nutmeg?

Nutmeg
  • Digestive upset
  • Diarrhea
  • Sleep and relaxation
  • Pain and inflammation
  • Flavoring spice

Nutmeg is a popular cooking spice that has long been used in traditional medicine for digestion and other complaints, but there is little solid human research to support its medicinal use. In normal cooking amounts it is generally safe, but larger "medicinal" doses can cause serious poisoning, so it should never be taken in high amounts.

Myristica fragrans · Myristicaceae · Seed (nutmeg), seed covering (mace), and essential oil · Whole or ground spice, powder, capsules, essential oil

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

Nutmeg: dosing

There is no well-established medicinal dose for nutmeg, and no standardized supplement dose has been proven safe and effective for any health condition. As a spice, the small amounts used in cooking are considered safe.Because the line between a flavoring amount and a toxic amount is not very wide, you should not take large doses of nutmeg for health purposes.

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

Read the full Nutmeg monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Escitalopram

What Is Escitalopram Used For?

Brand name: Lexapro

Escitalopram treats major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults and in adolescents 12 years of age and older. It also treats generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults.

Lexapro (escitalopram) tablets are additionally approved to treat generalized anxiety disorder in pediatric patients 7 years of age and older. Escitalopram Capsules are indicated for MDD and GAD in adults younger than 65 years of age, and for MDD in pediatric patients 12 years and older — the capsule form is not indicated for patients 65 and older.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Escitalopram

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (139,512 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 9,542 reports
Nausea 9,514 reports
Headache 7,397 reports
Diarrhea 7,045 reports
Anxiety 6,668 reports
See full Escitalopram drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Nutmeg

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

0Major
528Moderate
0Minor
2,301No known interaction
528 Moderate 2,301 No interaction
Moderate

528 interactions

Showing 60 of 528 moderate interactions — see all 528 on the Nutmeg page.

No interaction 2,301 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,301 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Nutmeg list.

See the full Nutmeg interactions page
See every supplement checked against Escitalopram, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Nutmeg References

The 29 references that drive our Nutmeg 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. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  2. Sangalli BC, Chiang W. Toxicology of nutmeg abuse. Clin Toxicol 2000;38:671-8. PubMed
  3. Hallstrom H, Thuvander A. Toxicological evaluation of myristicin. Nat Toxins 1997;5:186-92. DOI
  4. Jeong HG, Yun CH. Induction of rat hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes by myristicin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1995;217:966-71. PubMed
  5. Dinakar HS. Acute psychosis associated with nutmeg toxicity. Med Times 1977;105:63-4.
  6. McKenna A, Nordt SP, Ryan J. Acute nutmeg poisoning. Eur J Emerg Med 2004;11:240-1. PubMed
  7. Panayotopoulos DJ, Chisholm DD. Hallucinogenic effect of nutmeg. Br Med J 1970;1:754. PubMed
  8. Demetriades AK, Wallman PD, McGuiness A, Gavalas MC. Low cost, high risk: accidental nutmeg intoxication. Emerg Med J 2005;22:223-5. PubMed
  9. Forrester MB. Nutmeg intoxication in Texas, 1998-2004. Hum Exp Toxicol 2005;24:563-6. PubMed
  10. Stein U, Greyer H, Hentschel H. Nutmeg (myristicin) poisoning-report on a fatal case and a series of cases recorded by a poison information centre. Forensic Sci Int 2001;118:87-90. PubMed
  11. Venables GS, Evered D, Hall R. Letter: Nutmeg poisoning. Br Med J 1976;1:96. PubMed
  12. Shah AM, Calello DP, Quintero-Solivan J, Osterhoudt KC. The not-so-nice spice: a teenage girl with palpitations and dry mouth. Pediatr Emerg Care 2011;27:1205-7. PubMed
  13. Carstairs SD, Cantrell FL. The spice of life: an analysis of nutmeg exposures in California. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2011;49:177-80. PubMed
  14. Williams EY, West F. The use of nutmeg as a psychotropic drug. Report of two cases. J Natl Med Assoc 1968;60:289-90.
  15. Abernethy MK, Becker LB. Acute nutmeg intoxication. Am J Emerg Med 1992;10:429-30. 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 Nutmeg and Escitalopram Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Nutmeg with Escitalopram?
We do not list a known interaction between Nutmeg and Escitalopram. 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 Nutmeg and Escitalopram have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 10 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 Nutmeg and Escitalopram combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Escitalopram is filed under 7 classifications, and Nutmeg has documented interactions with 5 drug classes — none of Escitalopram'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 Nutmeg interact with any other medications?
Yes. Nutmeg has 528 documented drug interactions in our database — Escitalopram 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 Escitalopram interact with any supplements?
Yes. Escitalopram has documented interactions with 55 supplements in our database — Nutmeg is not one of them. The Escitalopram 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

Nutmeg monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Escitalopram drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Escitalopram supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Escitalopram, 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 29 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Escitalopram and Nutmeg?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.