Drug & supplement interaction

Peppermint + Methadone

Methadone brand name: Dolophine.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated October 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Peppermint has a moderate interaction with Methadone. Theoretically, peppermint might increase the levels of CYP3A4 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Peppermint and Methadone

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Methadone

Methadone falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Peppermint interacts with.

Theoretically, peppermint might increase the levels of CYP3A4 substrates.
Clinical research in healthy volunteers shows that a single dose of peppermint oil 600 mg inhibits CYP3A4 enzymes and increases the AUC of felodipine, a CYP3A4 substrate. However, in vitro research suggests that peppermint oil only inhibits CYP3A4 at very high concentrations.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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 connection to keep in mind: your liver uses an enzyme called CYP3A4 to help break down methadone, and concentrated peppermint oil may slow that enzyme down a bit. When the enzyme works slower, methadone can clear out of your body less efficiently, so its levels could creep up. With an opioid like methadone, higher levels can mean more drowsiness, slower or shallower breathing, dizziness, or constipation.

That said, this is mostly theoretical and rests on lower-quality evidence, with effects seen at fairly high peppermint oil doses. A peppermint tea or a mint candy almost certainly won't matter. If you regularly take enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules for IBS, just mention it to your pharmacist or doctor, since methadone is a medication where even small shifts deserve a careful eye.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Dresser GK, Wacher V, Wong S, et al. Evaluation of peppermint oil and ascorbyl palmitate as inhibitors of cytochrome P4503A4 activity in vitro and in vivo. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2002;72:247-55. PubMed
  2. Unger M, Frank A. Simultaneous determination of the inhibitory potency of herbal extracts on the activity of six major cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and automated online extraction. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2004;1 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

Peppermint Also Interacts With Other Medications

Peppermint has 732 moderate, 65 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Methadone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 732 Minor 65 No known interaction 2,033 (incl. Methadone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Peppermint

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Peppermint or Methadone

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

This page covers Peppermint only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Methadone page lists 223 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 Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 10 major · 174 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Methadone page

“If you take methadone, choose your supplements with genuine care. Of the 223 ingredients on this page, most either add to methadone's sedating effect or change how fast your body clears it, which can push its blood level up or down.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Methadone interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,980 real supplement products containing Peppermint, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Peppermint. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Methadone too, on top of Peppermint — 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 Peppermint and Methadone 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 Peppermint
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Methadone
Top 25%

#543 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 Peppermint

What is Peppermint?

Peppermint
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Indigestion and gas
  • Nausea
  • Tension headache (topical oil)
  • Colds and congestion
  • Freshening breath

Peppermint is a popular herb with the best evidence supporting enteric-coated peppermint oil for easing IBS symptoms. It is generally well tolerated for most adults, but it can cause heartburn and is not recommended in concentrated oil form for infants and young children. Check with your pharmacist or doctor before using it regularly, especially during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Read the full Peppermint monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Methadone

What Is Methadone Used For?

Brand name: Dolophine

Methadone treats two main problems. Some products are used for severe, persistent pain that needs daily, around-the-clock opioid treatment when other options are not adequate. Some products are used for opioid addiction (heroin or other morphine-like drugs), as detoxification or as maintenance treatment along with social and medical services.

Not every product is approved for every use. Methadone tablets, oral solution and oral concentrate (Intensol) list both pain and opioid addiction. Diskets, Methadose Dispersible tablets and the Methadose and Methadone Hydrocloride oral concentrates are labeled only for opioid addiction. Methadone injection is for severe pain, and for short-term treatment of opioid dependence in people who cannot take medicine by mouth, such as hospitalized patients. It is not approved for outpatient opioid dependence treatment. Methadone is not meant to be used as an as-needed pain reliever.

See full Methadone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Peppermint

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

0Major
732Moderate
65Minor
2,032No known interaction
732 Moderate 65 Minor 2,032 No interaction
Moderate

732 interactions

Showing 60 of 732 moderate interactions — see all 732 on the Peppermint page.

Minor

65 interactions

Showing 60 of 65 minor interactions — see all 65 on the Peppermint page.

No interaction 2,032 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,032 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Peppermint list.

See the full Peppermint interactions page
See every supplement checked against Methadone, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Peppermint monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Methadone supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Methadone, ranked by severity Methadone drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Peppermint and Methadone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Peppermint with Methadone?
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.
How serious is the Peppermint and Methadone 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

Still Have a Question About Methadone and Peppermint?

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.