Drug & supplement interaction

Pheasant's Eye + Doripenem

Doripenem brand name: Doribax.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Doripenem falls into 2 drug categories that Pheasant's Eye can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, taking pheasant's eye with macrolide antibiotics might increase the risk of cardiac glycoside toxicity.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Pheasant's Eye and Doripenem

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Pheasant's Eye interacts with whole categories of medication. Doripenem falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Pheasant's Eye in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

MACROLIDE ANTIBIOTICS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Doripenem

Doripenem falls under MACROLIDE ANTIBIOTICS — the group Pheasant's Eye interacts with.

Theoretically, taking pheasant's eye with macrolide antibiotics might increase the risk of cardiac glycoside toxicity.
Macrolide antibiotics appear to increase the gastrointestinal absorption of oral digoxin. Theoretically, concomitant use of macrolide antibiotics might increase the absorption of the cardiac glycosides found in pheasant's eye.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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

I want to be straight with you here: the interaction we have on file was written for macrolide antibiotics (like azithromycin or erythromycin), and Doripenem (Doribax) is actually a carbapenem antibiotic, a different family. The concern with macrolides is that they may help your gut absorb more of the heart-acting compounds in Pheasant's Eye, possibly nudging up the risk of cardiac glycoside toxicity. Doripenem does not work that same way, so this particular absorption concern likely doesn't carry over.

That said, Pheasant's Eye itself is genuinely poisonous and has a razor-thin safety margin. Signs of glycoside toxicity (nausea, vomiting, a slow or irregular heartbeat, vision changes) are serious. Please don't combine these or use this herb on your own. Check with your doctor or pharmacist first.

References
  1. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
Moderate

TETRACYCLINE ANTIBIOTICS

2 of 2

Doripenem also falls under TETRACYCLINE ANTIBIOTICS.

Theoretically, taking pheasant's eye with tetracycline antibiotics might increase the risk of cardiac glycoside toxicity.
Tetracycline antibiotics appear to increase the gastrointestinal absorption of oral digoxin. Theoretically, concomitant use of tetracycline antibiotics might increase the absorption of the cardiac glycosides found in pheasant's eye.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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 honest picture for Doripenem (Doribax). The interaction we have on file was written for tetracycline antibiotics, where the concern is that those drugs may increase how much heart-acting glycoside your gut absorbs from Pheasant's Eye, raising the chance of toxicity. Doripenem, though, is a carbapenem antibiotic given by IV, not a tetracycline taken by mouth, so this particular absorption mechanism doesn't really apply to it.

The bigger point is about Pheasant's Eye itself. It's genuinely poisonous and acts on the heart much like digoxin, so it isn't something to take on your own. If you're being treated with Doripenem, please loop in your doctor or pharmacist before combining anything, rather than relying on this plant.

References
  1. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.

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

Pheasant's Eye Also Interacts With Other Medications

Pheasant's Eye has 1 major, 154 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Doripenem one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Pheasant's Eye

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Pheasant's Eye. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Doripenem

This page covers Pheasant's Eye only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Doripenem page lists 84 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Oleander (major), Para-aminobenzoic Acid (paba) (major), Acerola (moderate), Alpha-lipoic Acid (moderate) and Bacillus Coagulans (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 75 moderate · 7 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Doripenem page

“Two entries here matter more than all the others, and I would read them first. Doripenem (Doribax) is an intravenous antibiotic reserved for serious bacterial infections, which means anything that weakens treatment or piles on risk deserves genuine caution.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Doripenem interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Pheasant's Eye and Doripenem 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 Pheasant's Eye
Steady interest

#1,126 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Doripenem
Steady interest

#2,451 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 Pheasant's Eye

What is Pheasant's Eye?

  • Heart failure symptoms
  • Irregular or weak heartbeat
  • Fluid retention (as a diuretic)
  • Nervous heart complaints
  • Mild anxiety with heart palpitations

Pheasant's Eye (Adonis vernalis) is a toxic plant that contains heart-acting compounds similar to those in foxglove. It has been used in traditional and old European medicine for heart problems, but it is poisonous and has a very narrow margin of safety. You should not use it on your own — it should only ever be considered under direct medical supervision, if at all.

Read the full Pheasant's Eye monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Doripenem Injection

What Is Doripenem Injection Used For?

Brand name: Doribax

  • Doripenem injection is used to treat serious infections of the urinary tract, kidney, and abdomen that are caused by bacteria. Doripenem injection is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat pneumonia that developed in people who were on a ventilator in a hospital. Doripenem injection is in a class of medications called carbapenem antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.

  • Antibiotics such as doripenem injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed increases your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.

See full Doripenem Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Pheasant's Eye

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

1Major
154Moderate
0Minor
2,674No known interaction
Major

1 interaction

Moderate

154 interactions

Showing 60 of 154 moderate interactions — see all 154 on the Pheasant's Eye page.

No interaction 2,674 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Pheasant's Eye and Doripenem Together: Common Questions

Can you take Pheasant's Eye with Doripenem?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Pheasant's Eye and Doripenem?
Doripenem belongs to more than one drug category, and Pheasant's Eye interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Pheasant's Eye and Doripenem 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

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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.