Drug & supplement interaction

Poppy Seed + Methotrexate

Methotrexate brand names: Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo, Reditrex.

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 Poppy Seed and Methotrexate 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

Poppy Seed and Methotrexate

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 Methotrexate and Poppy Seed 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Poppy Seed at all — not against Methotrexate, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Poppy Seed safety at a glance

Poppy Seed overall Use caution Safe as a food, but large amounts may contain trace opiate residue and can trigger positive drug tests.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used as a spice or flavoring in amounts commonly found in foods. Poppy seed has Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US for use as a spice or... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used as a spice or flavoring in amounts commonly found in foods. Poppy seed has Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US for use as a spice or... 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 Methotrexate and Poppy Seed? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Poppy Seed and Methotrexate 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Hives Worth acting on Additional detail

    Poppy Seed

    “Orally, allergic reactions to poppy seed have included vomiting and swelling of the oral mucosa, urticaria, respiratory distress, and dyspnea.”

    Poppy Seed · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards).

    1 source cited
    1. 27282. Braun, W. and Kovary, P. M. [Poppy seed allergy]. Z.Hautkr 1988;63(4):344.

    Methotrexate

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

  • Vomiting Additional detail

    Poppy Seed

    “Orally, poppy seed can cause intestinal obstruction with fecal impaction when used in very large amounts. A case of bowel obstruction and subsequent death due to complications of bowel obstruction has been reported for a 54-year-old female who ingested at least 900 grams of poppy seed.”

    Poppy Seed · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in arrhythmia.

    1 source cited
    1. 96901. Schuppener LM, Corliss RF. Death due to complications of bowel obstruction following raw poppy seed ingestion. J Forensic Sci. 2018;63(2):614-618. PubMed

    Methotrexate

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

Reported for Poppy Seed but not commonly for Methotrexate: a bowel blockage, an electrolyte imbalance, shortness of breath and an allergic reaction.

Effects for Methotrexate come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Poppy Seed come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 489,806 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Methotrexate 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

Poppy Seed in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used as a spice or flavoring in amounts commonly found in foods. Poppy seed has Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US for use as a spice or flavoring. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of poppy seed when used in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and 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 Poppy Seed or Methotrexate

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

This page covers Poppy Seed only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Methotrexate page lists 82 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 7 major · 60 moderate · 15 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Methotrexate page

“The liver is where methotrexate and supplements clash most. Methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo), used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and certain cancers, can strain the liver on its own, and 38 of the 82 interacting ingredients on this list add liver risk of their own, alcohol included, which makes this a list to approach…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Methotrexate interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Poppy Seed and Methotrexate 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 Poppy Seed
Steady interest

#1,010 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Methotrexate
Top 5%

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

What is Poppy Seed?

  • Culinary flavoring and baking
  • Source of dietary fat and minerals
  • Traditional digestive remedy
  • Skin and cooking oil
  • Mild sleep or relaxation folk use

Poppy seeds are a common food ingredient harvested from the opium poppy, and the seeds themselves contain very little of the plant's opium compounds. They are generally safe as food, but eating large amounts can leave trace opiate residues that may show up on drug tests. There is little solid evidence supporting poppy seed as a medicinal supplement.

Papaver somniferum · Papaveraceae · Seeds (and seed oil) · Whole seeds, ground seeds, seed oil, baked goods, paste fillings

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

Poppy Seed: dosing

There is no established medicinal dose for poppy seed. It is normally consumed as a food ingredient in amounts found in breads, pastries, and dressings, which is considered safe for most people.No supplement form has a proven, standardized therapeutic dose. If you choose to use a poppy seed product, follow the label and avoid large amounts or homemade tea preparations.

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

Read the full Poppy Seed monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Methotrexate

What Is Methotrexate Used For?

Brand names: Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo, Reditrex

Methotrexate treats a wide range of serious conditions. In cancer care, it is used for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, osteosarcoma, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (a rare tumor related to pregnancy). It is also used to prevent and treat meningeal leukemia (cancer affecting the lining of the brain and spinal cord).

Outside of cancer, methotrexate is prescribed for adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), children with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (a form of childhood arthritis), and adults with severe psoriasis that hasn't responded well to other treatments.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Methotrexate

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (489,806 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Rheumatoid arthritis 42,798 reports
Arthralgia 40,830 reports
Fatigue 33,049 reports
Nausea 28,999 reports
Joint swelling 25,026 reports
See full Methotrexate drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Poppy Seed

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Poppy Seed list.

See the full Poppy Seed interactions page
See every supplement checked against Methotrexate, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Poppy Seed References

The 13 references that drive our Poppy Seed 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. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21. Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=182
  2. Meneely KD. Poppy seed ingestion: the Oregon perspective. J Forensic Sci 1992;37(4):1158-1162. DOI
  3. Kaplan, R. Poppy seed dependence. Med J Aust 1994;161(2):176. PubMed
  4. Braye, K., Harwood, T., Inder, R., Beasley, R., and Robinson, G. Poppy seed tea and opiate abuse in New Zealand. Drug Alcohol Rev 2007;26(2):215-219. PubMed
  5. Lloyd-Jones, D. M. and Bonomo, Y. Unusual presentations for pharmacotherapy-poppy seed dependence. Drug Alcohol Rev 2006;25(4):375-376. PubMed
  6. Braun, W. and Kovary, P. M. [Poppy seed allergy]. Z.Hautkr 1988;63(4):344.
  7. Pettitt BC Jr, Dyszel SM, Hood LV. Opiates in poppy seed: effect on urinalysis results after consumption of poppy seed cake-filling. Clin Chem 1987;33(7):1251-2. DOI
  8. Bjerver K, Jonsson J, Kilsson A. Morphine intake from poppy seed food. J Pharma Pharmacol 2011;34(12):798-801. DOI
  9. Facchini PJ, De Luca V. Phloem-Specific Expression of Tyrosine/Dopa Decarboxylase Genes and the Biosynthesis of Isoquinoline Alkaloids in Opium Poppy. The Plant Cell 1995;7(11):1811-1821. PubMed
  10. Powers D, Erickson S, Swortwood MJ. Quantification of morphine, codeine, and thebaine in home-brewed poppy seed tea by LC-MS/MS. J Forensic Sci. 2018;63(4):1229-1235.
  11. Schuppener LM, Corliss RF. Death due to complications of bowel obstruction following raw poppy seed ingestion. J Forensic Sci. 2018;63(2):614-618. PubMed
  12. Poponea N, Kashlan MT, Vollstaedt J. Opium poppy seed tea: A lesser known but deadly cocktail. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018;197:A6895.
  13. Tan YPA, Alexander PDG, Knowles S. Acute cardiotoxicity following 'poppy seed tea' consumption. Anaesth Rep 2021;9(2):e12130. 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 Poppy Seed and Methotrexate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Poppy Seed with Methotrexate?
We do not list a known interaction between Poppy Seed and Methotrexate. 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 Poppy Seed and Methotrexate have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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.
Does Methotrexate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Methotrexate has documented interactions with 82 supplements in our database — Poppy Seed is not one of them. The Methotrexate 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

Poppy Seed monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Methotrexate drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Methotrexate supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Methotrexate, 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 13 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Methotrexate and Poppy Seed?

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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.