Drug & supplement interaction

Pu-erh Tea + Tiagabine

Tiagabine brand name: Gabitril.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Minor

Pu-erh Tea has a minor interaction with Tiagabine. Theoretically, pu-erh tea might increase the levels and adverse effects of tiagabine.

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

Pu-erh Tea and Tiagabine

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

Minor

TIAGABINE (Gabitril)

Theoretically, pu-erh tea might increase the levels and adverse effects of tiagabine.
Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. Animal research suggests that chronic caffeine administration can increase the serum concentrations of tiagabine. However, concomitant use does not seem to reduce the antiepileptic effects of tiagabine.
Severity Minor 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 gist: pu-erh tea contains caffeine, and there's a theory that getting a lot of caffeine regularly could nudge up the level of tiagabine in your blood. If that happened, you might notice more of the drug's usual side effects, things like dizziness, drowsiness, feeling shaky or jittery, trouble concentrating, or being a bit unsteady on your feet.

I want to keep this in perspective, though. This idea comes only from animal research, so it's theoretical, and the same research suggested the seizure-protecting benefit of tiagabine isn't reduced. A cup or two of pu-erh as a drink is unlikely to cause a problem for most people. If you drink a lot of it daily or use concentrated extracts, mention it to your pharmacist or doctor so they can keep an eye on how you're doing.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Chroscinska-Krawczyk, M., Jargiello-Baszak, M., Walek, M., Tylus, B., and Czuczwar, S. J. Caffeine and the anticonvulsant potency of antiepileptic drugs: experimental and clinical data. Pharmacol.Rep. 2011;63(1):12-18. 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

Pu-erh Tea Also Interacts With Other Medications

Pu-erh Tea has 9 major, 448 moderate, 209 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Tiagabine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 9 Moderate 448 Minor 209 No known interaction 2,164 (incl. Tiagabine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Pu-erh Tea

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Tiagabine

This page covers Pu-erh Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tiagabine page lists 214 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: 9 major · 157 moderate · 48 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tiagabine page

“Anyone taking tiagabine (Gabitril) for seizures should treat its supplement interactions with real vigilance. The drug is cleared by the liver enzyme CYP3A4, so grapefruit can push its blood level up while St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Tiagabine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Pu-erh Tea and Tiagabine 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 Pu-erh Tea
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tiagabine
Steady interest

#1,736 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 Pu-erh Tea

What is Pu-erh Tea?

  • Weight management
  • Cholesterol and heart health
  • Digestion after meals
  • Mental alertness
  • General antioxidant support

Pu-erh tea is a fermented, aged form of tea made from the same plant as green and black tea. It is enjoyed worldwide as a beverage and is sometimes promoted for weight loss, cholesterol, and digestion, but human evidence for these uses is limited. As a normal drink it is generally well tolerated, though it does contain caffeine.

Read the full Pu-erh Tea monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Tiagabine

What Is Tiagabine Used For?

Brand name: Gabitril

Tiagabine hydrochloride tablets are approved as add-on (adjunctive) therapy for partial seizures in adults and adolescents aged 12 and older. It is not used alone — it is always added to an existing seizure medication regimen.

Both the film-coated and standard tablet forms of tiagabine hydrochloride carry this same indication. The safety and effectiveness of tiagabine have not been established for any other condition.

See full Tiagabine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Pu-erh Tea

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

9Major
448Moderate
209Minor
2,163No known interaction
9 Major 448 Moderate 209 Minor 2,163 No interaction
Major

9 interactions

Moderate

448 interactions

Showing 60 of 448 moderate interactions — see all 448 on the Pu-erh Tea page.

Minor

209 interactions

Showing 60 of 209 minor interactions — see all 209 on the Pu-erh Tea page.

No interaction 2,163 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,163 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Pu-erh Tea list.

See the full Pu-erh Tea interactions page
See every supplement checked against Tiagabine, 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
Pu-erh Tea monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Tiagabine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Tiagabine, ranked by severity Tiagabine 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 Pu-erh Tea and Tiagabine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Pu-erh Tea with Tiagabine?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Pu-erh Tea and Tiagabine interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Tiagabine and Pu-erh Tea?

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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.