Drug & supplement interaction

Quercetin + Timolol

Timolol brand names: Blocadren, Timol, Timoptic.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Timolol falls into 2 drug categories that Quercetin can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, taking quercetin with antihypertensive drugs might increase the risk of hypotension.

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

Quercetin and Timolol

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

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

Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Timolol

Timolol falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS — the group Quercetin interacts with.

Theoretically, taking quercetin with antihypertensive drugs might increase the risk of hypotension.

Quercetin can modestly decrease blood pressure in people with mild hypertension. Theoretically, it might have additive blood pressure lowering effects when used with antihypertensive drugs.
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 simple version: quercetin may nudge your blood pressure down a little on its own, and timolol already lowers blood pressure and slows your heart rate. Stack the two and those effects can add up. This isn't about quercetin blocking how your body clears timolol. It's more like two things pulling in the same direction at once.

For most people this is a mild, possible concern, and it's based on lower quality studies, so don't panic. But if you notice dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling faint when you stand up, or an unusually slow pulse, that's worth paying attention to. Food amounts of quercetin are unlikely to matter much. Concentrated supplements are where I'd check in. Please chat with your pharmacist or doctor before adding a high-dose quercetin product.

References
  1. Edwards RL, Lyon T, Litwin SE, et al. Quercetin reduces blood pressure in hypertensive subjects. J Nutr 2007;137:2405-11.
  2. Larson A, Witman MA, Guo Y, et al. Acute, quercetin-induced reductions in blood pressure in hypertensive individuals are not secondary to lower plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme activity or endothelin-1: nitric oxide. Nutr Res. 2012;32(8):557-64. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Timolol also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, concomitant use might increase the levels and adverse effects of CYP2D6 substrates.

In vitro research show that quercetin inhibits CYP2D6. This effect has not been reported in humans.
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 gist for timolol. Your body relies on a liver enzyme called CYP2D6 to help clear timolol out. In test-tube studies, quercetin appears to slow that enzyme down. If that same thing happened in people, timolol could build up a bit more than usual, which might make its effects stronger.

For timolol, stronger effects could mean a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, dizziness, or feeling unusually tired. The important thing to know is that this is only theoretical right now, based on lab work and not seen in actual humans. Food amounts of quercetin are very unlikely to matter. If you take high-dose supplements, just mention it to your pharmacist or doctor so they can keep an eye on things.

References
  1. Obach RS. Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 enzymes by constituents of St. John's wort, an herbal preparation used in the treatment of depression. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2000;294:88-95. DOI
  2. DiCenzo R, Frerichs V, Larppanichpoonphol P, et al. Effect of quercetin on the plasma and intracellular concentrations of saquinavir in healthy adults. Pharmacotherapy 2006;26:1255-61. 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

Quercetin Also Interacts With Other Medications

Quercetin has 1,168 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Timolol 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 Quercetin

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Quercetin or Timolol

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

This page covers Quercetin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Timolol page lists 183 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Indian Snakeroot (major) and Tyramine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 151 moderate · 27 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Timolol page

“The supplement list for timolol (Blocadren, Timoptic) calls for genuine care, starting with its five major-rated entries. Timolol is a beta-blocker that slows the heart and lowers blood pressure, and even the eye-drop form absorbs enough to matter.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Timolol interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 4,589 real supplement products containing Quercetin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Quercetin. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Timolol too, on top of Quercetin — 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 Quercetin and Timolol 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 Quercetin
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Timolol
Steady interest

#1,641 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 Quercetin

What is Quercetin?

Quercetin
  • Seasonal allergies
  • Antioxidant support
  • Heart and blood pressure health
  • Anti-inflammatory support
  • Immune support
  • Exercise recovery

Quercetin is a plant flavonoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties found in many common foods and sold as a supplement. While early research is interesting for allergies, blood pressure, and inflammation, strong human evidence is limited for most uses. It is generally well tolerated in food amounts, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking high-dose supplements.

Read the full Quercetin monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Timolol

What Is Timolol Used For?

Brand names: Blocadren, Timol, Timoptic

Timolol is available in ophthalmic (eye) forms and as an oral tablet, and each form has its own approved uses. Ophthalmic formulations — including Betimol, Istalol, Timolol GFS, Timolol hemihydrate, Timolol Maleate eye drops, and Timolol Maleate Ophthalmic Gel Forming Solution — are used to lower elevated intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye) in people with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma.

Timolol Maleate tablets are used orally for three separate conditions: treating high blood pressure (alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines), reducing the risk of death and repeat heart attack in people who have survived a heart attack and are clinically stable, and preventing migraine headaches.

See full Timolol drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Quercetin

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

0Major
1,168Moderate
0Minor
1,661No known interaction
Moderate

1,168 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,168 moderate interactions — see all 1,168 on the Quercetin page.

No interaction 1,661 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 Quercetin and Timolol Together: Common Questions

Can you take Quercetin with Timolol?
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 Quercetin and Timolol?
Timolol belongs to more than one drug category, and Quercetin 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 Quercetin and Timolol 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 Timolol and Quercetin?

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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.