Drug & supplement interaction

Sesame + Mercaptopurine

Mercaptopurine brand name: Purixan.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Sesame and Mercaptopurine 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

Sesame and Mercaptopurine

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 Mercaptopurine and Sesame 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.

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.

Sesame safety at a glance

Sesame overall Use caution Food amounts are generally safe for most people, but sesame is a major allergen and concentrated supplements are less studied.
Pregnancy Use caution Normal food amounts are likely fine, but concentrated supplements are not well studied, so check with your doctor.
Breastfeeding Use caution Food amounts are generally considered fine, but safety of concentrated supplements while breastfeeding is unknown.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Mercaptopurine and Sesame? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Mercaptopurine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Mercaptopurine is filed under 3 classifications — immunosuppressants, hepatotoxic drugs, oral drugs. Sesame has documented interactions with 5 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate), antihypertensive drugs (moderate) and cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) substrates (moderate) — and none of Mercaptopurine’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Sesame Does Interact With Other Medications

Sesame has 343 moderate, 185 minor known drug interactions in our database — Mercaptopurine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 343 Minor 185 No known interaction 2,302 (incl. Mercaptopurine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Sesame

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Sesame and Mercaptopurine 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

    Sesame

    “Multiple cases of allergic response to sesame seed occurring after occupational, topical, intramuscular, or oral exposure have been reported. One study found that up to 0.5% of the United States population reports having a sesame allergy, and 0.23% of the population meets criteria for an IgE-mediated allergic reaction to sesame.”

    Sesame · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in allergic rhinitis (hay fever).

    6 sources cited
    1. 28157. Panizzolo, C., Tura, M., and Barbato, A. Anaphylaxis to sesame paste. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol 2005;37(1):34-35.
    2. 28158. Leduc, V., Moneret-Vautrin, D. A., Tzen, J. T., Morisset, M., Guerin, L., and Kanny, G. Identification of oleosins as major allergens in sesame seed allergic patients. Allergy 2006;61(3):349-356. PubMed
    3. 28159. Agne, P. S., Bidat, E., Agne, P. S., Rance, F., and Paty, E. Sesame seed allergy in children. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol 2004;36(8):300-305.
    4. 28160. Dalal, I., Binson, I., Levine, A., Somekh, E., Ballin, A., and Reifen, R. The pattern of sesame sensitivity among infants and children. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2003;14(4):312-316. PubMed
    5. 28161. Moneret-Vautrin, D. A., Kanny, G., and Lagrange, A. [Occupational asthma caused by organic substances]. Rev Med Interne 1994;15 Suppl 2:216s-225s.
    6. 28162. Keskinen, H., Ostman, P., Vaheri, E., Tarvainen, K., Grenquist-Norden, B., Karppinen, O., and Nordman, H. A case of occupational asthma, rhinitis and urticaria due to sesame seed. Clin Exp Allergy 1991;21(5):623-624. PubMed

    Mercaptopurine

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

  • Diarrhea reported in 4.1% of FDA reports for Mercaptopurine Additional detail

    Sesame

    “There was a single case of diarrhea associated with oral sesame in a clinical trial.”

    Sesame · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 108356. Khani B, Bidgoli SR, Moattar F, Hassani H. Effect of sesame on sperm quality of infertile men. J Res Med Sci. 2013;18(3):184-7.

    Mercaptopurine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Mercaptopurine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Vomiting / A skin rash reported in 4.3% of FDA reports for Mercaptopurine Additional detail

    Sesame

    Recorded for Sesame in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Hives above.

    Mercaptopurine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Mercaptopurine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Sesame but not commonly for Mercaptopurine: a severe allergic reaction, an allergic reaction, wheezing and a stuffy or runny nose.

Effects for Mercaptopurine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Sesame come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 17,242 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Mercaptopurine 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Sesame or Mercaptopurine

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

This page covers Sesame only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mercaptopurine page lists 106 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major) and Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 92 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Mercaptopurine page

“Mercaptopurine (Purixan) works by deliberately suppressing the immune system, whether for leukemia or inflammatory bowel disease, and the supplement interactions on this page deserve genuine care rather than a quick skim. Two problems dominate.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Mercaptopurine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 434 real supplement products containing Sesame, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Sesame. Even though Sesame itself has no known interaction with Mercaptopurine, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Sesame and Mercaptopurine 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 Sesame
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mercaptopurine
Steady interest

#2,192 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 Sesame reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Sesame and Mercaptopurine 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 Sesame

What is Sesame?

  • Heart and cholesterol health
  • Blood pressure support
  • Source of healthy fats and minerals
  • Skin and hair care (topical oil)
  • Antioxidant support
  • Cooking and nutrition

Sesame is a nutritious seed and oil widely used in cooking and traditional medicine, and it provides healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidant compounds called lignans. Some early research suggests sesame may modestly help with cholesterol and blood pressure, but the evidence is limited. Sesame is also a common, sometimes serious, food allergen, so people with seed allergies should be careful.

Sesamum indicum · Pedaliaceae · Seeds and seed oil · Whole seeds, sesame oil (cooking and topical), tahini, capsules/softgels, sesame extract (sesamin/lignans)

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

Sesame: dosing

There is no official or standardized dose of sesame as a supplement. As a food, sesame seeds, tahini, and sesame oil are used in normal culinary amounts.For capsules or extracts, the right amount has not been clearly established by research. Do not assume more is better.

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

Read the full Sesame monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Mercaptopurine

What Is Mercaptopurine Used For?

Brand name: Purixan

Mercaptopurine — available as a tablet and as an oral suspension — is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer. It is given as part of a combination chemotherapy maintenance regimen, meaning it works alongside other cancer medicines to keep leukemia in remission.

Both the tablet form and the oral suspension form carry this indication for adult and pediatric patients. The oral suspension is particularly useful for patients who cannot swallow tablets.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Mercaptopurine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (17,242 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Febrile neutropenia 1,904 reports
Fever 1,187 reports
Nausea 791 reports
Vomiting 749 reports
Abdominal pain 699 reports
See full Mercaptopurine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sesame

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

0Major
343Moderate
185Minor
2,301No known interaction
343 Moderate 185 Minor 2,301 No interaction
Moderate

343 interactions

Showing 60 of 343 moderate interactions — see all 343 on the Sesame page.

Minor

185 interactions

Showing 60 of 185 minor interactions — see all 185 on the Sesame page.

No interaction 2,301 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,301 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Sesame list.

See the full Sesame interactions page
See every supplement checked against Mercaptopurine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Sesame References

The 53 references that drive our Sesame 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. von Moltke LL, Weemhoff JL, Bedir E, et al. Inhibition of human cytochromes P450 by components of Ginkgo biloba. J Pharm Pharmacol 2004;56:1039-44.
  2. Sankar, D., Sambandam, G., Ramakrishna, Rao M., and Pugalendi, K. V. Modulation of blood pressure, lipid profiles and redox status in hypertensive patients taking different edible oils. Clin Chim Acta 2005;355(1-2):97-104. PubMed
  3. Sankar, D., Rao, M. R., Sambandam, G., and Pugalendi, K. V. A pilot study of open label sesame oil in hypertensive diabetics. J Med Food 2006;9(3):408-412. PubMed
  4. Sankar, D., Rao, M. R., Sambandam, G., and Pugalendi, K. V. Effect of sesame oil on diuretics or Beta-blockers in the modulation of blood pressure, anthropometry, lipid profile, and redox status. Yale J Biol.Med. 2006;79(1):19-26.
  5. Sacco, S. M., Chen, J., Power, K. A., Ward, W. E., and Thompson, L. U. Lignan-rich sesame seed negates the tumor-inhibitory effect of tamoxifen but maintains bone health in a postmenopausal athymic mouse model with estrogen-responsive breast tumors. Menop PubMed
  6. Sacco, S. M., Power, K. A., Chen, J., Ward, W. E., and Thompson, L. U. Interaction of sesame seed and tamoxifen on tumor growth and bone health in athymic mice. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2007;232(6):754-761.
  7. Hsiao, E. S., Lin, L. J., Li, F. Y., Wang, M. M., Liao, M. Y., and Tzen, J. T. Gene families encoding isoforms of two major sesame seed storage proteins, 11S globulin and 2S albumin. J Agric Food Chem 2006;54(25):9544-9550. PubMed
  8. Ramesh, B., Saravanan, R., and Pugalendi, K. V. Influence of sesame oil on blood glucose, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant status in streptozotocin diabetic rats. J Med Food 2005;8(3):377-381. PubMed
  9. Panizzolo, C., Tura, M., and Barbato, A. Anaphylaxis to sesame paste. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol 2005;37(1):34-35.
  10. Leduc, V., Moneret-Vautrin, D. A., Tzen, J. T., Morisset, M., Guerin, L., and Kanny, G. Identification of oleosins as major allergens in sesame seed allergic patients. Allergy 2006;61(3):349-356. PubMed
  11. Agne, P. S., Bidat, E., Agne, P. S., Rance, F., and Paty, E. Sesame seed allergy in children. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol 2004;36(8):300-305.
  12. Dalal, I., Binson, I., Levine, A., Somekh, E., Ballin, A., and Reifen, R. The pattern of sesame sensitivity among infants and children. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2003;14(4):312-316. PubMed
  13. Moneret-Vautrin, D. A., Kanny, G., and Lagrange, A. [Occupational asthma caused by organic substances]. Rev Med Interne 1994;15 Suppl 2:216s-225s.
  14. Keskinen, H., Ostman, P., Vaheri, E., Tarvainen, K., Grenquist-Norden, B., Karppinen, O., and Nordman, H. A case of occupational asthma, rhinitis and urticaria due to sesame seed. Clin Exp Allergy 1991;21(5):623-624. PubMed
  15. Alday, E., Curiel, G., Lopez-Gil, M. J., Carreno, D., and Moneo, I. Occupational hypersensitivity to sesame seeds. Allergy 1996;51(1):69-70. DOI

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 Sesame and Mercaptopurine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Sesame with Mercaptopurine?
We do not list a known interaction between Sesame and Mercaptopurine. 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 Sesame and Mercaptopurine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 4 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.
How was the Sesame and Mercaptopurine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Mercaptopurine is filed under 3 classifications, and Sesame has documented interactions with 5 drug classes — none of Mercaptopurine's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Sesame interact with any other medications?
Yes. Sesame has 528 documented drug interactions in our database — Mercaptopurine is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Mercaptopurine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mercaptopurine has documented interactions with 106 supplements in our database — Sesame is not one of them. The Mercaptopurine 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

Sesame monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Mercaptopurine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Mercaptopurine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Mercaptopurine, 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 53 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Mercaptopurine and Sesame?

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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.