Drug & supplement interaction

Sesame + Niraparib Tosylate

Niraparib Tosylate brand name: Zejula.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Sesame has a minor interaction with Niraparib Tosylate. Theoretically, sesame might alter the transport of P-glycoprotein substrates.

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

Sesame and Niraparib Tosylate

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

Minor

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Niraparib Tosylate

Niraparib Tosylate falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES — the group Sesame interacts with.

Theoretically, sesame might alter the transport of P-glycoprotein substrates.
In vitro research suggests that sesamin, a constituent of sesame, can inhibit the multi-drug transporter protein, P-glycoprotein. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
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 for Zejula (niraparib). Your body uses a transporter called P-glycoprotein, which acts like a little pump that moves certain drugs around and helps clear them out. A compound in sesame called sesamin might slow that pump down, at least in test-tube studies. In theory, slowing the pump could let a bit more niraparib build up in your body, which could mean more of its usual side effects like nausea, tiredness, low blood counts, or higher blood pressure.

The important thing: this is only a theoretical lab finding, and it has never actually been seen in people. Everyday food amounts of sesame on a bagel or in hummus are very unlikely to matter. Still, since niraparib is a serious cancer medicine, check with your oncologist or pharmacist before using concentrated sesame supplements.

References
  1. Okura, T., Ibe, M., Umegaki, K., Shinozuka, K., and Yamada, S. Effects of dietary ingredients on function and expression of P-glycoprotein in human intestinal epithelial cells. Biol Pharm Bull 2010;33(2):255-259. PubMed
  2. Nabekura, T., Yamaki, T., Ueno, K., and Kitagawa, S. Inhibition of P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance protein 1 by dietary phytochemicals. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2008;62(5):867-873. 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

Sesame Also Interacts With Other Medications

Sesame has 343 moderate, 184 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Niraparib Tosylate one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Niraparib Tosylate

This page covers Sesame only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Niraparib Tosylate page lists 54 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), St. John's Wort (major), Bitter Melon (moderate), Black Pepper (moderate) and Bulbine Natalensis (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 35 moderate · 17 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Niraparib Tosylate page

“Activated charcoal, popular for bloating and so-called detox routines, can trap niraparib (Zejula) in the gut before it absorbs, and St. John's wort can drive levels of the drug down another way.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Niraparib Tosylate 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. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Niraparib Tosylate too, on top of Sesame — 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 Sesame and Niraparib Tosylate 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Niraparib Tosylate
Top half

#1,355 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 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.

Read the full Sesame monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Niraparib

What Is Niraparib Used For?

Brand name: Zejula

Zejula is used as maintenance therapy — meaning it is taken after chemotherapy to help keep the cancer from coming back — for adults with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. For first-line maintenance, Zejula is approved for patients whose cancer is HRD-positive (has certain DNA-repair defects, including BRCA mutations or genomic instability) and who have responded to their first round of platinum-based chemotherapy.

Zejula is also approved for maintenance treatment in adults with recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer that carries a germline BRCA mutation (an inherited change in the BRCA gene), when the cancer has responded to platinum-based chemotherapy. In both cases, a companion diagnostic test is required to confirm eligibility before starting Zejula.

See full Niraparib 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
184Minor
2,302No known interaction
Moderate

343 interactions

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

Minor

184 interactions

Showing 60 of 184 minor interactions — see all 184 on the Sesame page.

No interaction 2,302 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 Sesame and Niraparib Tosylate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Sesame with Niraparib Tosylate?
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 Sesame and Niraparib Tosylate 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

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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.