Drug & supplement interaction

Squill + Quinine Sulfate

Quinine Sulfate brand names: Quinamm, Quinine Sulfate.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Squill has a moderate interaction with Quinine Sulfate. Quinine may reduce the clearance of oral digoxin.

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

Squill and Quinine Sulfate

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

Moderate

QUININE

Quinine may reduce the clearance of oral digoxin. Theoretically, concomitant use of quinine with squill might reduce the clearance of cardiac glycosides found in squill and increase the risk of adverse effects.
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 situation with quinine and squill. Quinine can slow down how your body clears certain heart-acting compounds. Squill happens to contain natural cardiac glycosides that behave a lot like digoxin. So if you take them together, the worry is that quinine could let those squill compounds build up higher than expected, which raises the chance of side effects like nausea, vomiting, vision changes, or a racing or irregular heartbeat.

I'll be honest: this concern is theoretical, based on how the drugs work rather than strong studies in people. But squill is genuinely toxic and hard to dose safely, so I wouldn't combine it with quinine on your own. Please check with your pharmacist or doctor before mixing these two.

References
  1. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.

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

Squill Also Interacts With Other Medications

Squill has 1 major, 154 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Quinine Sulfate 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 Squill

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Quinine Sulfate

This page covers Squill only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Quinine Sulfate page lists 175 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Cinchona (major), Foxglove (major), Grapefruit (major) and Lily-of-the-valley (major).

Open the Quinine Sulfate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2 real supplement products containing Squill, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Squill. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Quinine Sulfate too, on top of Squill — 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 Squill and Quinine Sulfate 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 Squill
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Quinine Sulfate
Steady interest

#2,244 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 Squill

What is Squill?

Squill
  • Cough and chest congestion
  • Fluid retention (diuretic)
  • Heart conditions (traditional 'cardiac tonic')
  • Hair loss (topical use)
  • Rodenticide (red squill, non-medicinal)

Squill is a bulb plant that contains potent cardiac glycosides, which can affect the heart much like the drug digoxin. While it has a long history of use as a cough remedy and heart tonic, it can be dangerously toxic and there is little solid evidence for its modern use, so we do not recommend taking it without close medical supervision.

Read the full Squill monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Squill

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

1Major
154Moderate
0Minor
2,674No known interaction
Major

1 interaction

Moderate

154 interactions

Showing 60 of 154 moderate interactions — see all 154 on the Squill page.

No interaction 2,674 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 Squill and Quinine Sulfate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Squill with Quinine Sulfate?
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.
How serious is the Squill and Quinine Sulfate 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

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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.