Drug & supplement interaction

Swamp Milkweed + Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium

Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium brand names: Neo-NaClex-K, Centyl K.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Swamp Milkweed has a moderate interaction with Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium. Theoretically, potassium depleting diuretics might increase the risk of toxicity with swamp milkweed.

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

Swamp Milkweed and Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium

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

Moderate

DIURETIC DRUGS

Why this applies to Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium

Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium falls under DIURETIC DRUGS — the group Swamp Milkweed interacts with.

Theoretically, potassium depleting diuretics might increase the risk of toxicity with swamp milkweed.
Swamp milkweed contains cardioactive steroids known as cardenolides that may have digitalis-like activity. Potassium depletion can increase the risk of cardenolide toxicity.
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 simple version. Swamp Milkweed contains heart-acting compounds called cardenolides that work a lot like the old heart drug digoxin. Your medicine pairs bendroflumethiazide, a water pill, with added potassium. Water pills like this one tend to flush potassium out of the body, and that's exactly why the potassium is bundled in, to help replace what you lose.

The concern is this: if your potassium drops low, those milkweed compounds become more likely to cause toxic effects on the heart, such as a racing or irregular heartbeat, nausea, or feeling dizzy. This is a theoretical worry based on how these compounds behave, not on solid human studies. Still, Swamp Milkweed is genuinely toxic and isn't a proven remedy. Please check with your pharmacist or doctor before using it.

References
  1. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 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

Swamp Milkweed Also Interacts With Other Medications

Swamp Milkweed has 3 major, 152 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium 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 Swamp Milkweed

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium

This page covers Swamp Milkweed only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium page lists 127 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Dolomite (major), Lithium (major) and Oleander (major).

By severity: 7 major · 103 moderate · 17 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium page

“Bendroflumethiazide with potassium (Neo-NaClex-K, Centyl K) is a water pill for blood pressure with built-in potassium replacement, and its interaction list warrants real care rather than a quick skim. Seven of the 127 supplement ingredients on file rate major, and they concentrate on two hazards: added kidney damage (Siberian cocklebu…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Swamp Milkweed and Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium 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 Swamp Milkweed
Steady interest

#1,236 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium
Top 10%

#166 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 Swamp Milkweed

What is Swamp Milkweed?

  • Traditional digestive remedy
  • Diuretic (increasing urine)
  • Cough and respiratory complaints
  • Worm or parasite remedy (folk use)
  • Pollinator/garden plant rather than medicine

Swamp Milkweed is a native North American wetland plant best known today as a butterfly and pollinator garden plant, not a proven medicine. It contains toxic milky sap with cardiac glycoside-like compounds, and there is very little reliable human research to support any health use. Because of its potential toxicity, it should not be used as a supplement without professional guidance.

Read the full Swamp Milkweed monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Swamp Milkweed

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

3Major
152Moderate
0Minor
2,674No known interaction
Major

3 interactions

Moderate

152 interactions

Showing 60 of 152 moderate interactions — see all 152 on the Swamp Milkweed 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 Swamp Milkweed and Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium Together: Common Questions

Can you take Swamp Milkweed with Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium?
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 Swamp Milkweed and Bendroflumethiazide, Potassium 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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