Drug & supplement interaction

Sweet Sumac + Vibegron

Vibegron brand name: Gemtesa.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Sweet Sumac and Vibegron 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

Sweet Sumac and Vibegron

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 Vibegron and Sweet Sumac 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Sweet Sumac at all — not against Vibegron, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Sweet Sumac safety at a glance

Sweet Sumac overall Use caution Limited safety data exist, and it is related to plants that can cause skin reactions.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough safety information, so avoid use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety is unknown while breastfeeding, so it is best to avoid it.

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

Still wondering about combining Vibegron and Sweet Sumac? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Sweet Sumac and Vibegron May Share a Side Effect

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.

  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on reported in 4.4% of FDA reports for Vibegron Additional detail

    Sweet Sumac

    “Orally, infections of the urogenital tract have been reported in women with overactive bladder who were taking a combination product (Granu Fink femina, Omega Pharma) containing sweet sumac bark extract, pumpkin seed oil, and hops cone extract. It is unclear if these adverse effects were due to sweet sumac, other ingredients, or the combination.”

    Sweet Sumac · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in overactive bladder.

    1 source cited
    1. 103253. Gauruder-Burmester A, Heim S, Patz B, Seibt S. Cucurbita pepo-Rhus aromatica-Humulus lupulus combination reduces overactive bladder symptoms in women - a noninterventional study. Planta Med. 2019;85(13):1044-53. PubMed

    Vibegron

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

Effects for Vibegron come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Sweet Sumac come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 7,142 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Vibegron 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.

Overlapping uses

What Vibegron Is Prescribed For, and What Sweet Sumac Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Vibegron is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Sweet Sumac is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Vibegron is prescribed for: Gemtesa (vibegron) is used to treat overactive bladder (OAB) in adults. Specifically, it targets the three main OAB symptoms: sudden strong urges to urinate, leaking urine when you feel that urge (urge urinary incontinence), and needing to urinate too often. Gemtesa is also approved for adult men who have OAB symptoms and are already taking medication for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) — an enlarged prostate.

Sweet Sumac has been studied for:

  • Overactive bladder studied, not established Sweet Sumac has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Sweet Sumac for overactive bladder

    Preliminary clinical research in women with overactive bladder shows that taking a specific combination product (Granu Fink femina, Omega Pharma) containing sweet sumac bark extract 56 mg, pumpkin seed oil 227 mg, and hops cone extract 18 mg three times daily for 12 weeks decreases the frequency of urination and leakage and improves quality of life when compared to baseline.

    1 source cited
    1. 103253. Gauruder-Burmester A, Heim S, Patz B, Seibt S. Cucurbita pepo-Rhus aromatica-Humulus lupulus combination reduces overactive bladder symptoms in women - a noninterventional study. Planta Med. 2019;85(13):1044-53. PubMed

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Vibegron on your own; if you are taking Sweet Sumac for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Sweet Sumac or Vibegron

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

This page covers Sweet Sumac only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Vibegron page lists 157 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 117 moderate · 37 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Vibegron page

“Three items on this page deserve more attention than the other 154 combined for anyone taking vibegron (Gemtesa) for overactive bladder. Grapefruit can raise the drug's blood level by blocking the enzyme that clears it, St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Vibegron interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Sweet Sumac and Vibegron 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 Sweet Sumac
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Vibegron
Top 25%

#622 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 Sweet Sumac reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Sweet Sumac and Vibegron 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 Sweet Sumac

What is Sweet Sumac?

  • Urinary complaints
  • Diarrhea
  • Excessive urination or bedwetting
  • Sore throat and mouth rinse
  • Mild bleeding

Sweet Sumac (Rhus aromatica) is a North American shrub used in traditional and folk medicine, mostly for urinary and digestive complaints. There is very little modern human research to confirm that it works for any condition, so its benefits remain unproven. Because it belongs to the same plant family as poison ivy, talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Rhus aromatica · Anacardiaceae · Bark of the root, leaves, and berries · Dried bark, tea, tincture, liquid extract

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

Sweet Sumac: dosing

There is no established, standardized dose for Sweet Sumac. It has traditionally been taken as a tea, tincture, or liquid extract made from the root bark or leaves, but reliable dosing guidelines from clinical research are not available.If you choose to use a commercial product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed the suggested amount.

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

Read the full Sweet Sumac monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Vibegron

What Is Vibegron Used For?

Brand name: Gemtesa

Gemtesa (vibegron) is used to treat overactive bladder (OAB) in adults. Specifically, it targets the three main OAB symptoms: sudden strong urges to urinate, leaking urine when you feel that urge (urge urinary incontinence), and needing to urinate too often.

Gemtesa is also approved for adult men who have OAB symptoms and are already taking medication for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) — an enlarged prostate.

See full Vibegron drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sweet Sumac

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Sweet Sumac References

The 1 references that drive our Sweet Sumac 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. Gauruder-Burmester A, Heim S, Patz B, Seibt S. Cucurbita pepo-Rhus aromatica-Humulus lupulus combination reduces overactive bladder symptoms in women - a noninterventional study. Planta Med. 2019;85(13):1044-53. PubMed

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 Sweet Sumac and Vibegron Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Sweet Sumac with Vibegron?
We do not list a known interaction between Sweet Sumac and Vibegron. 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 Sweet Sumac and Vibegron have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one 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.
Are Sweet Sumac and Vibegron used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Sweet Sumac in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Vibegron is being adjusted to a target.
Does Vibegron interact with any supplements?
Yes. Vibegron has documented interactions with 157 supplements in our database — Sweet Sumac is not one of them. The Vibegron interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Vibegron and Sweet Sumac?

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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.