Drug & supplement interaction

Trailing Arbutus + Telotristat Etiprate

Telotristat Etiprate brand name: Xermelo.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Trailing Arbutus and Telotristat Etiprate 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 label for Telotristat Etiprate states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Trailing Arbutus and Telotristat Etiprate

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 Telotristat Etiprate and Trailing Arbutus 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 Trailing Arbutus at all — not against Telotristat Etiprate, 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.

Trailing Arbutus safety at a glance

Trailing Arbutus overall Not established There is very little human research, so its safety is not well established.
Pregnancy Avoid No reliable safety data exist, so avoid use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety data exist, so avoid use while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Telotristat Etiprate and Trailing Arbutus? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Trailing Arbutus Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Telotristat Etiprate. It is the side-effect record for Trailing Arbutus on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Trailing Arbutus, this list is the first place to look. One entry is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Pain or burning when passing urine / Confusion / Seizures / Anemia / Liver problems / Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, chronic use of trailing arbutus may lead to hydroquinone toxicity. Symptoms of toxicity include tinnitus, vomiting, delirium, convulsions, and collapse (11). Liver damage, cachexia, hemolytic anemia, and hair depigmentation may also occur with long term use (18).”

    Trailing Arbutus · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anemia.

    2 sources cited
    1. 11. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
    2. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  • Ringing in the ears / Vomiting Additional detail

    Recorded for Trailing Arbutus in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Pain or burning when passing urine / Confusion / Seizures / Anemia / Liver problems / Bleeding or bruising above.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Trailing Arbutus — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Telotristat Etiprate’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Telotristat Etiprate column appears here.

How to take them

Some Telotristat Etiprate Products Have a Food Rule — Trailing Arbutus Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Telotristat Etiprate says to take it with food. If you take Trailing Arbutus on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Telotristat Etiprate with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Telotristat Etiprate products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Administration Take Xermelo with food [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 ), Clinical Studies ( 14 )] .

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Telotristat Etiprate — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. See the Telotristat Etiprate drug page ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Telotristat Etiprate

This page covers Trailing Arbutus only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Telotristat Etiprate page lists 36 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Alkanna (moderate), Alpine Ragwort (moderate), Boneset (moderate) and Borage (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 26 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Telotristat Etiprate page

“Telotristat etiprate (Xermelo) works in the gut to calm the severe diarrhea of carcinoid syndrome, and the lone major-rated interaction among its 36 flagged supplements strikes at that point. Activated charcoal can soak up the drug before it reaches the bloodstream, and 17 of the entries, mostly bulking fibers and charcoal products, ca…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Telotristat Etiprate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 12 real supplement products containing Trailing Arbutus, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Trailing Arbutus. Even though Trailing Arbutus itself has no known interaction with Telotristat Etiprate, 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 Trailing Arbutus and Telotristat Etiprate 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 Trailing Arbutus
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Telotristat Etiprate
Steady interest

#1,601 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 Trailing Arbutus reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Trailing Arbutus and Telotristat Etiprate 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 Trailing Arbutus

What is Trailing Arbutus?

  • Urinary tract complaints
  • Bladder irritation
  • Kidney support (traditional)
  • Mild diuretic

Trailing Arbutus is a low-growing North American woodland plant traditionally used in folk medicine for urinary and bladder complaints. There is very little modern scientific research on its safety or effectiveness, so it cannot be recommended with confidence. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Epigaea repens · Ericaceae · Leaves (occasionally the whole flowering plant) · Tea, tincture, dried herb

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

Trailing Arbutus: dosing

There is no established or standardized dose for Trailing Arbutus. It has not been studied enough to know a safe and effective amount, and quality of commercial products is not guaranteed.If you choose to use a product that contains it, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Trailing Arbutus monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Telotristat

What Is Telotristat Used For?

Brand name: Xermelo

Xermelo (telotristat) tablets are approved to treat carcinoid syndrome diarrhea in adults. Carcinoid syndrome is a set of symptoms caused by certain tumors — called neuroendocrine tumors — that release excess serotonin into the body, triggering frequent, often severe diarrhea.

Xermelo is used in combination with somatostatin analog (SSA) therapy — a class of injected medications commonly used to control carcinoid syndrome — in patients whose diarrhea is still not adequately controlled by SSA therapy alone.

See full Telotristat drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Trailing Arbutus

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Trailing Arbutus — 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

Trailing Arbutus References

The 2 references that drive our Trailing Arbutus 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. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
  2. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

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 Trailing Arbutus and Telotristat Etiprate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Trailing Arbutus with Telotristat Etiprate?
We do not list a known interaction between Trailing Arbutus and Telotristat Etiprate. 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.
Should I take Trailing Arbutus and Telotristat Etiprate at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Telotristat Etiprate says to take it with food. If you take Trailing Arbutus on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Telotristat Etiprate with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Telotristat Etiprate products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Does Telotristat Etiprate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Telotristat Etiprate has documented interactions with 36 supplements in our database — Trailing Arbutus is not one of them. The Telotristat Etiprate 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 Telotristat Etiprate and Trailing Arbutus?

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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.