Cocoa

Are there any interactions with medications?

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Adenosine (Adenocard)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. The caffeine in cocoa might block the affects of adenosine (Adenocard). Adenosine (Adenocard) is often used by doctors to do a test on the heart. This test is called a cardiac stress test. Stop taking cocoa or other caffeine-containing products at least 24 hours before a cardiac stress test.

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Clozapine (Clozaril)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down clozapine (Clozaril) to get rid of it. The caffeine in cocoa seems to decrease how quickly the body breaks down clozapine (Clozaril). Taking cocoa along with clozapine (Clozaril) can increase the effects and side effects of clozapine (Clozaril).

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Dipyridamole (Persantine)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. The caffeine in cocoa might block the affects of dipyridamole (Persantine). Dipyridamole (Persantine) is often used by doctors to do a test on the heart. This test is called a cardiac stress test. Stop drinking cocoa or other caffeine-containing products at least 24 hours before a cardiac stress test.

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Ergotamine (Ergomar)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. Caffeine can increase how much ergotamine (Ergomar) the body absorbs. Taking cocoa along with ergotamine (Ergomar) might increase the effects and side effects of ergotamine.

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Estrogens
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down the caffeine in cocoa to get rid of it. Estrogens can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking caffeine along with estrogens might cause jitteriness, headache, fast heartbeat, and other side effects. If you take estrogens, limit your caffeine intake.

Some estrogen pills include conjugated equine estrogens (Premarin), ethinyl estradiol, estradiol, and others.

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Lithium
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The body naturally gets rid of lithium. The caffeine in cocoa can increase how quickly the body gets rid of lithium. If you take products that contain caffeine and you take lithium, stop taking caffeine products slowly. Stopping caffeine too quickly can increase the side effects of lithium.

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Medications for asthma (Beta-adrenergic agonists)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. Caffeine can stimulate the heart. Some medications for asthma can also stimulate the heart. Taking caffeine with some medications for asthma might cause too much stimulation and cause heart problems.

Some medications for asthma include albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin, Volmax), metaproterenol (Alupent), terbutaline (Bricanyl, Brethine), and isoproterenol (Isuprel).

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Medications for depression (MAOIs)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. Caffeine can stimulate the body. Some medications used for depression can also stimulate the body. Consuming cocoa with these medications used for depression might cause too much stimulation. This could cause serious side effects including fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, nervousness, and others.

Some of these medications used for depression include phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), and others.

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Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa might increase blood sugar. Diabetes medications are used to lower blood sugar. By increasing blood sugar, cocoa might decrease the effectiveness of diabetes medications. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.

Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.

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Phenylpropanolamine
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The caffeine in cocoa can stimulate the body. Phenylpropanolamine can also stimulate the body. Taking cocoa along with phenylpropanolamine might cause too much stimulation and increase heartbeat, blood pressure, and cause nervousness.

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Theophylline
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. Caffeine works in similar ways in the body as theophylline. Caffeine can also decrease how quickly the body gets rid of theophylline. Taking cocoa along with theophylline might increase the effects and side effects of theophylline.

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Antibiotics (Quinolone antibiotics)
Interaction Rating: Minor Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Some antibiotics might decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking these antibiotics along with cocoa can increase the risk of side effects including jitteriness, headache, increased heart rate, and other side effects.

Some antibiotics that decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine include ciprofloxacin (Cipro), enoxacin (Penetrex), norfloxacin (Chibroxin, Noroxin), sparfloxacin (Zagam), trovafloxacin (Trovan), and grepafloxacin (Raxar).

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Birth control pills (Contraceptive drugs)
Interaction Rating: Minor Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down the caffeine in cocoa to get rid of it. Birth control pills can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking cocoa along with birth control pills can cause jitteriness, headache, fast heartbeat, and other side effects.

Some birth control pills include ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel (Triphasil), ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone (Ortho-Novum 1/35, Ortho-Novum 7/7/7), and others.

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Cimetidine (Tagamet)
Interaction Rating: Minor Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Cimetidine (Tagamet) can decrease how quickly your body breaks down caffeine. Taking cimetidine (Tagamet) along with cocoa might increase the chance of caffeine side effects including jitteriness, headache, fast heartbeat, and others.

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Disulfiram (Antabuse)
Interaction Rating: Minor Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Disulfiram (Antabuse) can decrease how quickly the body gets rid of caffeine. Taking cocoa (which contains caffeine) along with disulfiram (Antabuse) might increase the effects and side effects of caffeine including jitteriness, hyperactivity, irritability, and others.

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Fluconazole (Diflucan)
Interaction Rating: Minor Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Fluconazole (Diflucan) might decrease how quickly the body gets rid of caffeine. Fluconazole (Diflucan) might cause caffeine to stay in the body too long. Taking cocoa along with fluconazole (Diflucan) might increase the risk of caffeine side effects such as nervousness, anxiety, and insomnia.

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Mexiletine (Mexitil)
Interaction Rating: Minor Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cocoa contains caffeine. The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Mexiletine (Mexitil) can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking mexiletine (Mexitil) along with cocoa might increase the caffeine effects and side effects of cocoa.

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Verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan)
Interaction Rating: Minor Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down the caffeine in cocoa to get rid of it. Verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan) can decrease how quickly the body gets rid of caffeine. Taking caffeine along with verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan) can increase the risk of caffeine side effects including jitteriness, headache, and an increased heartbeat.

Dosing considerations for Cocoa.

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:

• For high blood pressure: 46-105 grams/day of dark or milk chocolate, providing 213-500 mg of the active ingredients, cocoa polyphenols.