Cascara

Are there any interactions with medications?

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

Cascara is a type of laxative called a stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives can decrease potassium levels in the body. Low potassium levels can increase the risk of side effects of digoxin (Lanoxin).

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

Some medications for inflammation can decrease potassium in the body. Cascara is a type of laxative that might also decrease potassium in the body. Taking cascara along with some medications for inflammation might decrease potassium in the body too much.

Some medications for inflammation include dexamethasone (Decadron), hydrocortisone (Cortef), methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisone (Deltasone), and others.

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Medications taken by mouth (Oral drugs)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cascara is a laxative. Laxatives can decrease how much medicine your body absorbs. Decreasing how much medicine your body absorbs can decrease the effectiveness of your medication.

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

Cascara is a type of laxative called a stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives speed up the bowels. Taking cascara along with other stimulant laxatives could speed up the bowels too much and cause dehydration and low minerals in the body.

Some stimulant laxatives include bisacodyl (Correctol, Dulcolax), castor oil (Purge), senna (Senokot), and others.

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

Cascara can work as a laxative. In some people cascara can cause diarrhea. Diarrhea can increase the effects of warfarin and increase the risk of bleeding. If you take warfarin, do not take excessive amounts of cascara.

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Water pills (Diuretic drugs)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Cascara is a laxative. Some laxatives can decrease potassium in the body. "Water pills" can also decrease potassium in the body. Taking cascara along with "water pills" might decrease potassium in the body too much.

Some "water pills" that can decrease potassium include chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, HydroDiuril, Microzide), and others.

Dosing considerations for Cascara.

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:

• As a laxative for constipation: 20-30 mg per day of the active ingredient (hydroxyanthracene derivatives). A typical dose is 1 cup of tea, which is made by steeping 2 grams of finely chopped bark in 150 mL of boiling water for 5-10 minutes, and then straining. The cascara liquid extract is taken in a dose of 2-5 mL three times daily. The appropriate amount of cascara is the smallest dose that is needed to maintain soft stools.