Oolong Tea

Are there any interactions with medications?

---

Amphetamines
Interaction Rating: Major Do not take this combination.

Stimulant drugs such as amphetamines speed up the nervous system. By speeding up the nervous system, stimulant medications can make you feel jittery and increase your heart rate. The caffeine in oolong tea might also speed up the nervous system. Taking oolong tea along with stimulant drugs might cause serious problems including increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Avoid taking stimulant drugs along with oolong tea.

---

Cocaine
Interaction Rating: Major Do not take this combination.

Stimulant drugs such as cocaine speed up the nervous system. By speeding up the nervous system, stimulant medications can make you feel jittery and increase your heart rate. The caffeine in oolong tea might also speed up the nervous system. Taking oolong tea along with stimulant drugs might cause serious problems including increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Avoid taking stimulant drugs along with oolong tea.

---

Ephedrine
Interaction Rating: Major Do not take this combination.

Stimulant drugs speed up the nervous system. Caffeine (contained in oolong tea) and ephedrine are both stimulant drugs. Taking caffeine along with ephedrine might cause too much stimulation. This could lead to serious side effects and heart problems. Do not take caffeine-containing products and ephedrine at the same time.

---

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

Oolong tea contains caffeine. The caffeine in oolong tea might block the effects 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 consuming oolong tea or other caffeine-containing products at least 24 hours before a cardiac stress test.

---

Antibiotics (Quinolone antibiotics)
Interaction Rating: Moderate 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 oolong tea 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).

---

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

Oolong tea 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 oolong tea might increase the chance of caffeine side effects including jitteriness, headache, fast heartbeat, and others.

---

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 oolong tea seems to decrease how quickly the body breaks down clozapine (Clozaril). Taking oolong tea along with clozapine (Clozaril) can increase the effects and side effects of clozapine (Clozaril).

---

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

Oolong tea contains caffeine. The caffeine in oolong tea might block the effects 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 consuming oolong tea or other caffeine-containing products at least 24 hours before a cardiac stress test.

---

Disulfiram (Antabuse)
Interaction Rating: Moderate 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 oolong tea (which contains caffeine) along with disulfiram (Antabuse) might increase the effects and side effects of caffeine including jitteriness, hyperactivity, irritability, and others.

---

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

The body breaks down the caffeine in oolong tea to get rid of it. Estrogens can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking oolong tea along with estrogens can 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.

---

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

The body breaks down the caffeine in oolong tea to get rid of it. Fluvoxamine (Luvox) can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking oolong tea along with fluvoxamine (Luvox) might cause too much caffeine in the body, and increase the effects and side effects of caffeine.

---

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

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

---

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

Oolong tea 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).

---

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

Oolong tea contains caffeine. Caffeine can stimulate the body. Some medications used for depression can also stimulate the body. Taking oolong tea with these medications used for depression might 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.

---

Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Oolong tea contains caffeine. Caffeine might slow blood clotting. Taking oolong tea along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.

Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.

---

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

Stimulant drugs such as nicotine speed up the nervous system. By speeding up the nervous system, stimulant medications can make you feel jittery and increase your heart rate. The caffeine in oolong tea might also speed up the nervous system. Taking oolong tea along with stimulant drugs might cause serious problems including increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Avoid taking stimulant drugs along with caffeine.

---

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

The stimulant effects of the caffeine in oolong tea can block the sleep-producing effects of pentobarbital.

---

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

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

---

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

The body breaks down riluzole (Rilutek) to get rid of it. Taking oolong tea can decrease how fast the body breaks down riluzole (Rilutek) and increase the effects and side effects of riluzole.

---

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

Oolong tea contains caffeine. Caffeine works similarly to theophylline. Caffeine can also decrease how quickly the body gets rid of theophylline. Taking oolong tea along with theophylline might increase the effects and side effects of theophylline.

---

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

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

---

Alcohol
Interaction Rating: Minor Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down the caffeine in oolong tea to get rid of it. Alcohol can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking oolong tea along with alcohol might cause too much caffeine in the bloodstream and caffeine side effects including jitteriness, headache, and fast heartbeat.

---

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 oolong tea to get rid of it. Birth control pills can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking oolong tea 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.

---

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

Oolong tea contains caffeine. The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Fluconazole (Diflucan) might decrease how quickly the body gets rid of caffeine. Taking oolong tea along with fluconazole (Diflucan) might increase the risk of caffeine side effects such as nervousness, anxiety, and insomnia.

---

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

Oolong tea might increase blood sugar. Diabetes medications are used to lower blood sugar. By increasing blood sugar, oolong tea 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.

---

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

Oolong tea 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 oolong tea might increase the caffeine effects and side effects of oolong tea.

---

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

The body breaks down caffeine (contained in oolong tea) to get rid of it. Terbinafine (Lamisil) can decrease how fast the body gets rid of caffeine and increase the risk of side effects including jitteriness, headache, increased heartbeat, and other effects.

Dosing considerations for Oolong Tea.

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:

Doses of oolong tea vary significantly, but usually range between 1-10 cups daily.

• For headache or restoring mental alertness: The typical dose of caffeine is up to 250 mg (about 5 cups of oolong tea) per day. Oolong tea contains 50-60 mg caffeine per cup.