Is Caffeine Safe with Theophylline?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid high-dose caffeine supplements. Counsel on toxicity symptoms.
Why this interaction occurs
Theophylline and caffeine are both methylxanthines. High-dose caffeine supplements (guarana, concentrated green tea extract, caffeine pills) can raise methylxanthine levels and increase toxicity risk including tachyarrhythmias, seizures, and nausea. The FDA theophylline label states that dietary caffeine in coffee, tea, or cola has no clinically significant interaction at ordinary intake levels.
Evidence
Evidence level: strong.
Data source
FDA theophylline label; Upton, Clinical Pharmacokinetics 1991
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 13,216 reports mentioning Theophylline. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Theophylline + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Caffeine interactions → · All Theophylline interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.