Supplements and Fluvoxamine.
Fluvoxamine, sold under the brand name Faverin, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI): it raises synaptic serotonin by blocking its reuptake.
Fluvoxamine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). The class raises synaptic serotonin by blocking the serotonin reuptake transporter, with relatively low affinity for other monoamine systems. The most clinically important supplement concerns are serotonergic and additive. St John's Wort is a hard exclude per the BNF and MHRA. 5-HTP is a hard exclude on theoretical and case-report grounds. Tryptophan, and at higher doses saffron extract and SAMe, sit on the same pathway. Serotonin syndrome is rare but recognisable. Tremor, hyperthermia, clonus, agitation. Metabolic profiles vary across the class. Sertraline runs on CYP2B6 and CYP2C19. Fluoxetine and paroxetine are CYP2D6 inhibitors. Citalopram and escitalopram run on CYP2C19. Individual SSRI pages give a sharper picture. Discontinuation needs taper, not stop. SSRI withdrawal symptoms are real and documented in NICE NG222, and any planned change should run through the prescribing GP.
Below are the 2 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed against Fluvoxamine in the Distil database: 2 amber. The pairs cluster around 1 mechanism: CYP1A2 inhibition. Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not on this list is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by supplement, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued supplement into our next curation pass.
Documented interactions
CYP1A2 inhibition
Fluvoxamine slows the enzyme that breaks down caffeine, and green tea extract contains caffeine. Taking the two together can let caffeine build up and may cause jitteriness, a racing heart, or trouble sleeping. Choosing a decaffeinated or low-caffeine green tea extract, or keeping the dose modest, lowers the risk.
Fluvoxamine slows the liver enzyme that clears melatonin, so taking the two together can push melatonin levels far higher than the dose alone suggests. This may mean stronger next-morning grogginess and heavier sedation. If you take fluvoxamine, a much lower melatonin dose tends to be enough, and it is worth raising with your prescriber first.
What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope (food-supplement interactions only; for drug-drug interactions, the BNF is authoritative). Use the checker below to surface any supplement, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.
How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.
Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.
Read the full methodologyWant this reasoning across everything you take?
This page checks the pairs you enter. A personalised Distil report applies the same graded, cited reasoning to your whole stack: your goals, conditions, medications, diet, and the compounds worth adding or dropping. The interactions check is one section of it. You can read a real one in full before you decide.
See a real sample reportSomething missing?
If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us. We go through what people flag every week and add what's missing.