Supplements and Gliclazide.
Gliclazide, sold under the brand names Diamicron MR, Zicron, Vamju, is classified under "drugs used in diabetes" in the BNF.
Gliclazide (UK brand names Diamicron MR, Zicron, Vamju) sits at NHSBSA prescribing rank 40 in the 2024/25 PCA statistics. The BNF classifies it under "drugs used in diabetes". This means it sits outside the high-volume therapeutic classes (statins, PPIs, ACE inhibitors, SSRIs) where supplement-interaction surfaces are densely studied, and the published evidence base for specific supplement pairs is correspondingly thinner. Where interactions are documented in the Distil database, they are listed below with their clinical-reference citation; where pairs have not been explicitly assessed, the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes them into our next curation pass. Anyone combining Gliclazide with a regular supplement stack benefits from explicit GP or pharmacist awareness rather than assuming no interaction exists by default.
Below are the 15 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed against Gliclazide in the Distil database: 15 amber. The pairs cluster around 2 mechanisms: Reduced glucose control and Additive glucose lowering. 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
Reduced glucose control
Melatonin can blunt the body's insulin response and raise blood sugar after eating, which works against a diabetes medicine like gliclazide that is trying to lower it. The effect is strongest when melatonin and food are taken close together, so if you take gliclazide it is best to keep melatonin well away from your evening meal and to mention it to your prescriber, especially if your blood sugar is being monitored.
Additive glucose lowering
Alpha lipoic acid can lower blood sugar by improving how your body responds to insulin. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar, so taking the two together may add up and could push your glucose too low. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to reduce the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Berberine lowers blood sugar on its own. Combined with gliclazide, a drug that can already cause low blood sugar, the effect adds up. If you take both, monitor your glucose more closely when starting berberine and tell your GP, as your gliclazide dose may need adjusting.
Bergamot can lower blood sugar on its own, and gliclazide already lowers it, so taking the two together may add up and could push your glucose too low. The combination can be manageable, but monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and tell your GP, who may need to adjust the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Oat beta-glucan slows the rise in blood sugar after meals and can modestly lower blood sugar over time. Gliclazide is the diabetes tablet most likely to push blood sugar too low, so adding regular beta-glucan may add to that effect. If you start taking it regularly, check your glucose more often for the first few weeks and tell your GP, who may want to review your gliclazide dose.
Chromium may lower blood sugar by improving how your body responds to insulin. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar, so taking the two together may add up and could push your glucose too low. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to reduce the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Cinnamon may lower blood sugar a little on its own, though the evidence is mixed. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar and carries the highest risk of pushing it too low among the common diabetes tablets, so taking the two together may add up. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to adjust the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Garlic supplements may lower blood sugar a little on their own. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar and carries one of the higher risks of pushing it too low among the common diabetes tablets, so taking the two together may add up. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to adjust the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Holy basil (tulsi) may lower blood sugar on its own. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar and carries the highest risk of pushing it too low among the common diabetes tablets, so taking the two together may add up. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to adjust the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
NMN may modestly improve how your body responds to insulin. If you take gliclazide, which lowers blood sugar, the two together could in theory push blood sugar lower than intended. This has not been studied directly. If you take both, monitor for signs of low blood sugar and speak to your diabetes team before starting.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Ginseng can lower blood sugar a little on its own. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar and can cause hypos, so adding ginseng may push your glucose lower than expected. The combination is usually manageable, but monitor your blood sugar, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to adjust the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Pine bark extract (pycnogenol) may lower blood sugar a little on its own. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar and carries one of the higher risks of pushing it too low among the common diabetes tablets, so taking the two together may add up. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to adjust the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Psyllium lowers blood sugar on its own, so taking it alongside gliclazide can add to gliclazide's effect and may push your blood sugar lower than intended. Gliclazide is the diabetes tablet most likely to cause low blood sugar, so if you start regular psyllium, check your glucose more often for the first few weeks and tell your GP, who may want to review your gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron can modestly lower blood sugar. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar, so taking them together may add up and could push your glucose too low. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to adjust the gliclazide.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Milk thistle (silymarin) may lower blood sugar, and gliclazide already lowers it, so taking the two together may add up and could push your glucose too low. Gliclazide is one of the diabetes tablets most likely to cause low blood sugar on its own. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to adjust the gliclazide dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
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.
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