Supplements and Linezolid.
Linezolid, sold under the brand name Zyvox, is classified under "oxazolidinone" in the BNF.
Linezolid (brand names Zyvox) sits in the Distil medication database. The BNF classifies it under "oxazolidinone". 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 Linezolid with a regular supplement stack benefits from explicit GP or pharmacist awareness rather than assuming no interaction exists by default.
Below are the 8 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed against Linezolid in the Distil database: 6 red and 2 amber. The pairs cluster around 2 mechanisms: Additive serotonergic activity and MAOI pressor (blood-pressure surge). 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
Last reviewed 14 September 2026. Each interaction below lists the evidence its assessment drew on: some rest on studies of the exact pair, others on mechanism evidence, where a citation may support one part of the reasoning rather than the exact combination. The evidence line on each entry says which.
Additive serotonergic activity
Red Does 5-HTP interact with Linezolid?
5-HTP is the precursor your body uses to make serotonin, and linezolid is an antibiotic that also acts as an MAOI, blocking serotonin breakdown. Combining them can drive serotonin to dangerous levels, a reaction called serotonin syndrome. Do not combine.
Evidence: Supported by human study data.
Red Does L-Tryptophan interact with Linezolid?
Tryptophan is the building block your body uses to make serotonin, and linezolid is an antibiotic that also acts as an MAOI, blocking serotonin breakdown. Combining them can drive serotonin to dangerous levels and has caused toxic reactions in published cases. Do not combine.
Evidence: Supported by human study data.
Red Does Rhodiola Rosea interact with Linezolid?
Rhodiola appears to slow the same enzyme (monoamine oxidase) that linezolid blocks, and adds its own serotonin activity. Stacking the two could push serotonin too high, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Evidence: No direct study of this exact combination yet; the caution rests on a plausible mechanism or on reports involving a related medicine.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Red Does SAMe interact with Linezolid?
SAM-e has antidepressant, serotonin-raising activity, and linezolid is an antibiotic that also acts as an MAOI, blocking serotonin breakdown. Stacking the two could push serotonin too high, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Evidence: No direct study of this exact combination yet; the caution rests on a plausible mechanism or on reports involving a related medicine.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Red Does Saffron Extract interact with Linezolid?
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and linezolid is an antibiotic that also acts as an MAOI, blocking serotonin breakdown. Stacking the two could push serotonin too high, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Evidence: No direct study of this exact combination yet; the caution rests on a plausible mechanism or on reports involving a related medicine.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Red Does St John's Wort interact with Linezolid?
St John's Wort raises serotonin in the brain, and linezolid is an antibiotic that also acts as an MAOI, blocking serotonin breakdown. Combining them risks serotonin syndrome. This is a strict do-not-combine.
Evidence: Supported by human study data.
MAOI pressor (blood-pressure surge)
Amber Does L-Tyrosine interact with Linezolid?
Taking L-Tyrosine with linezolid could still nudge blood pressure up, because tyrosine is the raw material your body turns into adrenaline and noradrenaline and linezolid is an antibiotic that also acts as a reversible MAOI partly slowing their breakdown, though it carries less blood-pressure risk than the older irreversible MAOIs. Take this combination only with your prescriber's awareness, and not at high tyrosine doses.
Evidence: Limited human data, from small studies or case reports.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Amber Does Panax Ginseng interact with Linezolid?
Ginseng has been reported to clash with the older MAOI phenelzine, and linezolid is an antibiotic that also acts as an MAOI. Ginseng's mild stimulant-like effects could add to that. If you are taking linezolid, check with the doctor who prescribed it before starting ginseng.
Evidence: No direct study of this exact combination yet; the caution rests on a plausible mechanism or on reports involving a related medicine.
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.
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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 methodologyA full supplement review, built around you, not a generic stack.
The free checker answers one interaction question at a time. A Distil report reviews the bigger picture: your goals, diet, medications, current supplements and any blood results you provide, then shows what appears worth keeping, changing, adding or leaving out.
- what your diet already covers, so you are not adding a capsule for something food is already handling
- which evidence-graded compounds are worth considering for your goals, and which were considered but left out
- what to keep, change or stop from what you already take, plus the order to introduce anything new
- how your medications and complete supplement stack fit together, with daily timing and a clear point for reassessment
The interaction check is one section of the full report. You also get the reasoning behind each recommendation and the evidence references used.
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