Supplements and Lorazepam.
Lorazepam, sold under the brand name Ativan, is a benzodiazepine: it potentiates GABA at the GABA-A receptor.
Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine. The class potentiates GABA at the GABA-A receptor, producing sedation, anxiolysis, muscle relaxation, and anticonvulsant effects. UK general practice now prescribes mostly short courses for acute anxiety or sleep. Longer prescriptions are managed via specialist psychiatry, given the tolerance and dependence profile that emerges within four to six weeks of regular use. The supplement interactions that matter are additive sedation. Kava (where available, MHRA suspended 2003), valerian, magnesium glycinate at high doses (the glycine half rather than the magnesium drives the sedation), and CBD all stack on benzodiazepine effect. Alcohol is the combination most flagged in BNF and MHRA materials, given the additive respiratory depression. Lorazepam and temazepam are metabolised by glucuronidation rather than CYP, so most CYP-active supplements do not change their plasma levels. Diazepam runs through CYP3A4, so the standard 3A4 supplement interactions apply.
Below are the 7 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed against Lorazepam in the Distil database: 1 red, 5 amber, and 1 green. The pairs cluster around 3 mechanisms: Additive CNS depression, Additive CNS sedation, and Glucuronidation (no CYP interaction). 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 June 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 CNS depression
Red Does Kava interact with ?
Kava and lorazepam both depress the central nervous system, and kava is independently linked to liver injury. Combining the two raises the risk of excessive sedation. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair.
Evidence: Based on an established mechanism, with no direct study of this exact combination yet.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Amber Does Ashwagandha interact with ?
Ashwagandha can have a mild sedating effect on top of its main anti-stress action. Combined with lorazepam, the sedation can stack.
Evidence: Based on an established mechanism, with no direct study of this exact combination yet.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Amber Does Lemon Balm interact with ?
Lemon balm and lorazepam both calm the nervous system through overlapping pathways. Combining them may mean stronger drowsiness and slower reactions than either tends to give on its own.
Evidence: Limited human data, based on case reports and a known mechanism.
Amber Does Passionflower interact with ?
Passionflower and lorazepam both calm the nervous system through overlapping pathways. Combining them can mean stronger drowsiness and slower reactions.
Evidence: Limited human data, based on case reports and a known mechanism.
Amber Does Valerian Root interact with ?
Valerian and lorazepam both promote sedation through overlapping pathways. Combining them can mean stronger drowsiness, slower reaction time, and a heavier morning hangover than either gives on its own.
Evidence: Limited human data, based on case reports and a known mechanism.
Additive CNS sedation
Amber Does Melatonin interact with ?
Melatonin and lorazepam can both promote drowsiness, so taking them together may add to the sedation and slow your reaction time more than either does alone. Use with care, particularly around driving.
Evidence: Based on an established mechanism, with no direct study of this exact combination yet.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Glucuronidation (no CYP interaction)
Green Does St John's Wort interact with ?
Lorazepam is broken down by a different enzyme system (glucuronidation) than the one St John's Wort affects. We treat this pair as no expected interaction.
Evidence: Supported by human study data.
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.
No affiliates. No commission. We earn nothing on what you buy.
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.
£49 introductory price for early customers. Standard price £79.
Something 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.