Supplements and Zaleplon.
Zaleplon, sold under the brand name Sonata, is a Z-drug hypnotic: it enhances GABA at the GABA-A receptor, as benzodiazepines do, though it is not a benzodiazepine.
Zaleplon, sold as Sonata, is a Z-drug sleeping tablet that is no longer licensed in the UK: its European licence was withdrawn in 2015 for commercial reasons, so it is rarely prescribed here now. It is not a benzodiazepine, but it works on the same receptor, GABA-A, strengthening the calming signal of GABA. It is the shortest-acting of the Z-drugs, with a half-life of about an hour, which is why it was licensed for trouble falling asleep and for two weeks of treatment at most. The supplement question is added sedation. Melatonin, valerian, passionflower and lemon balm can each deepen drowsiness and slow reactions on top of it, mostly in the first hours after a dose, and alcohol does the same; its leaflet advised against drinking with it. If you still take zaleplon and use a sleep supplement as well, tell your GP or pharmacist, and do not drive until you know how the combination leaves you.
Below are the 4 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed against Zaleplon in the Distil database: 4 caution. The pairs cluster around 1 mechanism: Additive CNS depression. 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 11 October 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
Caution Does Lemon Balm interact with Zaleplon?
Lemon balm has a mild calming, sleep-promoting effect, so taking it with zaleplon can add to the sedation and leave you groggier than intended. Use with care, particularly around driving the next morning.
Evidence: Limited human data, from small studies or case reports.
Caution Does Melatonin interact with Zaleplon?
Melatonin and zaleplon can both promote sleep, so taking them together may add to the drowsiness and slow your reactions and coordination more than zaleplon alone, mostly in the first hours after you take them. This has been measured with zolpidem, a closely related sleeping tablet, and the melatonin product licence names zaleplon too. Avoid driving or demanding tasks after taking them.
Evidence: Limited human data, from small studies or case reports.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Caution Does Passionflower interact with Zaleplon?
Passionflower and zaleplon both have a calming, sleep-promoting effect, so taking them together can add up to deeper-than-intended sedation and a heavier next-morning grogginess. Use with care, particularly around driving the next morning.
Evidence: Limited human data, from small studies or case reports.
Caution Does Valerian Root interact with Zaleplon?
Valerian and zaleplon both promote sleep through overlapping pathways. Both are taken for sleep, so combining them can mean deeper-than-intended sedation, slower reactions, and a heavier morning hangover than either gives on its own. Use with care, particularly around driving the next morning.
Evidence: Limited human data, from small studies or case reports.
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 the checker decides
Every result has a source
Each pair we have assessed is cited to a published study (PMID) or the British National Formulary, so you can read the source yourself.
Four kinds of answer
Severe, caution, no known interaction, and not yet assessed. A pair we have not assessed is never shown as clear.
- Severe
- Caution
- No known interaction
- Not yet assessed
Nothing in our data is not a clearance
When nothing in our data records a problem with a pair, the result says no known interaction at typical doses, which is not a clearance: your pharmacist or GP can check the pair against your full medical history.
A 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 until 30 June 2027 · £79 from 1 July 2027.
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