Class landing · Metformin

Supplements and metformin.

Glucose-lowering supplements, B12 depletion, and the additive-effect pairs to watch.

Metformin is the first-line oral diabetes drug and the most-cited example of medication-induced nutrient depletion. After a year or more of daily use, vitamin B12 levels fall in roughly 10 to 30 per cent of patients. Annual B12 monitoring is sensible; supplementation is straightforward if needed.

Several supplements have their own glucose-lowering effect and stack additively with metformin: berberine, alpha-lipoic acid, inositol, chromium, and bitter melon all have evidence here. Adding any of these without monitoring fasting glucose carries hypoglycaemia risk. None of them are excluded; they are pairs where home glucose monitoring at the start makes sense.

Database last updated 2026-11-13. Free for everyone. No account, no paywall. · Browse coverage A-Z

No affiliates. No commission. We earn nothing on what you buy.

For adults over 18. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP or pharmacist, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.

Your supplements

Add every supplement you take. Type a name and click each match to add it, as many as you like.

Your medications

Add all your medications, brand or generic. Type and click each match to add it.

Anything we should know? (optional)

Pick any that apply. We adjust the findings where context changes the answer.

I confirm I am 18 or over. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice; always discuss changes with your GP or pharmacist.

Add all the supplements and medications you take, then check them together in one go.

Not sure where to start? Try one:

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.

Read the full methodology

The full report

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.

Get my report · £49 See a complete sample report

Something missing?

If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us. What people flag joins the queue of what we add next.

Thanks, that's logged. It joins the queue of what we add next.

Distil's interactions database is reviewed and updated every quarter. We grade evidence transparently and publish our methodology, including every database change, at /about/methodology. This tool is information, not a substitute for clinical judgement. If you take medication and supplements together, your GP or pharmacist can review your full regimen against your medical history. If you want a full personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.