Supplement · Grade A

Berberine and medications.

Every documented pair, every citation. Below: 3 documented pairs grouped by mechanism.

Berberine is in the Distil supplement database, evidence Grade A. The page below lists every medication we have explicitly assessed it against.

Below are the 3 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed for Berberine: 3 amber. The pairs cluster around 2 mechanisms: Additive lipid lowering and Additive glucose lowering. Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not listed here is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by medication, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued medication into our next curation pass.

Documented interactions

Additive lipid lowering

Amber Atorvastatin

Berberine lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides on its own. Combined with atorvastatin the effect is additive, which is sometimes useful and sometimes pushes lipids lower than your GP intended. If you take both, ask for a lipid panel sooner than usual after starting.

BNF: Atorvastatin

Amber Simvastatin

Berberine lowers LDL cholesterol on its own. Combined with simvastatin the effect is additive. If you take both, ask for a lipid panel sooner than usual after starting so your GP can confirm you are not pushing lipids lower than intended.

BNF: Simvastatin

Additive glucose lowering

Amber Metformin

Berberine and metformin both lower blood sugar through similar pathways. The combination can work but needs careful glucose monitoring, especially in the first few weeks, to avoid hypoglycaemia.

PMID 18397984 · BNF: Metformin

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. Use the checker below to surface any medication, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.

Loading database stats…

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

Anything we should know? (optional)

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

Your supplements

Type the supplement name. Click each match to add it.

Your medications

Brand or generic name works. Click each match to add it.

How we decide

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 methodology

Something missing?

If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us and we'll add it in the next quarterly update.

Thanks. Logged for the next quarterly update.

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 comprehensive personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.