Drug & supplement interaction

American Elder + Octreotide

Octreotide brand names: Sandostatin, Mycapssa.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between American Elder and Octreotide in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Octreotide states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

American Elder and Octreotide

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Octreotide and American Elder in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

American Elder safety at a glance

American Elder overall Use caution Cooked ripe berries and flowers are generally well tolerated, but raw or unripe berries and other plant parts can be toxic.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When the leaves, stems, or unripe fruit are used orally. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of the flower or cooked fruit dur... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When the leaves, stems, or unripe fruit are used orally. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of the flower or cooked fruit dur... Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Octreotide and American Elder? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Octreotide

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Octreotide is filed under 2 classifications — cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) inhibitors, oral drugs. American Elder has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates (moderate) and lithium (moderate) — and none of Octreotide’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

American Elder Does Interact With Other Medications

American Elder has 644 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Octreotide isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against American Elder

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against American Elder. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests American Elder and Octreotide May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Dizziness Additional detail

    American Elder

    “Orally, ingesting several glasses of American elderberry juice has been reported to cause weakness, dizziness, numbness, and stupor (6).”

    American Elder · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in vertigo.

    1 source cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

    Octreotide

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Octreotide. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    American Elder

    “Orally, ingesting several glasses of American elderberry juice has been reported to cause nausea and vomiting (6).”

    American Elder · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    1 source cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

    Octreotide

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Octreotide. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for American Elder but not commonly for Octreotide: numbness or tingling.

Effects for Octreotide come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for American Elder come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

American Elder in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Unsafe

When the leaves, stems, or unripe fruit are used orally. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of the flower or cooked fruit during pregnancy or lactation; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Octreotide Products Have a Food Rule — American Elder Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Octreotide says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — American Elder included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Octreotide on its own and move American Elder to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Octreotide products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Take MYCAPSSA orally with a glass of water on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before a meal or at least 2 hours after a meal (‎ 2.1 ).

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Octreotide — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Octreotide

This page covers American Elder only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Octreotide page lists 30 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Adrafinil (moderate), Cannabidiol (cbd) (moderate), Cannabinol (cbn) (moderate) and Cannabis (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 19 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Octreotide page

“Take this page with genuine care if you use octreotide (Sandostatin injections or Mycapssa capsules) for acromegaly or hormone-secreting tumors, since steady drug levels are what keep symptoms suppressed. Of the 30 ingredients on file, one rates major, activated charcoal, which can pull octreotide out of circulation and blunt its effec…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Octreotide interaction page

One more smart check

Taking American Elder as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 61 real supplement products containing American Elder, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides American Elder. Even though American Elder itself has no known interaction with Octreotide, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where American Elder and Octreotide Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement American Elder
Top half

#521 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Octreotide
Steady interest

#1,781 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every American Elder reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The American Elder and Octreotide records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About American Elder

What is American Elder?

American Elder
  • Cold and flu symptoms
  • Immune support
  • Fever and congestion (traditional)
  • Constipation (traditional)
  • Antioxidant support

American elder is a North American plant whose cooked, ripe berries and flowers are used mainly for colds, flu, and general immune support. The science behind these uses is limited and most studies focus on the closely related European black elder (Sambucus nigra), so benefits are uncertain. Only properly prepared berries and flowers should be used, since raw berries, leaves, bark, and seeds can cause poisoning.

Sambucus canadensis · Adoxaceae · Ripe berries (fruit) and flowers; other parts are considered unsafe · Syrups, capsules, gummies, lozenges, teas, tinctures, juices, and jams

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether American Elder is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our American Elder record says about it on its own.

American Elder: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for American elder, and products vary widely in strength and form. Syrups, gummies, capsules, and teas all contain different amounts of elderberry.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

From our American Elder monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full American Elder monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Octreotide

What Is Octreotide Used For?

Brand names: Sandostatin, Mycapssa

Octreotide injection (available as Sandostatin, BYNFEZIA Pen, and other octreotide acetate injection products) is used to lower abnormally high growth hormone and IGF-1 levels in acromegaly, and to reduce the severe diarrhea and flushing associated with metastatic carcinoid tumors and the profuse watery diarrhea caused by VIPomas (vasoactive intestinal peptide-secreting tumors).

Mycapssa, the oral delayed-release capsule, is approved specifically for long-term maintenance treatment of acromegaly in patients who have already responded to and tolerated treatment with octreotide or lanreotide injections. It is not indicated for carcinoid tumors or VIPomas.

See full Octreotide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & American Elder

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against American Elder — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
644Moderate
0Minor
2,185No known interaction
Moderate

644 interactions

Showing 60 of 644 moderate interactions — see all 644 on the American Elder page.

No interaction 2,185 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

American Elder References

The 2 references that drive our American Elder monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. Budzinski JW, Foster BC, Vandenhoek S, Arnason JT. An in vitro evaluation of human cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibition by selected commercial herbal extracts and tinctures. Phytomedicine 2000;7:273-82. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking American Elder and Octreotide Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take American Elder with Octreotide?
We do not list a known interaction between American Elder and Octreotide. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do American Elder and Octreotide have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take American Elder and Octreotide at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Octreotide says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Octreotide on its own and move American Elder to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the American Elder and Octreotide combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Octreotide is filed under 2 classifications, and American Elder has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Octreotide's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does American Elder interact with any other medications?
Yes. American Elder has 644 documented drug interactions in our database — Octreotide is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Octreotide interact with any supplements?
Yes. Octreotide has documented interactions with 30 supplements in our database — American Elder is not one of them. The Octreotide interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Octreotide and American Elder?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.