Drug & supplement interaction

Ayahuasca + Metformin

Metformin brand names: Glucophage, Metformin.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Ayahuasca and Metformin 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 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

Ayahuasca and Metformin

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 Metformin and Ayahuasca 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.

Ayahuasca safety at a glance

Ayahuasca overall Avoid Ayahuasca is a potent hallucinogen with serious safety risks and uncertain legal status in many areas.
Pregnancy Avoid There is no safety data; avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When used orally. In addition to its hallucinogenic effects, animal research shows that chronic administration of higher doses of ayahuasca to pregnant animals... 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 Metformin and Ayahuasca? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Metformin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Metformin is filed under 5 classifications — including organic cation transporter 2 (oct2) substrates, antidiabetes drugs, oral drugs. Ayahuasca has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — the most serious being cytochrome p450 2d6 (cyp2d6) substrates (moderate), cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates (moderate) and dopamine agonists (moderate) — and none of Metformin’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

Ayahuasca Does Interact With Other Medications

Ayahuasca has 804 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Metformin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 804 No known interaction 2,026 (incl. Metformin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Ayahuasca

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Ayahuasca and Metformin 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Chest pain Worth acting on Additional detail

    Ayahuasca

    “Orally, ayahuasca can increase heart rate and blood pressure. In rare cases it can cause high blood pressure for up to 30 minutes. A Global Ayahuasca Survey of over 10,000 participants over a 2-year period found that chest pain was reported by 4.7% of ayahuasca users.”

    Ayahuasca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hypertension.

    5 sources cited
    1. 92494. Riba J, Rodríguez-Fornells A, Urbano G, et al. Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2001 Feb;154(1):85-95. PubMed
    2. 92495. Pomilio AB, Vitale AA, Ciprian-Ollivier J, Cetkovich-Bakmas M, Gómez R, Vázquez G. Ayahoasca: an experimental psychosis that mirrors the transmethylation hypothesis of schizophrenia. J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Apr;65(1):29-51. PubMed
    3. 93279. Dos Santos RG, Grasa E, Valle M, et al. Pharmacology of ayahuasca administered in two repeated doses. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2012 Feb;219(4):1039-53. PubMed
    4. 110807. Bayat Mokhtari M, Bayat Mokhtari M, Rodriguez BZ, Yen TY, Rodriguez ID. Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion following ayahuasca use in a satanic ritual: A case report. Cureus 2022;14(4):e24310. PubMed
    5. 110799. Bouso JC, Andión Ó, Sarris JJ, et al. Adverse effects of ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey. PLOS Glob Public Health 2022;2(11):e0000438. PubMed

    Metformin

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

  • Sweating Additional detail

    Ayahuasca

    “Orally, ayahuasca has been associated with a number of adverse effects ranging from mild to severe.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Disorientation, dizziness, elevated blood pressure, hallucinations, headache, increased urge to urinate and defecate, nausea, pupil dilation, slurred speech, sweating, tachycardia, tingling, and trembling, vomiting.

    Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):

    Orally: Coma, convulsions, psychosi…”

    Ayahuasca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    Metformin

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

  • Stomach upset / Diarrhea Additional detail

    Ayahuasca

    “Orally, ayahuasca brew commonly causes gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In capsule form, ayahuasca commonly causes nausea and gastrointestinal disturbance, but vomiting seems to be less common. Ayahuasca can also cause an increased urge to urinate and defecate.”

    Ayahuasca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    6 sources cited
    1. 92485. Sanches RF, de Lima Osório F, Dos Santos RG, et al. Antidepressant Effects of a Single Dose of Ayahuasca in Patients With Recurrent Depression: A SPECT Study. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2016 Feb;36(1):77-81. PubMed
    2. 92486. Osório Fde L, Sanches RF, Macedo LR, et al. Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report. Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2015 Jan-Mar;37(1):13-20. PubMed
    3. 101573. Palhano-Fontes F, Barreto D, Onias H, et al. Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Psychol Med. 2019;49(4):655-663. PubMed
    4. 101576. Mello SM, Soubhia PC, Silveira G, et al. Effect of ritualistic consumption of ayahuasca on hepatic function in chronic users. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2019;51(1):3-11. PubMed
    5. 105634. Dos Santos RG, Osório FL, Rocha JM, et al. Ayahuasca Improves Self-perception of Speech Performance in Subjects With Social Anxiety Disorder: A Pilot, Proof-of-Concept, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2021. PubMed
    6. 110784. Breeksema JJ, Kuin BW, Kamphuis J, van den Brink W, Vermetten E, Schoevers RA. Adverse events in clinical treatments with serotonergic psychedelics and MDMA: A mixed-methods systematic review. J Psychopharmacol 2022;36(10):1100-1117. PubMed

    Metformin

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

  • Dizziness / Headache Additional detail

    Ayahuasca

    “Orally, ayahuasca commonly causes hallucinations and optical illusions that can last for several hours. Other side effects include fainting, headache, slurred speech, convulsions, shakiness and trembling, dizziness, tingling, confusion, and transient disorientation. Poor sleep, poor memory, and exhaustion have been reported 24-48 hours after taking ayahuasca.”

    Ayahuasca · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    6 sources cited
    1. 92494. Riba J, Rodríguez-Fornells A, Urbano G, et al. Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2001 Feb;154(1):85-95. PubMed
    2. 92495. Pomilio AB, Vitale AA, Ciprian-Ollivier J, Cetkovich-Bakmas M, Gómez R, Vázquez G. Ayahoasca: an experimental psychosis that mirrors the transmethylation hypothesis of schizophrenia. J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Apr;65(1):29-51. PubMed
    3. 105636. Gómez-Sousa M, Jiménez-Garrido DF, Ona G, et al. Acute Psychological Adverse Reactions in First-Time Ritual Ayahuasca Users: A Prospective Case Series. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2021;41(2):163-171. PubMed
    4. 110799. Bouso JC, Andión Ó, Sarris JJ, et al. Adverse effects of ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey. PLOS Glob Public Health 2022;2(11):e0000438. PubMed
    5. 110807. Bayat Mokhtari M, Bayat Mokhtari M, Rodriguez BZ, Yen TY, Rodriguez ID. Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion following ayahuasca use in a satanic ritual: A case report. Cureus 2022;14(4):e24310. PubMed
    6. 92499. dos Santos RG. A critical evaluation of reports associating ayahuasca with life-threatening adverse reactions. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2013 Apr-Jun;45(2):179-88. PubMed

    Metformin

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

  • Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Ayahuasca

    Recorded for Ayahuasca in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Sweating above.

    Metformin

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

Reported for Ayahuasca but not commonly for Metformin: raised blood pressure, mood changes or irritability, thoughts of self-harm and seizures.

Effects for Metformin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Ayahuasca 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

Ayahuasca in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Lactation Likely Unsafe

When used orally. In addition to its hallucinogenic effects, animal research shows that chronic administration of higher doses of ayahuasca to pregnant animals causes toxicity in the offspring. 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

From our Q&A

Questions About Ayahuasca or Metformin

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Ayahuasca or Metformin, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Metformin

This page covers Ayahuasca only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Metformin page lists 258 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 217 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Metformin page

“Siberian cocklebur is the ingredient I most want anyone taking metformin (Glucophage) to know about. It has caused severe low blood sugar in people, documented in humans, and it should not be combined with any glucose-lowering medication.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Metformin interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Ayahuasca and Metformin 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 Ayahuasca
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Metformin
Top 1%

#29 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 Ayahuasca reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Ayahuasca and Metformin records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 Ayahuasca

What is Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca
  • Spiritual and ceremonial rituals
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Substance use disorders
  • Personal or emotional insight

Ayahuasca is a powerful psychoactive brew that combines a DMT-containing plant with a vine that allows the DMT to take effect, causing intense hallucinations. It is illegal in many places, can trigger dangerous reactions, and is not recommended for self-use; talk to a doctor or pharmacist before considering it.

Banisteriopsis caapi · Malpighiaceae · Vine and bark of Banisteriopsis caapi, combined with leaves of DMT-containing plants such as Psychotria viridis · Brewed tea or decoction (the ceremonial drink)

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

Ayahuasca: dosing

There is no established or standardized safe dose for ayahuasca. The strength of the brew varies greatly depending on the plants used and how it is prepared, which makes the amount of active compounds unpredictable.Because of this variability and the serious risks involved, we cannot recommend any dose. If a person is considering ayahuasca, it should only be in a legal, supervised, and medically informed setting.

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

Read the full Ayahuasca monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Metformin

What Is Metformin Used For?

Brand names: Glucophage, Metformin

Metformin is used to improve blood sugar (glucose) control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is always used together with diet and exercise, not instead of them.

Metformin hydrochloride tablets and oral solution are approved for adults and children 10 years and older. Metformin hydrochloride extended-release tablets — including brands such as Fortamet, Glumetza, and Metformin Hydrochloride Extended Release — are approved for adults only.

See full Metformin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ayahuasca

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

0Major
804Moderate
0Minor
2,025No known interaction
804 Moderate 2,025 No interaction
Moderate

804 interactions

Showing 60 of 804 moderate interactions — see all 804 on the Ayahuasca page.

No interaction 2,025 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Ayahuasca against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,025 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ayahuasca list.

See the full Ayahuasca interactions page
See every supplement checked against Metformin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Ayahuasca References

The 32 references that drive our Ayahuasca 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. Kawanishi, K., Hashimoto, Y., Fujiwara, M., Kataoka, Y., and Ueki, S. Pharmacological characteristics of abnormal behavior induced by harmine with special reference to tremor in mice. J Pharmacobiodyn 1981;4(7):520-527. PubMed
  2. Herraiz, T., Gonzalez, D., Ancin-Azpilicueta, C., Aran, V. J., and Guillen, H. beta-Carboline alkaloids in Peganum harmala and inhibition of human monoamine oxidase (MAO). Food Chem Toxicol 2010;48(3):839-845. PubMed
  3. Iurlo, M., Leone, G., Schilstrom, B., Linner, L., Nomikos, G., Hertel, P., Silvestrini, B., and Svensson, H. Effects of harmine on dopamine output and metabolism in rat striatum: role of monoamine oxidase-A inhibition. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2001;159(1 PubMed
  4. Fuller, R. W., Wong, C. J., and Hemrick-Luecke, S. K. MD 240928 and harmaline: opposite selectivity in antagonism of the inactivation of types A and B monoamine oxidase by pargyline in mice. Life Sci 1986;38(5):409-412. PubMed
  5. Zhao, T., He, Y. Q., Wang, J., Ding, K. M., Wang, C. H., and Wang, Z. T. Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 enzymes 3A4 and 2D6 by β-carboline alkaloids, harmine derivatives. Phytother Res 2011;25(11):1671-1677.
  6. Abdel-Fattah, A. F., Matsumoto, K., Murakami, Y., Adel-Khalek, Gammaz H., Mohamed, M. F., and Watanabe, H. Central serotonin level-dependent changes in body temperature following administration of tryptophan to pargyline- and harmaline-pretreated rats. Ge PubMed
  7. Bergstrom, M., Westerberg, G., and Langstrom, B. 11C-harmine as a tracer for monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A): in vitro and in vivo studies. Nucl Med Biol 1997;24(4):287-293. PubMed
  8. Gerardy, J. Effect of moclobemide on rat brain monoamine oxidase A and B: comparison with harmaline and clorgyline. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 1994;18(4):793-802.
  9. Sacher, J., Houle, S., Parkes, J., Rusjan, P., Sagrati, S., Wilson, A. A., and Meyer, J. H. Monoamine oxidase A inhibitor occupancy during treatment of major depressive episodes with moclobemide or St. John's wort: an [11C]-harmine PET study. J Psychiatry
  10. Dos Santos RG, Balthazar FM, Bouso JC, Hallak JE. The current state of research on ayahuasca: A systematic review of human studies assessing psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging. J Psychopharmacol. 2016 Jun 10. pii: 02698 PubMed
  11. Sanches RF, de Lima Osório F, Dos Santos RG, et al. Antidepressant Effects of a Single Dose of Ayahuasca in Patients With Recurrent Depression: A SPECT Study. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2016 Feb;36(1):77-81. PubMed
  12. Osório Fde L, Sanches RF, Macedo LR, et al. Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report. Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2015 Jan-Mar;37(1):13-20. PubMed
  13. Riba J, Rodríguez-Fornells A, Urbano G, et al. Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2001 Feb;154(1):85-95. PubMed
  14. Pomilio AB, Vitale AA, Ciprian-Ollivier J, Cetkovich-Bakmas M, Gómez R, Vázquez G. Ayahoasca: an experimental psychosis that mirrors the transmethylation hypothesis of schizophrenia. J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Apr;65(1):29-51. PubMed
  15. Barbosa PC, Mizumoto S, Bogenschutz MP, Strassman RJ. Health status of ayahuasca users. Drug Test Anal. 2012 Jul-Aug;4(7-8):601-9. 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 Ayahuasca and Metformin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Ayahuasca with Metformin?
We do not list a known interaction between Ayahuasca and Metformin. 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 Ayahuasca and Metformin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 8 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.
How was the Ayahuasca and Metformin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Metformin is filed under 5 classifications, and Ayahuasca has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — none of Metformin'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 Ayahuasca interact with any other medications?
Yes. Ayahuasca has 804 documented drug interactions in our database — Metformin 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 Metformin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Metformin has documented interactions with 258 supplements in our database — Ayahuasca is not one of them. The Metformin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Ayahuasca monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Metformin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Metformin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Metformin, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 32 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Metformin and Ayahuasca?

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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.