Drug & supplement interaction

Bacopa + Cephalexin

Cephalexin brand names: Keflex, Keftab, Cephalex, Lexin.

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 Bacopa and Cephalexin 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

Bacopa and Cephalexin

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 Cephalexin and Bacopa 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.

Bacopa safety at a glance

Bacopa overall Use caution Generally well tolerated in studies, but quality and long-term safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information, so it is best to avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information, so it is best to avoid while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Cephalexin and Bacopa? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Cephalexin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Cephalexin is filed under 7 classifications — including organic anion transporter 3 (oat3) substrates, organic anion transporter 1 (oat1) substrates, antibiotic drugs. Bacopa has documented interactions with 8 drug classes — the most serious being anticholinergic drugs (moderate), cevimeline (evoxac) (moderate) and cholinergic drugs (moderate) — and none of Cephalexin’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

Bacopa Does Interact With Other Medications

Bacopa has 917 moderate, 13 minor known drug interactions in our database — Cephalexin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 917 Minor 13 No known interaction 1,900 (incl. Cephalexin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bacopa

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Bacopa and Cephalexin 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.

  • Joint pain Additional detail

    Bacopa

    “Orally, bacopa has been reported to cause arthralgia, muscle fatigue, and myopathy. In one case, a 21-year-old male experienced progressive proximal weakness, muscle atrophy, weight loss, dark urine, and elevated serum markers of myopathy, with muscle biopsy showing immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, after taking a supplement containing bacopa for 5 years.”

    Bacopa · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in fatigue.

    3 sources cited
    1. 10058. Stough C, Lloyd J, Clarke J, et al. The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. Psychopharmacology 2001;156:481-4..
    2. 109623. Prabhakar S, Vishnu VY, Modi M, et al. Efficacy of Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi) and donepezil in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a randomized double-blind parallel phase 2b study. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2020;23(6):767-73. PubMed
    3. 111522. Yaworski AM, Blyumin M, Chang T, Mammen AL, Greene M. Necrotizing myopathy with elevated anti-HMGCR antibodies following exposure to the supplement Bacopa. Muscle Nerve 2023;67(2):E1-E3.

    Cephalexin

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

  • Stomach upset Additional detail

    Bacopa

    “Orally, bacopa has been reported to cause abdominal cramps, abdominal pain, bloating, decreased appetite, diarrhea, dry mouth, excessive thirst, flatulence, indigestion, nausea, and increased stool frequency. Rates of adverse gastrointestinal events have ranged from 12% to 30%.”

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

    6 sources cited
    1. 10058. Stough C, Lloyd J, Clarke J, et al. The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. Psychopharmacology 2001;156:481-4..
    2. 17946. Morgan A, Stevens J. Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. J Altern Complement Med 2010;16:753-9.
    3. 33295. Mukherjee, G. D. and Dey, C. D. Clinical trial on Brahmi. I. J.Exp.Med.Sci. 1966;10(1):5-11.
    4. 97605. Kongkeaw C, Dilokthornsakul P, Thanarangsarit P, et al. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on cognitive effects of Bacopa monnieri extract. J Ethnopharmacol 2014;151(1):528-35. PubMed
    5. 109623. Prabhakar S, Vishnu VY, Modi M, et al. Efficacy of Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi) and donepezil in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a randomized double-blind parallel phase 2b study. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2020;23(6):767-73. PubMed
    6. 111520. Keegan AP, Stough C, Paris D, et al. Bacopa monnieri supplementation has no effect on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels but beneficially modulates nuclear factor kappa B and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein levels in healthy elderl

    Cephalexin

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

  • Stomach pain / Diarrhea / Nausea Additional detail

    Bacopa

    “Orally, bacopa is generally well tolerated.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, dry mouth, headache, nausea.”

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

    Cephalexin

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

  • Tiredness Additional detail

    Bacopa

    “Orally, bacopa has been reported to cause flu like symptoms and fatigue.”

    Bacopa · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in fatigue.

    3 sources cited
    1. 10058. Stough C, Lloyd J, Clarke J, et al. The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. Psychopharmacology 2001;156:481-4..
    2. 97605. Kongkeaw C, Dilokthornsakul P, Thanarangsarit P, et al. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on cognitive effects of Bacopa monnieri extract. J Ethnopharmacol 2014;151(1):528-35. PubMed
    3. 111520. Keegan AP, Stough C, Paris D, et al. Bacopa monnieri supplementation has no effect on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels but beneficially modulates nuclear factor kappa B and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein levels in healthy elderl

    Cephalexin

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

  • Headache Additional detail

    Bacopa

    “Orally, bacopa has been reported to cause drowsiness, headache, insomnia, and vivid dreams.”

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

    4 sources cited
    1. 10058. Stough C, Lloyd J, Clarke J, et al. The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. Psychopharmacology 2001;156:481-4..
    2. 10059. Yadav SK, Jain AK, Tripathi SN, Gupta JP. Irritable bowel syndrome: therapeutic evaluation of indigenous drugs. Indian J Med Res 1989;90:496-503..
    3. 17946. Morgan A, Stevens J. Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. J Altern Complement Med 2010;16:753-9.
    4. 109623. Prabhakar S, Vishnu VY, Modi M, et al. Efficacy of Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi) and donepezil in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a randomized double-blind parallel phase 2b study. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2020;23(6):767-73. PubMed

    Cephalexin

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

Reported for Bacopa but not commonly for Cephalexin: reduced appetite, increased thirst, vivid dreams or nightmares and weight loss.

Effects for Cephalexin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Bacopa 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Bacopa or Cephalexin

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Bacopa or Cephalexin, 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 Cephalexin

This page covers Bacopa only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cephalexin page lists 61 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 3 major · 47 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Cephalexin page

“Cephalexin (Keflex) is one of the most commonly prescribed oral antibiotics, usually for skin and urinary infections, and its supplement list warrants genuine care rather than a quick skim. Three of the 61 ingredients on file rate major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Cephalexin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,420 real supplement products containing Bacopa, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Bacopa. Even though Bacopa itself has no known interaction with Cephalexin, 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 Bacopa and Cephalexin 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 Bacopa
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Cephalexin
Top 5%

#69 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 Bacopa reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Bacopa and Cephalexin 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 Bacopa

What is Bacopa?

Bacopa
  • Memory and cognitive support
  • Anxiety and stress
  • ADHD symptoms
  • Age-related memory decline
  • General brain health

Bacopa is an Ayurvedic herb most often used for memory and thinking. Some small studies suggest it may modestly help memory when taken regularly for several weeks, but the evidence is limited and quality varies. It is generally well tolerated but can cause stomach upset, and it should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding due to a lack of safety data.

Bacopa monnieri · Plantaginaceae · Whole plant (mainly leaves and stems) · Capsules, tablets, powder, liquid extracts, and standardized extracts (often standardized to bacosides)

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

Bacopa: dosing

There is no official, universally agreed-upon dose for bacopa. Many studies have used standardized extracts taken daily for several weeks, but the right dose can depend on the specific product and how it is standardized (often to bacosides).The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount. Because effects on memory, if any, tend to build slowly, it may take several weeks to notice a change.

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

Read the full Bacopa monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Cephalexin

What Is Cephalexin Used For?

Brand names: Keflex, Keftab, Cephalex, Lexin

Cephalexin treats bacterial infections caused by susceptible strains of bacteria. It is used for respiratory tract infections, ear infections (otitis media), skin and skin structure infections, bone infections, and genitourinary tract infections — including acute prostatitis.

It works only against bacterial infections — not viruses like colds or flu. Your prescriber should use it only when a bacterial infection is confirmed or strongly suspected, to help prevent antibiotic resistance.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Cephalexin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Chronic kidney disease 2,157 reports
Renal failure 1,558 reports
Acute kidney injury 1,550 reports
Diarrhea 1,405 reports
Fatigue 1,303 reports
See full Cephalexin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bacopa

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

0Major
917Moderate
13Minor
1,899No known interaction
917 Moderate 13 Minor 1,899 No interaction
Moderate

917 interactions

Showing 60 of 917 moderate interactions — see all 917 on the Bacopa page.

Minor

13 interactions

No interaction 1,899 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,899 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bacopa list.

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

Bacopa References

The 12 references that drive our Bacopa 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. Stough C, Lloyd J, Clarke J, et al. The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. Psychopharmacology 2001;156:481-4..
  2. Yadav SK, Jain AK, Tripathi SN, Gupta JP. Irritable bowel syndrome: therapeutic evaluation of indigenous drugs. Indian J Med Res 1989;90:496-503..
  3. Morgan A, Stevens J. Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. J Altern Complement Med 2010;16:753-9.
  4. Kar, A., Panda, S., and Bharti, S. Relative efficacy of three medicinal plant extracts in the alteration of thyroid hormone concentrations in male mice. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002;81(2):281-285. PubMed
  5. Mukherjee, G. D. and Dey, C. D. Clinical trial on Brahmi. I. J.Exp.Med.Sci. 1966;10(1):5-11.
  6. Kar A, Pandit S, Mukherjee K, Bahadur S, Mukherjee PK. Safety assessment of selected medicinal food plants used in Ayurveda through CYP450 enzyme inhibition study. J Sci Food Agric 2017;97(1):333-40. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.7739. PubMed
  7. Kongkeaw C, Dilokthornsakul P, Thanarangsarit P, et al. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on cognitive effects of Bacopa monnieri extract. J Ethnopharmacol 2014;151(1):528-35. PubMed
  8. Ramasamy S, Kiew LV, Chung LY. Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 enzymes by Bacopa monnieri standardized extract and constituents. Molecules 2014;19(2):2588-601. PubMed
  9. Prabhakar S, Vishnu VY, Modi M, et al. Efficacy of Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi) and donepezil in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a randomized double-blind parallel phase 2b study. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2020;23(6):767-73. PubMed
  10. Acquarulo B, Tandon P, Macica CM. Suspected cholinergic toxicity due to cevimeline hydrochloride and Bacopa monnieri interaction: a case report. J Med Case Rep 2022;16(1):253. PubMed
  11. Keegan AP, Stough C, Paris D, et al. Bacopa monnieri supplementation has no effect on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels but beneficially modulates nuclear factor kappa B and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein levels in healthy elderl
  12. Yaworski AM, Blyumin M, Chang T, Mammen AL, Greene M. Necrotizing myopathy with elevated anti-HMGCR antibodies following exposure to the supplement Bacopa. Muscle Nerve 2023;67(2):E1-E3.

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 Bacopa and Cephalexin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Bacopa with Cephalexin?
We do not list a known interaction between Bacopa and Cephalexin. 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 Bacopa and Cephalexin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 7 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 Bacopa and Cephalexin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Cephalexin is filed under 7 classifications, and Bacopa has documented interactions with 8 drug classes — none of Cephalexin'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 Bacopa interact with any other medications?
Yes. Bacopa has 930 documented drug interactions in our database — Cephalexin 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 Cephalexin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Cephalexin has documented interactions with 61 supplements in our database — Bacopa is not one of them. The Cephalexin 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

Bacopa monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Cephalexin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Cephalexin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Cephalexin, 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 12 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Cephalexin and Bacopa?

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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.