Drug & supplement interaction

Beer + Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride

Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride brand name: Jentadueto XR.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride falls into 2 drug categories that Beer can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Concomitant use may interfere with blood glucose control.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodProbable
Interactions2
EvidenceC
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Beer and Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Beer interacts with whole categories of medication. Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Beer in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride

Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Beer interacts with.

Concomitant use may interfere with blood glucose control.
Alcohol can impair gluconeogenesis and may increase the risk of acute hypoglycemia when used concomitantly with antidiabetes drugs. However, the carbohydrates in beer may also worsen glycemic control in patients with diabetes.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence C

Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Mixing beer with your Jentadueto XR (linagliptin plus metformin) can push your blood sugar in two opposite directions, which makes it tricky. Alcohol blocks your liver from making new sugar, so a few beers, especially on an empty stomach, can drop your blood sugar too low. Signs of that include shakiness, sweating, confusion, a fast heartbeat, or feeling lightheaded. On the flip side, the carbs in beer can also spike your sugar, so your control can swing either way.

There's also a small concern worth mentioning: metformin and heavy alcohol both stress the body in ways that can rarely lead to lactic acidosis, so steady heavy drinking is best avoided. An occasional drink with food is usually fine for many people, but please check with your doctor or pharmacist about what's safe for you.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
Moderate

METFORMIN (Glucophage)

2 of 2
Concomitant use may increase the risk of lactic acidosis.
Concomitant consumption of large amounts of alcohol may increase the risk of lactic acidosis with metformin.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence C

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Your Jentadueto XR contains two diabetes medicines, and the part that matters here is the metformin. Metformin can slightly raise lactic acid in your blood, and alcohol pushes that risk up too. When you drink a lot of beer on top of metformin, the two effects can stack and make a rare but serious problem called lactic acidosis more likely. Warning signs include feeling unusually weak or tired, muscle aches, trouble breathing, stomach pain, nausea, and feeling cold or dizzy.

The good news: an occasional single beer is generally low risk for most people. The real concern is heavy or binge drinking. If you'd like to enjoy beer now and then, check with your pharmacist or doctor about what's safe for you.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Glucophage XR (metformin) prescribing information. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Princeton, NJ, May 2018. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2018/020357s034,021202s018lbl.pdf

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Beer Also Interacts With Other Medications

Beer has 654 major, 271 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 654 Moderate 271 No known interaction 1,905 (incl. Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Beer

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride

This page covers Beer only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride page lists 285 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acai (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 242 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride page

“Someone taking Jentadueto XR (linagliptin and metformin) for type 2 diabetes is often the same person eyeing fenugreek, bitter melon, or gymnema, and that overlap is why this page deserves real caution. Of its 285 ingredients, 239 can lower blood sugar on their own, so stacking them on a drug already doing that job risks pushing glucos…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Beer and Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride 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 Beer
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride
Steady interest

#1,538 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.

Supplement

About Beer

What is Beer?

Beer
  • Social and recreational drinking
  • Relaxation
  • Heart health (popular belief)
  • Bone health (popular belief)
  • Source of antioxidants and B vitamins

Beer is an alcoholic beverage that contains some minerals, B vitamins, and plant compounds from hops and grain, but it is not a health supplement. Any possible benefits come only from light-to-moderate intake, and they are easily outweighed by the well-known harms of alcohol. The safest amount of alcohol for health is none, and beer should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Beer monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Beer

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

654Major
271Moderate
0Minor
1,904No known interaction
654 Major 271 Moderate 1,904 No interaction
Major

654 interactions

Showing 60 of 654 major interactions — see all 654 on the Beer page.

Moderate

271 interactions

Showing 60 of 271 moderate interactions — see all 271 on the Beer page.

No interaction 1,904 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,904 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Beer list.

See the full Beer interactions page
See every supplement checked against Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Beer monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Beer and Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beer with Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Beer and Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride?
Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride belongs to more than one drug category, and Beer interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Beer and Linagliptin, Metformin Hydrochloride interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

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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.