Drug & supplement interaction

Berberine + Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate

Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate brand name: Equagesic.

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

Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate falls into 2 drug categories that Berberine can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, berberine might increase the sedative effects of CNS depressants.

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

Berberine and Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

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

Moderate

CNS DEPRESSANTS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate

Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate falls under CNS DEPRESSANTS — the group Berberine interacts with.

Theoretically, berberine might increase the sedative effects of CNS depressants.
Animal research suggests that berberine may have sedative effects. Theoretically, use of berberine along with CNS depressants might produce additive therapeutic and adverse effects.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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

This combination product (Equagesic) contains meprobamate, which is a sedating medicine that calms the nervous system, plus aspirin and ethoheptazine for pain. Because meprobamate already makes many people drowsy, the concern here is simple: berberine may add to that effect. In animal studies, berberine showed mild sedative activity, so pairing the two could leave you feeling more sleepy, foggy, dizzy, or unsteady than usual.

I want to be honest that this is a theoretical concern based only on lab and animal research, not human studies, so it may not happen at all. Still, it is worth a quick conversation with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them, especially if you drive or feel groggy. Please don't start or stop anything on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Janbaz KH, Gilani AH. Studies on preventive and curative effects of berberine on chemical-induced hepatotoxicity in rodents. Fitoterapia 2000;71:25-33.. PubMed
  2. Shanbhag, S. M., Kulkarni, H. J., and Gaitonde, B. B. Pharmacological actions of berberine on the central nervous system. Jpn.J Pharmacol 1970;20(4):482-487. PubMed
  3. Peng, W. H., Hsieh, M. T., and Wu, C. R. Effect of long-term administration of berberine on scopolamine-induced amnesia in rats. Jpn J Pharmacol 1997;74(3):261-266. DOI
  4. Sabir M and Bhide NK. Study of some pharmacological actions of berberine. Ind J Physiol & Pharmac 1971;15(3):111-132.
Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

2 of 2

Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate also falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS.

Theoretically, berberine might increase the risk of bleeding when used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
In vitro and in vivo research suggest that berberine can inhibit platelet aggregation. Theoretically, berberine might have additive effects when used with anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs and increase the risk of bleeding.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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

This combination product (Equagesic) contains aspirin, which already thins the blood a bit by keeping platelets from clumping together. Berberine is thought to do something similar in lab studies, so stacking the two could, in theory, add up and make bleeding or bruising a little more likely. Realistically, that might show up as easy bruising, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or stomach irritation, since aspirin can already be tough on the stomach lining.

I want to be honest about the evidence here: this concern comes mostly from test tube and animal research, not strong human studies, so it's more of a caution than a proven problem. Still, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before adding berberine, especially if you notice any unusual bleeding.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Wu, J. F. and Liu, T. P. [Effects of berberine on platelet aggregation and plasma levels of TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha in rats with reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion]. Yao Xue.Xue.Bao. 1995;30(2):98-102.
  2. Tripathi YB and Shukla SD. Berberis artistata inhibits PAF induced aggregation of rabbit platelets. Phytotherapy Research 1996;10:628-630.

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

Berberine Also Interacts With Other Medications

Berberine has 1 major, 1,160 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 1 Moderate 1,160 No known interaction 1,669 (incl. Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Berberine

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Berberine or Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate

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

This page covers Berberine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate page lists 304 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major) and Danshen (major).

By severity: 11 major · 260 moderate · 33 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate page

“Equagesic combines aspirin with two sedating pain relievers, ethoheptazine and meprobamate, which means supplements can go wrong in two directions at once, and this list earns genuine care before you mix in any of them. Most of the entries add to aspirin's blood-thinning effect and raise bleeding risk, while a large second group deepen…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 908 real supplement products containing Berberine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Berberine. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate too, on top of Berberine — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Berberine and Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate 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 Berberine
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate
Top 1%

#16 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 Berberine

What is Berberine?

Berberine
  • Blood sugar control
  • High cholesterol
  • Heart and metabolic health
  • Digestive upset
  • Antimicrobial support
  • Weight management

Berberine is a yellow plant compound that has shown promise for lowering blood sugar and cholesterol in some studies, but the quality of research varies and it is not a replacement for prescribed medicine. It can cause stomach upset and should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting it, especially if you take other medications.

Read the full Berberine monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Berberine

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

1Major
1,160Moderate
0Minor
1,668No known interaction
1 Major 1,160 Moderate 1,668 No interaction
Major

1 interaction

Moderate

1,160 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,160 moderate interactions — see all 1,160 on the Berberine page.

No interaction 1,668 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,668 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Berberine list.

See the full Berberine interactions page
See every supplement checked against Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate, 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
Berberine monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate, 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 Berberine and Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Berberine with Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate?
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 Berberine and Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate?
Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate belongs to more than one drug category, and Berberine 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 Berberine and Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate 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

Still Have a Question About Aspirin, Ethoheptazine, Meprobamate and Berberine?

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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.