Drug & supplement interaction

Bilberry + Lovastatin

Lovastatin brand names: Mevacor, Altocor.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Bilberry and Lovastatin 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 Lovastatin 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

Bilberry and Lovastatin

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 Lovastatin and Bilberry 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.

Bilberry safety at a glance

Bilberry overall Use caution Bilberry fruit is generally safe as food, but supplement evidence and long-term safety are limited.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally in the amounts commonly found in foods. However, there is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of bilberry when used in... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally in the amounts commonly found in foods. However, there is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of bilberry when used in... 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 Lovastatin and Bilberry? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Lovastatin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Lovastatin is filed under 8 classifications — including hmg-coa reductase inhibitors ("statins"), organic anion-transporting polypeptide substrates (oatp), cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) inhibitors. Bilberry has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate), antidiabetes drugs (moderate) and cytochrome p450 2e1 (cyp2e1) substrates (moderate) — and none of Lovastatin’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

Bilberry Does Interact With Other Medications

Bilberry has 275 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Lovastatin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 275 No known interaction 2,555 (incl. Lovastatin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bilberry

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Bilberry and Lovastatin 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.

  • Memory problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    Bilberry

    “In one small clinical trial, mild-to-moderate flatulence was reported in 33% of patients taking sieved bilberries and concentrated bilberry juice. However, the patients in this study had ulcerative colitis, and the study lacked a control group, limiting the validity of this finding.”

    Bilberry · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in age-related cognitive decline.

    4 sources cited
    1. 91506. Biedermann L, Mwinyi J, Scharl M, Frei P, Zeitz J, Kullak-Ublick GA, et al. Bilberry ingestion improves disease activity in mild to moderate ulcerative colitis-an open pilot study. 2013 May;7(4):271-9. PubMed
    2. 110641. Bøhn SK, Myhrstad MCW, Thoresen M, et al. Bilberry/red grape juice decreases plasma biomarkers of inflammation and tissue damage in aged men with subjective memory impairment -a randomized clinical trial. BMC Nutr 2021;7(1):75. PubMed
    3. 35500. Morazzoni P and Magistretti MJ. Effects of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanosides on prostacyclin-like activity in rat arterial issue. Fitoterapia 1986;57:11-14.
    4. 35462. Hawrelak, J. A. and Myers, S. P. Effects of two natural medicine formulations on irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a pilot study. J Altern Complement Med 2010;16(10):1065-1071. PubMed

    Lovastatin

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

  • Bloating or gas Additional detail

    Bilberry

    “Orally, bilberry fruit, juice, and extracts seem to be well tolerated.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Dark-colored stools, flatulence, and gastrointestinal discomfort.”

    Bilberry · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in flatulence.

    Lovastatin

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

  • Stomach upset Additional detail

    Bilberry

    Recorded for Bilberry in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Bloating or gas above.

    Lovastatin

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

  • Nausea reported in 5.5% of FDA reports for Lovastatin Additional detail

    Bilberry

    Recorded for Bilberry in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Memory problems above.

    Lovastatin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Lovastatin, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Bilberry but not commonly for Lovastatin: heartburn.

Effects for Lovastatin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Bilberry come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 25,528 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Lovastatin that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Bilberry in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally in the amounts commonly found in foods. However, there is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of bilberry when used in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and 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 Lovastatin Products Have a Food Rule — Bilberry Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Lovastatin says to take it with food. If you take Bilberry on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Lovastatin with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Lovastatin 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.

Lovastatin tablets USP should be given with meals.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Lovastatin — 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.

Overlapping uses

What Lovastatin Is Prescribed For, and What Bilberry Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Lovastatin is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Bilberry is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Lovastatin is prescribed for: Lovastatin is used to lower high LDL ("bad") cholesterol and total cholesterol in people whose levels have not improved enough with diet alone. It is also used to slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries (coronary atherosclerosis) in people who already have coronary heart disease. In adults without existing heart disease but with high cholesterol and low HDL ("good") cholesterol, lovastatin tablets are approved to reduce the risk of heart attack, unstable angina, and the need for procedures to open blocked arteries. Lovastatin tablets are also approved for adolescents aged 10–17 with a specific inherited condition called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (heFH), when diet changes alone haven't been enough.

Bilberry has been studied for:

  • Atherosclerosis studied, not established Bilberry has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Bilberry for atherosclerosis

    Although there has been interest in using oral bilberry for atherosclerosis, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of bilberry for this purpose.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Lovastatin on your own; if you are taking Bilberry for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Bilberry or Lovastatin

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

This page covers Bilberry only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lovastatin page lists 184 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 8 major · 140 moderate · 36 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lovastatin page

“Lovastatin (Mevacor) lowers cholesterol, and the liver clears it through an enzyme called CYP3A4, which is where most of these 184 supplements collide with it. This list deserves careful attention.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lovastatin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 3,883 real supplement products containing Bilberry, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Bilberry. Even though Bilberry itself has no known interaction with Lovastatin, 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 Bilberry and Lovastatin 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 Bilberry
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Lovastatin
Steady interest

#2,074 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 Bilberry reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Bilberry and Lovastatin 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 Bilberry

What is Bilberry?

Bilberry
  • Eye and vision health
  • Antioxidant support
  • Diarrhea and digestive upset
  • Circulation and vein health
  • Blood sugar support

Bilberry is a blueberry-like fruit rich in antioxidant plant compounds called anthocyanins, and it has a long history of traditional use for eye health, circulation, and mild diarrhea. While it is generally well tolerated as a food and supplement, strong scientific proof for most health claims is limited. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using bilberry supplements, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a health condition.

Vaccinium myrtillus · Ericaceae · Berries (fruit) and sometimes leaves · Capsules, tablets, standardized extracts, dried berries, tea, liquid extracts

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

Bilberry: dosing

There is no single official or standardized dose of bilberry. Studies have used different forms and amounts, often using extracts standardized to a certain percentage of anthocyanins.Because products vary widely in strength, it is best to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Bilberry monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lovastatin

What Is Lovastatin Used For?

Brand names: Mevacor, Altocor

Lovastatin is used to lower high LDL ("bad") cholesterol and total cholesterol in people whose levels have not improved enough with diet alone. It is also used to slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries (coronary atherosclerosis) in people who already have coronary heart disease.

In adults without existing heart disease but with high cholesterol and low HDL ("good") cholesterol, lovastatin tablets are approved to reduce the risk of heart attack, unstable angina, and the need for procedures to open blocked arteries. Lovastatin tablets are also approved for adolescents aged 10–17 with a specific inherited condition called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (heFH), when diet changes alone haven't been enough.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Lovastatin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (25,528 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 1,535 reports
Nausea 1,401 reports
Diarrhea 1,275 reports
Dyspnea 1,226 reports
Dizziness 1,159 reports
See full Lovastatin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bilberry

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

0Major
275Moderate
0Minor
2,554No known interaction
275 Moderate 2,554 No interaction
Moderate

275 interactions

Showing 60 of 275 moderate interactions — see all 275 on the Bilberry page.

No interaction 2,554 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,554 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bilberry list.

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

Bilberry References

The 14 references that drive our Bilberry 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. Cignarella A, Nastasi M, Cavalli E, Puglisi L. Novel lipid-lowering properties of Vaccinium myrtillus L. leaves, a traditional antidiabetic treatment, in several models of rat dyslipidaemia: a comparison with ciprofibrate. Thromb Res 1996;84:311-22. PubMed
  2. Morazzoni P, Magistretti MJ. Activity of Myrtocyan, an anthosyanoside complex from Vaccinium myrtillus (VMA), on platelet aggregation and adhesiveness. Fitoterapia 1990;61:13-21.
  3. Erlund, I., Koli, R., Alfthan, G., Marniemi, J., Puukka, P., Mustonen, P., Mattila, P., and Jula, A. Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87(2):323-331. PubMed
  4. Hawrelak, J. A. and Myers, S. P. Effects of two natural medicine formulations on irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a pilot study. J Altern Complement Med 2010;16(10):1065-1071. PubMed
  5. Morazzoni P and Magistretti MJ. Effects of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanosides on prostacyclin-like activity in rat arterial issue. Fitoterapia 1986;57:11-14.
  6. Pulliero G, Montin S, Bettini V, and et al. Ex vivo study of the inhibitory effects of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanosides on human platelet aggregation. Fitoterapia 1989;60:69-75.
  7. Bottecchia D. Preliminary report on the inhibitory effect of vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanosides on platelet aggregation and clot retraction. Fitoterapia 1987;48:3-8.
  8. Fdez, M., Zaragoza, F., and Alvarez, P. In vitro platelet aggregation effects of anthocyanosides of vaccinium myrtilus L. Anales de la Real Academia de Farmacia 1983;49:79-90.
  9. Biedermann L, Mwinyi J, Scharl M, Frei P, Zeitz J, Kullak-Ublick GA, et al. Bilberry ingestion improves disease activity in mild to moderate ulcerative colitis-an open pilot study. 2013 May;7(4):271-9. PubMed
  10. Hoggard N, Cruickshank M, Moar KM, Bestwick C, Holst J, Russell W, et al. A single supplement of a standardized bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) extract (36% wet weight anthocyanins) modifies glycaemic response in individuals with type 2 diabetes control
  11. Aichinger G, Pahlke G, Nagel LJ, Berger W, Marko D. Bilberry extract, its major phenolic compounds, and soy isoflavone genistein antagonize the cytostatic drug erlotinib in human epithelial cells. Food Funct 2016;7(8):3628-36.
  12. Prokop J, Lněničková K, Cibicek N, et al. Effect of bilberry extract (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) on drug-metabolizing enzymes in rats. Food Chem Toxicol 2019;129:382-90. PubMed
  13. Chan SW, Chu TTW, Choi SW, Benzie IFF, Tomlinson B. Impact of short-term bilberry supplementation on glycemic control, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and antioxidant status in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Phytother Res 2021. Online ahead o PubMed
  14. Bøhn SK, Myhrstad MCW, Thoresen M, et al. Bilberry/red grape juice decreases plasma biomarkers of inflammation and tissue damage in aged men with subjective memory impairment -a randomized clinical trial. BMC Nutr 2021;7(1):75. 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 Bilberry and Lovastatin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Bilberry with Lovastatin?
We do not list a known interaction between Bilberry and Lovastatin. 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 Bilberry and Lovastatin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 4 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 Bilberry and Lovastatin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Lovastatin says to take it with food. If you take Bilberry on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Lovastatin with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Lovastatin products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Bilberry and Lovastatin used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Bilberry in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Lovastatin is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Bilberry and Lovastatin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Lovastatin is filed under 8 classifications, and Bilberry has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — none of Lovastatin'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 Bilberry interact with any other medications?
Yes. Bilberry has 275 documented drug interactions in our database — Lovastatin 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 Lovastatin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Lovastatin has documented interactions with 184 supplements in our database — Bilberry is not one of them. The Lovastatin 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

Bilberry monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Lovastatin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Lovastatin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Lovastatin, 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 14 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Lovastatin and Bilberry?

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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.