Drug & supplement interaction

Bitter Yam + Glipizide, Metformin

Glipizide, Metformin brand name: Metaglip.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Bitter Yam and Glipizide, 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 label for Glipizide, Metformin states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Bitter Yam and Glipizide, 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 Glipizide, Metformin and Bitter Yam 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.

Bitter Yam safety at a glance

Bitter Yam overall Use caution Human safety data are limited, and improperly prepared bitter yam can be toxic.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information exists, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid There is no reliable safety data, so avoid use while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Glipizide, Metformin and Bitter Yam? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Glipizide, Metformin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Glipizide, Metformin is filed under 7 classifications — including organic cation transporter 2 (oct2) substrates, antidiabetes drugs, cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) substrates. Bitter Yam has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being digoxin (lanoxin) (moderate) — and none of Glipizide, 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

Bitter Yam Does Interact With Other Medications

Bitter Yam has 1 moderate known drug interaction in our database — Glipizide, Metformin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bitter Yam

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

What to actually watch for

What Glipizide, Metformin’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Bitter Yam. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Glipizide, Metformin’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 5 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Low blood sugar Worth acting on
  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes Worth acting on
  • Raised blood pressure Worth acting on
  • Liver problems Worth acting on
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on
  • Tremor or shakiness
  • Sweating
  • Muscle pain
  • Stomach pain
  • Dizziness

Showing the 10 most notable of 14 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Glipizide, Metformin. Read the label on DailyMed › Bitter Yam’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Bitter Yam side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Bitter Yam has no side effects.

How to take them

Some Glipizide, Metformin Products Have a Food Rule — Bitter Yam Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Glipizide, Metformin says to take it with food. If you take Bitter Yam on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Glipizide, Metformin 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 Glipizide, Metformin 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.

Glipizide and Metformin Hydrochloride Tablets in Patients with Inadequate Glycemic Control on Diet and Exercise Alone For patients with type 2 diabetes whose hyperglycemia cannot be satisfactorily managed with diet and exercise alone, the recommended starting dose of glipizide and metformin hydrochloride tablets are 2.5 mg/250 mg once a day with a meal.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Glipizide, Metformin — 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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Glipizide, Metformin

This page covers Bitter Yam only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Glipizide, Metformin page lists 307 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), Adrafinil (moderate) and African Wild Potato (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 257 moderate · 48 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Glipizide, Metformin page

“Glipizide and metformin (Metaglip) already work hard to pull blood sugar down, which is exactly why this list of 307 ingredients deserves genuine vigilance rather than a shrug. Most of them, 239, can lower glucose on their own, and stacked on this pill the combined effect can tip into true hypoglycemia.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Glipizide, Metformin interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Bitter Yam and Glipizide, 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 Bitter Yam
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Glipizide, Metformin
Top half

#1,002 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 Bitter Yam reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Bitter Yam and Glipizide, 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 Bitter Yam

What is Bitter Yam?

Bitter Yam
  • Blood sugar support
  • Digestive complaints
  • Traditional food source
  • Wound and skin care (folk use)

Bitter yam is a wild African yam used traditionally as both food and folk medicine, often for blood sugar and digestion. Scientific evidence in humans is very limited, and some bitter yam species can be toxic if not properly prepared. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it as a supplement.

Dioscorea dumetorum · Dioscoreaceae · Tuber (root) · Cooked tuber, dried powder, traditional preparations

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

Bitter Yam: dosing

There is no established, standardized dose of bitter yam as a supplement. Traditional use varies widely and depends on how the tuber is prepared.If you choose to use a commercial product, follow the directions on the label and do not take more than recommended.

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

Read the full Bitter Yam monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bitter Yam

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

0Major
1Moderate
0Minor
2,828No known interaction
Moderate

1 interaction

No interaction 2,828 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Bitter Yam References

The 1 references that drive our Bitter Yam 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. Nimenibo-Uadia R. Control of hyperlipidaemia, hypercholesterolaemia and hyperketonaemia by aqueous extract of Dioscorea dumetorum tuber. Trop J Pharm Res 2003;2:183-9. Available at: http://www.bioline.org.br/request?pr03009. DOI

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 Bitter Yam and Glipizide, Metformin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Bitter Yam with Glipizide, Metformin?
We do not list a known interaction between Bitter Yam and Glipizide, 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.
Should I take Bitter Yam and Glipizide, Metformin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Glipizide, Metformin says to take it with food. If you take Bitter Yam on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Glipizide, Metformin with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Glipizide, Metformin products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Bitter Yam and Glipizide, Metformin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Glipizide, Metformin is filed under 7 classifications, and Bitter Yam has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Glipizide, 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 Bitter Yam interact with any other medications?
Yes. Bitter Yam has 1 documented drug interaction in our database — Glipizide, 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 Glipizide, Metformin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Glipizide, Metformin has documented interactions with 307 supplements in our database — Bitter Yam is not one of them. The Glipizide, Metformin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Glipizide, Metformin and Bitter Yam?

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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.