Drug & supplement interaction

Black Currant + Levetiracetam

Levetiracetam brand names: Keppra, Elepsia XR, Spritam.

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 Black Currant and Levetiracetam 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.

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Interaction report

Black Currant and Levetiracetam

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 Levetiracetam and Black Currant 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.

Black Currant safety at a glance

Black Currant overall Use caution The berry is safe as a food, but concentrated supplements are less studied and should be used carefully.
Pregnancy Use caution Eating the berry in food amounts is likely fine, but supplements lack safety data, so check with your doctor first.
Breastfeeding Use caution Food amounts are probably okay, but there is not enough information on concentrated supplements, so use caution.

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

Still wondering about combining Levetiracetam and Black Currant? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Levetiracetam

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Levetiracetam is filed under 3 classifications — anticonvulsants, cns depressants, oral drugs. Black Currant has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and phenothiazines (moderate) — and none of Levetiracetam’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

Black Currant Does Interact With Other Medications

Black Currant has 140 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Levetiracetam isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 140 No known interaction 2,690 (incl. Levetiracetam)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Black Currant

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

What to actually watch for

What Black Currant Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Levetiracetam. It is the side-effect record for Black Currant on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Black Currant, this list is the first place to look.

  • Diarrhea Additional detail

    “Of 2154 patients with hyperlipidemia taking black currant seed oil 1.8 grams twice daily for 6 weeks, 8 reports of mild diarrhea were considered related to the supplement. These adverse reactions were reported 2-10 days after beginning treatment with black currant seed oil.”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 17638. Fa-lin Z, Zhen-yu W, Yan H, et al. Efficacy of blackcurrant oil soft capsule, a Chinese herbal drug, in hyperlipidemia treatment. Phytother Res 2010;24 Suppl 2:S209-13. PubMed

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Black Currant — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Levetiracetam’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Levetiracetam column appears here.

Overlapping uses

What Levetiracetam Is Prescribed For, and What Black Currant Has Been Studied For

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

Levetiracetam is prescribed for: Levetiracetam is used to treat several types of seizures. It treats partial-onset seizures (seizures that start in one area of the brain) and is used as add-on therapy for myoclonic seizures (sudden, brief muscle jerks) in people with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy aged 12 and older, and for primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal seizures) in people with idiopathic generalized epilepsy aged 6 and older. Age eligibility varies by product. Keppra oral and Roweepra tablets treat partial-onset seizures in patients as young as 1 month.

Read the rest of what Levetiracetam is prescribed for

Spritam and levetiracetam tablets for oral suspension treat partial-onset seizures in patients 4 years and older weighing more than 20 kg. Extended-release products — including Elepsia XR, Keppra XR, and Levetiracetam ER — are approved only for partial-onset seizures in patients 12 years and older. Injectable forms are used intravenously when a patient temporarily cannot take oral medication.

Black Currant has been studied for:

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

    Black Currant for seizures

    Although there has been interest in using oral black currant leaf for seizures, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of black currant 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 Levetiracetam on your own; if you are taking Black Currant for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Black Currant or Levetiracetam

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

This page covers Black Currant only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Levetiracetam page lists 105 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), Beer (major), Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major) and Kava (major).

By severity: 7 major · 82 moderate · 16 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Levetiracetam page

“I would read this page carefully rather than casually. Levetiracetam (Keppra, Spritam) controls seizures, and both hazards on this list run through that fact.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Levetiracetam interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,265 real supplement products containing Black Currant, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Black Currant. Even though Black Currant itself has no known interaction with Levetiracetam, 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 Black Currant and Levetiracetam 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 Black Currant
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Levetiracetam
Top 10%

#181 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 Black Currant reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Black Currant and Levetiracetam 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 Black Currant

What is Black Currant?

Black Currant
  • Dry eyes and eye strain
  • Joint pain and inflammation
  • Immune and general wellness support
  • Cardiovascular health
  • Skin conditions (such as dry skin or eczema)

Black currant is a nutritious berry that is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, and its seed oil contains the omega-6 fatty acid GLA. While it is enjoyed safely as a food and is popular as a supplement, solid human evidence for most health claims is still limited. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.

Ribes nigrum · Grossulariaceae · Berries (fruit), seeds (seed oil), and leaves · Whole berries, juice, capsules, seed oil softgels, dried leaf for tea, extracts

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

Black Currant: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for black currant supplements. The right amount can vary depending on the form (berry, juice, seed oil, or leaf) and the product's strength.Because doses are not well established, the safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed them.

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

Read the full Black Currant monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Levetiracetam

What Is Levetiracetam Used For?

Brand names: Keppra, Elepsia XR, Spritam

Levetiracetam is used to treat several types of seizures. It treats partial-onset seizures (seizures that start in one area of the brain) and is used as add-on therapy for myoclonic seizures (sudden, brief muscle jerks) in people with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy aged 12 and older, and for primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal seizures) in people with idiopathic generalized epilepsy aged 6 and older.

Age eligibility varies by product. Keppra oral and Roweepra tablets treat partial-onset seizures in patients as young as 1 month. Spritam and levetiracetam tablets for oral suspension treat partial-onset seizures in patients 4 years and older weighing more than 20 kg. Extended-release products — including Elepsia XR, Keppra XR, and Levetiracetam ER — are approved only for partial-onset seizures in patients 12 years and older. Injectable forms are used intravenously when a patient temporarily cannot take oral medication.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Levetiracetam

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.

Seizure 15,978 reports
Fatigue 5,591 reports
Somnolence 4,177 reports
Epilepsy 4,136 reports
Convulsion 4,085 reports
See full Levetiracetam drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Black Currant

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

0Major
140Moderate
0Minor
2,689No known interaction
140 Moderate 2,689 No interaction
Moderate

140 interactions

Showing 60 of 140 moderate interactions — see all 140 on the Black Currant page.

No interaction 2,689 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,689 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Black Currant list.

See the full Black Currant interactions page
See every supplement checked against Levetiracetam, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Black Currant References

The 6 references that drive our Black Currant 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. Guivernau M, Meza N, Barja P, Roman O. Clinical and experimental study on the long-term effect of dietary gamma-linolenic acid on plasma lipids, platelet aggregation, thromboxane formation, and prostacyclin production. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty A PubMed
  2. Fa-lin Z, Zhen-yu W, Yan H, et al. Efficacy of blackcurrant oil soft capsule, a Chinese herbal drug, in hyperlipidemia treatment. Phytother Res 2010;24 Suppl 2:S209-13. PubMed
  3. Holman CP and Bell AF. A trial of evening primrose oil in the treatment of chronic schizophrenia. J Orhtomolecular Psych 1983;12:302-304.
  4. Vaddadi KS. The use of gamma-linolenic acid and linoleic acid to differentiate between temporal lobe epilepsy and schizophrenia. Prostaglandins Med 1981;6(4):375-379. PubMed
  5. Norred, C. L. and Brinker, F. Potential coagulation effects of preoperative complementary and alternative medicines. Alt Ther 2001;7(6):58-67.
  6. Puri BK. The safety of evening primrose oil in epilepsy. Prostaglandins Leukotrienes Essential Fatty Acids 2007;77:101-3. 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 Black Currant and Levetiracetam Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Black Currant with Levetiracetam?
We do not list a known interaction between Black Currant and Levetiracetam. 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.
Are Black Currant and Levetiracetam 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 Black Currant in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Levetiracetam is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Black Currant and Levetiracetam combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Levetiracetam is filed under 3 classifications, and Black Currant has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Levetiracetam'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 Black Currant interact with any other medications?
Yes. Black Currant has 140 documented drug interactions in our database — Levetiracetam 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 Levetiracetam interact with any supplements?
Yes. Levetiracetam has documented interactions with 105 supplements in our database — Black Currant is not one of them. The Levetiracetam 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

Black Currant monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Levetiracetam drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Levetiracetam supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Levetiracetam, 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 6 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Levetiracetam and Black Currant?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.