Drug & supplement interaction

Brown Rice + Orlistat

Orlistat brand names: Xenical, Alli.

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

We found no known interaction between Brown Rice and Orlistat 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

Brown Rice and Orlistat

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 Orlistat and Brown Rice 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Brown Rice at all — not against Orlistat, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Brown Rice safety at a glance

Brown Rice overall Generally safe Brown rice is a common food that is safe for most people when eaten as part of a varied diet.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of brown rice when used in medicinal... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of brown rice when used in medicinal... 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 Orlistat and Brown Rice? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Orlistat’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Brown Rice. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Orlistat’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. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Bleeding in the gut Worth acting on
  • Low blood sugar Worth acting on
  • Pancreatitis Worth acting on
  • Wheezing Worth acting on
  • Low mood Worth acting on
  • A severe allergic reaction Worth acting on
  • Hives Worth acting on
  • Liver problems Worth acting on
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 28 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 Orlistat. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 25,755 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Orlistat that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Brown Rice’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Brown Rice side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Brown Rice has no side effects.

Special populations

Brown Rice in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of brown rice when used in medicinal amounts during pregnancy or lactation.

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

Overlapping uses

What Orlistat Is Prescribed For, and What Brown Rice Has Been Studied For

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

Orlistat is prescribed for: Xenical and prescription-strength orlistat are approved to help obese adults lose weight and keep it off when used with a reduced-calorie diet. They are intended for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher if other risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or dyslipidemia (abnormal cholesterol or fat levels in the blood) are present. Alli is the over-the-counter version, approved for weight loss in overweight adults 18 and older when used with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet and exercise program.

Brown Rice has been studied for:

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

    Brown Rice for diabetes

    It is unclear if consuming brown rice as part of the diet is beneficial for improving glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes or for prevention of diabetes in healthy adults.

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 Orlistat on your own; if you are taking Brown Rice for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Orlistat

This page covers Brown Rice only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Orlistat page lists 18 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Fish Oil (moderate) and Glucomannan (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 8 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Orlistat page

“People who take Orlistat (Xenical, Alli) for weight loss often browse the very supplement aisle where fiber products and fish oil sit, and both show up on this page, so it deserves genuine attention before you mix anything in. Nearly all 18 ingredients on file can change how oral medications absorb from the gut, and the single major-ra…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Orlistat interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 45 real supplement products containing Brown Rice, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Brown Rice. Even though Brown Rice itself has no known interaction with Orlistat, 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 Brown Rice and Orlistat 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 Brown Rice
Steady interest

#1,100 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Orlistat
Top 25%

#649 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 Brown Rice reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Brown Rice and Orlistat records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 Brown Rice

What is Brown Rice?

  • General nutrition and fiber intake
  • Heart health support
  • Blood sugar management
  • Weight management
  • Digestive health

Brown rice is a whole grain that keeps its fiber-rich bran and nutrient-packed germ, making it more nutritious than white rice. As part of a balanced diet, it may support heart health, digestion, and steadier blood sugar, but it is a food rather than a treatment for any disease. It is safe for most people; the main concern is its natural arsenic content, so variety in your grains is wise.

Oryza sativa · Poaceae · Whole grain (bran, germ, and endosperm) · Whole cooked grain, flour, rice bran, rice bran oil, brown rice protein powder, capsules

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

Brown Rice: dosing

There is no medical "dose" for brown rice because it is a food. A standard serving is about a half to one cup of cooked rice, eaten as part of meals. Dietary guidelines suggest making at least half of your grains whole grains, and brown rice can count toward that goal.For brown rice supplements such as protein powder or rice bran oil, follow the directions on the product label.

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

Read the full Brown Rice monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Orlistat

What Is Orlistat Used For?

Brand names: Xenical, Alli

Xenical and prescription-strength orlistat are approved to help obese adults lose weight and keep it off when used with a reduced-calorie diet. They are intended for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher if other risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or dyslipidemia (abnormal cholesterol or fat levels in the blood) are present.

Alli is the over-the-counter version, approved for weight loss in overweight adults 18 and older when used with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet and exercise program.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Orlistat

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (25,755 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Rectal discharge 2,434 reports
Gastrointestinal disorder 2,186 reports
Constipation 1,991 reports
Diarrhea 1,960 reports
Weight increased 1,944 reports
See full Orlistat drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Brown Rice

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Brown Rice list.

See the full Brown Rice interactions page
See every supplement checked against Orlistat, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Brown Rice References

The 1 references that drive our Brown Rice 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. FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Premarket Approval, EAFUS: A food additive database. Website: vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/eafus.html (Accessed 23 February 2006).

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 Brown Rice and Orlistat Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Brown Rice with Orlistat?
We do not list a known interaction between Brown Rice and Orlistat. 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 Brown Rice and Orlistat 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 Brown Rice in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Orlistat is being adjusted to a target.
Does Orlistat interact with any supplements?
Yes. Orlistat has documented interactions with 18 supplements in our database — Brown Rice is not one of them. The Orlistat 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

Brown Rice monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Orlistat drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Orlistat supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Orlistat, 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 1 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Orlistat and Brown Rice?

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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.