Drug & supplement interaction

Epistane + Phenylephrine

Phenylephrine brand names: Gilchew, AH Chew D, Gilchew IR, Sudafed PE, Biorphen.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Oct 4, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Epistane and Phenylephrine 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

Epistane and Phenylephrine

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 Phenylephrine and Epistane 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.

Epistane safety at a glance

Epistane overall Avoid Epistane is a liver-toxic anabolic steroid, not a safe supplement, and is banned for sale as a dietary supplement.
Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally. Anabolic androgenic steroids, such as epistane, can disrupt the body's hormonal balance and cause various adverse effects including reduced fe... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Possibly Unsafe When used orally. Anabolic androgenic steroids, such as epistane, can disrupt the body's hormonal balance and cause various adverse effects including reduced fe... 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 Phenylephrine and Epistane? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Phenylephrine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Phenylephrine is filed under 5 classifications — including alpha-adrenergic agonists, stimulant drugs, serotonergic drugs. Epistane has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being hepatotoxic drugs (moderate) — and none of Phenylephrine’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

Epistane Does Interact With Other Medications

Epistane has 372 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Phenylephrine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 372 No known interaction 2,458 (incl. Phenylephrine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Epistane

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

What to actually watch for

What Epistane Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Phenylephrine. It is the side-effect record for Epistane on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Epistane, this list is the first place to look. One entry is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes / Liver problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Epistane is an anabolic androgenic steroid, and more specifically a 17-alpha-alkylated androgen. Therefore, there is concern that epistane has hepatotoxic effects. Also, epistane is structurally similar to epitiostanol, which was associated with hepatotoxicity in a case series of four patients.”

    Epistane · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cholestasis.

    2 sources cited
    1. 91138. Rahnema CD, Crosnoe LE, Kim ED. Designer steroids - over-the-counter supplements and their androgenic component: review of an increasing problem. Andrology. 2015;3(2):150-5. PubMed
    2. 109606. Díaz FC, Sáez-González E, Benlloch S, et al. Albumin dialysis with MARS for the treatment of anabolic steroid-induced cholestasis. Ann Hepatol. 2016;15(6):939-943.
  • Itching Additional detail

    Recorded for Epistane in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Yellowing of the skin or eyes / Liver problems above.

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

Special populations

Epistane in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Unsafe

When used orally. Anabolic androgenic steroids, such as epistane, can disrupt the body's hormonal balance and cause various adverse effects including reduced fertility, hair loss, acne, and behavioral changes. Anabolic androgenic steroid use has also been associated with hepatotoxicity and increased risk for heart disease. The US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies warn that dietary supplements containing anabolic steroids are dangerous. 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

From our Q&A

Questions About Epistane or Phenylephrine

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

This page covers Epistane only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Phenylephrine page lists 81 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Ephedra (major), Lithium (major), Peyote (major) and Rauvolfia Vomitoria (major).

By severity: 6 major · 60 moderate · 15 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Phenylephrine page

“If you take phenylephrine (Sudafed PE, Biorphen) for congestion, treat this list as one that needs real attention, since six of its 81 entries carry a major rating. Phenylephrine tightens blood vessels to clear your nose, and more than half of the interactions here come from stimulant ingredients, ephedra above all, that can push blood…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Phenylephrine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 32 real supplement products containing Epistane, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Epistane. Even though Epistane itself has no known interaction with Phenylephrine, 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 Epistane and Phenylephrine 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 Epistane
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Phenylephrine
Top half

#714 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 Epistane reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified October 4, 2026. The Epistane and Phenylephrine 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 Epistane

What is Epistane?

  • Building muscle mass
  • Increasing strength
  • Cutting or losing body fat
  • Bodybuilding cycles

Epistane is a synthetic anabolic steroid (a methylated 'designer steroid'), not a true dietary supplement or herb, even though it has been sold as a 'prohormone.' It is liver-toxic, can disrupt your natural hormones, and is illegal to sell as a supplement in the US under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act. We strongly recommend avoiding it and talking with a doctor or pharmacist.

Synthetic compound (not a plant) · Capsules, tablets (sold as a 'prohormone' or 'designer steroid' supplement)

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

Epistane: dosing

There is no established or recommended safe dose for Epistane, because it is an anabolic steroid that was never approved as a medicine or a legitimate supplement. They can discuss safer, legal ways to reach your fitness goals and check on your liver and hormone health.

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

Read the full Epistane monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Phenylephrine

What Is Phenylephrine Used For?

Brand names: Gilchew, AH Chew D, Gilchew IR, Sudafed PE, Biorphen

Phenylephrine is used in several different products, and each one has its own use.

Injection (IV): raises blood pressure in adults with clinically important hypotension (low blood pressure) caused mainly by widened blood vessels. Some injections are labeled for anesthesia only. Others are labeled for anesthesia and septic shock.

Eye drops: Phenylephrine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution is used to dilate the pupil.

Nasal products: temporarily relieve nasal and sinus congestion from the common cold, hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies.

Rectal suppositories: relieve itching, burning and discomfort from hemorrhoids and temporarily shrink hemorrhoidal tissue.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Phenylephrine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (221,388 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 20,609 reports
Headache 17,301 reports
Nausea 16,925 reports
Diarrhea 14,221 reports
Dyspnea 13,719 reports
See full Phenylephrine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Epistane

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

0Major
372Moderate
0Minor
2,457No known interaction
372 Moderate 2,457 No interaction
Moderate

372 interactions

Showing 60 of 372 moderate interactions — see all 372 on the Epistane page.

No interaction 2,457 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,457 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Epistane list.

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

Epistane References

The 3 references that drive our Epistane 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. Joseph JF, Parr MK. Synthetic androgens as designer supplements. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(1):89-100. PubMed
  2. Rahnema CD, Crosnoe LE, Kim ED. Designer steroids - over-the-counter supplements and their androgenic component: review of an increasing problem. Andrology. 2015;3(2):150-5. PubMed
  3. Díaz FC, Sáez-González E, Benlloch S, et al. Albumin dialysis with MARS for the treatment of anabolic steroid-induced cholestasis. Ann Hepatol. 2016;15(6):939-943.

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 Epistane and Phenylephrine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Epistane with Phenylephrine?
We do not list a known interaction between Epistane and Phenylephrine. 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.
How was the Epistane and Phenylephrine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Phenylephrine is filed under 5 classifications, and Epistane has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Phenylephrine'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 Epistane interact with any other medications?
Yes. Epistane has 372 documented drug interactions in our database — Phenylephrine 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 Phenylephrine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Phenylephrine has documented interactions with 81 supplements in our database — Epistane is not one of them. The Phenylephrine 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

Epistane monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Phenylephrine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Phenylephrine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Phenylephrine, 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 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Phenylephrine and Epistane?

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.