Drug & supplement interaction

False Unicorn + Atorvastatin Calcium

Atorvastatin Calcium brand name: Lipitor.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

False Unicorn has a moderate interaction with Atorvastatin Calcium. In vitro, false unicorn extract inhibits cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) activity.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

False Unicorn and Atorvastatin Calcium

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Atorvastatin Calcium

Atorvastatin Calcium falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group False Unicorn interacts with.

In vitro, false unicorn extract inhibits cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) activity. Theoretically, false unicorn might increase the levels of CYP3A4 substrates. Drugs that might be affected include some calcium channel blockers (diltiazem, nicardipine, verapamil), chemotherapeutic agents (etoposide, paclitaxel, vinblastine, vincristine, vindesine), antifungals (ketoconazole, itraconazole), glucocorticoids, cisapride (Propulsid), alfentanil (Alfenta), fentanyl (Sublimaze), losartan (Cozaar), fluoxetine (Prozac), midazolam (Versed), omeprazole (Prilosec), ondansetron (Zofran), propranolol (Inderal), fexofenadine (Allegra), and numerous others.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist for your Lipitor (atorvastatin). Your liver uses an enzyme called CYP3A4 to break atorvastatin down. In a lab dish, False Unicorn appears to slow that enzyme. If the same thing happened in your body, atorvastatin could clear more slowly and build up a bit, which could raise the odds of statin side effects like muscle aches, weakness, or, rarely, liver irritation.

I want to be honest about the strength of this, though. It's only based on a test-tube study, not real people taking both together, so it's more of a theoretical concern than a proven problem. Still, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before you add False Unicorn, and let them know right away if you notice new muscle soreness.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Ho SH, Singh M, Holloway AC, Crankshaw DJ. The effects of commercial preparations of herbal supplements commonly used by women on the biotransformation of fluorogenic substrates by human cytochromes P450. Phytother Res. 2011;25(7):983-9. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

False Unicorn Also Interacts With Other Medications

False Unicorn has 739 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Atorvastatin Calcium one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 739 No known interaction 2,091 (incl. Atorvastatin Calcium)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against False Unicorn

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

From our Q&A

Questions About False Unicorn or Atorvastatin Calcium

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

This page covers False Unicorn only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Atorvastatin Calcium page lists 181 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 Green Tea (major).

Open the Atorvastatin Calcium interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 32 real supplement products containing False Unicorn, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides False Unicorn. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Atorvastatin Calcium too, on top of False Unicorn — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where False Unicorn and Atorvastatin Calcium 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 False Unicorn
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Atorvastatin Calcium
Top 5%

#111 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.

Supplement

About False Unicorn

What is False Unicorn?

False Unicorn
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Menopausal symptoms
  • Female infertility support
  • Irregular periods
  • Digestive complaints

False Unicorn is a North American plant whose root has long been used in traditional medicine for women's reproductive and menstrual concerns. There is very little reliable human research to show it actually works, and safety has not been well studied, so it should be used with caution and never during pregnancy. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before trying it.

Read the full False Unicorn monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Atorvastatin

What Is Atorvastatin Used For?

Brand name: Lipitor

Atorvastatin is used alongside a healthy diet to lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, triglycerides (blood fats), and other harmful lipids, while raising HDL ("good") cholesterol. It treats primary hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), mixed dyslipidemia (mixed abnormal blood fats), hypertriglyceridemia (high triglycerides), and inherited conditions such as heterozygous and homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia — including in children aged 10 and older.

Beyond cholesterol control, atorvastatin is used to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, revascularization procedures, and angina (chest pain) in adults with coronary heart disease or multiple risk factors for it — including adults with type 2 diabetes who have risk factors for heart disease even without a confirmed heart disease diagnosis.

See full Atorvastatin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & False Unicorn

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

0Major
739Moderate
0Minor
2,090No known interaction
739 Moderate 2,090 No interaction
Moderate

739 interactions

Showing 60 of 739 moderate interactions — see all 739 on the False Unicorn page.

No interaction 2,090 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,090 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full False Unicorn list.

See the full False Unicorn interactions page
See every supplement checked against Atorvastatin Calcium, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
False Unicorn monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Atorvastatin Calcium supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Atorvastatin Calcium, ranked by severity Atorvastatin drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking False Unicorn and Atorvastatin Calcium Together: Common Questions

Can you take False Unicorn with Atorvastatin Calcium?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the False Unicorn and Atorvastatin Calcium interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

Still Have a Question About Atorvastatin Calcium and False Unicorn?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.