Drug & supplement interaction

Fasting + Duloxetine

Duloxetine brand names: Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle, Irenka.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Fasting and Duloxetine 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 two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Fasting and Duloxetine

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 Duloxetine and Fasting in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — research on Fasting alongside specific medications may be limited.

Fasting is an eating pattern rather than something you take. Ask your pharmacist or doctor before changing how you eat while on a prescribed medicine: some medicines are dosed around meals, and a change in diet can change how they work. 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.

Fasting safety at a glance

Fasting overall Use caution Often tolerated by healthy adults but can be risky for some people and medications.
Pregnancy Avoid Prolonged or strict fasting is generally discouraged during pregnancy without medical supervision.
Breastfeeding Use caution May affect hydration, energy, and possibly milk supply, so check with your provider first.

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

Still wondering about combining Duloxetine and Fasting? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Duloxetine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Duloxetine is filed under 8 classifications — including antidepressant drugs, cytochrome p450 2d6 (cyp2d6) inhibitors, serotonergic drugs. Fasting has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — the most serious being warfarin (coumadin) (major), anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — and none of Duloxetine’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

Fasting Does Interact With Other Medications

Fasting has 2 major, 206 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Duloxetine 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 Fasting

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Fasting and Duloxetine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so following Fasting while taking the medicine can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. 2 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Low sodium Worth acting on Additional detail

    Fasting

    “Hyponatremia has occurred rarely with medically supervised water-only fasting. Transitory hypoglycemia and bleeding gums have occurred rarely with medically supervised very low-calorie fasting.

    Hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia are not more common with intermittent fasting when compared with continuous energy restriction.”

    Fasting · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hypoglycemia.

    4 sources cited
    1. 102755. Finnell JS, Saul BC, Goldhamer AC, Myers TR. Is fasting safe? A chart review of adverse events during medically supervised, water-only fasting. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018;18(1):67. PubMed
    2. 102753. Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0209353. PubMed
    3. 102736. Carter S, Clifton PM, Keogh JB. Effect of intermittent compared with continuous energy restricted diet on glycemic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes: A randomized noninferiority trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(3):e180756. PubMed
    4. 108366. He S, Wang J, Zhang J, Xu J. Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction for weight loss and metabolic improvement: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2021;29(1):108-115. PubMed

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    Fasting

    Recorded for Fasting in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Low sodium above.

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Dry mouth / Stomach upset / Stomach pain Additional detail

    Fasting

    “Medically supervised water-only fasting has resulted in nausea in about 32% of patients. Dyspepsia, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting have occurred less commonly. Vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, dyspepsia, bloating, bad breath, and dry mouth have also occurred rarely with medically supervised very low-calorie fasting.

    The main adverse effect of the intermittent fasting diet is hunger, which generally resolves with t…”

    Fasting · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    6 sources cited
    1. 102755. Finnell JS, Saul BC, Goldhamer AC, Myers TR. Is fasting safe? A chart review of adverse events during medically supervised, water-only fasting. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018;18(1):67. PubMed
    2. 102753. Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0209353. PubMed
    3. 102741. Cioffi I, Evangelista A, Ponzo V, et al. Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Transl Med. 2018;16(1):371. PubMed
    4. 102748. Conley M, Le Fevre L, Haywood C, Proietto J. Is two days of intermittent energy restriction per week a feasible weight loss approach in obese males? A randomised pilot study. Nutr Diet. 2018;75(1):65-72. PubMed
    5. 108359. Li C, Xing C, Zhang J, Zhao H, Shi W, He B. Eight-hour time-restricted feeding improves endocrine and metabolic profiles in women with anovulatory polycystic ovary syndrome. J Transl Med 2021;19(1):148. PubMed
    6. 108366. He S, Wang J, Zhang J, Xu J. Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction for weight loss and metabolic improvement: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2021;29(1):108-115. PubMed

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Back pain / Muscle pain Additional detail

    Fasting

    “Medically supervised water-only fasting has resulted in back pain in about 25% of patients. Other pain in extremities has also occurred. Medically supervised very low-calorie fasting has resulted rarely in muscle cramps, restless legs, and back pain.

    Muscle fatigue has been reported in clinical trials of intermittent fasting.”

    Fasting · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in back pain.

    4 sources cited
    1. 102755. Finnell JS, Saul BC, Goldhamer AC, Myers TR. Is fasting safe? A chart review of adverse events during medically supervised, water-only fasting. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018;18(1):67. PubMed
    2. 102753. Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0209353. PubMed
    3. 102746. Harris L, McGarty A, Hutchison L, Ells L, Hankey C. Short-term intermittent energy restriction interventions for weight management: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2018;19(1):1-13. PubMed
    4. 108364. Peos JJ, Helms ER, Fournier PA, et al. Continuous versus intermittent dieting for fat loss and fat-free mass retention in resistance-trained adults: The ICECAP trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2021;53(8):1685-1698. PubMed

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Trouble sleeping Additional detail

    Fasting

    “Medically supervised water-only fasting has resulted in fatigue in about 50% of patients. Insomnia, lightheadedness, and headache were also fairly common. Medically supervised very low-calorie fasting has also resulted rarely in cold sensitivity, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, and sleep disturbance.

    Headache, reduced energy, sleep disturbance, cold sensitivity, dizziness, lightheadedness, irritability,…”

    Fasting · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    6 sources cited
    1. 102755. Finnell JS, Saul BC, Goldhamer AC, Myers TR. Is fasting safe? A chart review of adverse events during medically supervised, water-only fasting. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018;18(1):67. PubMed
    2. 102753. Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0209353. PubMed
    3. 102737. Tinsley GM, Moore ML, Graybeal AJ, et al. Time-restricted feeding plus resistance training in active females: a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;110(3):628-640. PubMed
    4. 102741. Cioffi I, Evangelista A, Ponzo V, et al. Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Transl Med. 2018;16(1):371. PubMed
    5. 102742. Schübel R, Nattenmüller J, Sookthai D, et al. Effects of intermittent and continuous calorie restriction on body weight and metabolism over 50 wk: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;108(5):933-945. PubMed
    6. 102744. Sundfør TM, Svendsen M, Tonstad S. Effect of intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss, maintenance and cardiometabolic risk: A randomized 1-year trial. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2018;28(7):698-706. PubMed

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Constipation Additional detail

    Fasting

    Recorded for Fasting in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Low sodium above.

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Tiredness Additional detail

    Fasting

    Recorded for Fasting in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Low sodium above.

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Showing the 10 most notable of 15 shared effects — ranked by how unusual each one is, not just whether both lists mention it.

Reported for Fasting but not commonly for Duloxetine: raised blood pressure, blurred vision, high blood sugar and mood changes or irritability.

Effects for Duloxetine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Fasting come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Overlapping uses

What Duloxetine Is Prescribed For, and What Fasting Has Been Studied For

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

Duloxetine is prescribed for: Duloxetine delayed-release capsules treat major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults. They also manage diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (nerve pain from diabetes), fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain (such as chronic low back pain and pain from osteoarthritis) in adults. GAD is also approved in pediatric patients 7 years and older for Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle, and certain duloxetine delayed-release capsule products. Fibromyalgia is approved in patients 13 years and older for Cymbalta and some duloxetine delayed-release capsule products.

Read the rest of what Duloxetine is prescribed for

Age-specific approvals vary by product — follow your prescriber's guidance on which product is right for your age group.

Fasting has been studied for:

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

    Fasting for fibromyalgia

    Although there is interest in using fasting for fibromyalgia, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of fasting for this condition.

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

    Fasting for diabetes

    It is unclear if fasting is beneficial for diabetes.

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Fasting or Duloxetine

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

This page covers Fasting only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Duloxetine page lists 132 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Lithium (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major) and Wine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 107 moderate · 20 minor.

Open the Duloxetine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Fasting and Duloxetine 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 Fasting
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Duloxetine
Top 5%

#47 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 Fasting reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Fasting and Duloxetine 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 .
Eating pattern

About Fasting

What is Fasting?

  • Weight loss
  • Blood sugar control
  • Heart health
  • Religious or spiritual practice
  • General wellness and longevity

Fasting means voluntarily going without food (and sometimes drink) for set periods. Some research suggests it may help with weight loss and blood sugar in certain people, but results vary and quality of evidence is mixed. It is not safe for everyone, so check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting—especially if you take medication or have a health condition.

Not applicable (a dietary practice, not a substance) · Time-restricted eating, alternate-day fasting, periodic multi-day fasts, intermittent fasting (e.g., 16:8 or 5:2), religious fasting

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

Fasting: dosing

There is no single "correct" fasting schedule, and no standardized dose. Popular approaches include daily time-restricted eating (such as a 16:8 pattern), the 5:2 plan, and alternate-day fasting. The best choice depends on your health, lifestyle, and goals.If you are new to fasting, it's wise to start gently—such as a slightly shorter eating window—and to drink plenty of water during fasting periods (unless your fast restricts fluids for religious reasons).

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

Read the full Fasting monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Duloxetine

What Is Duloxetine Used For?

Brand names: Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle, Irenka

Duloxetine delayed-release capsules treat major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults. They also manage diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (nerve pain from diabetes), fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain (such as chronic low back pain and pain from osteoarthritis) in adults.

GAD is also approved in pediatric patients 7 years and older for Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle, and certain duloxetine delayed-release capsule products. Fibromyalgia is approved in patients 13 years and older for Cymbalta and some duloxetine delayed-release capsule products. Age-specific approvals vary by product — follow your prescriber's guidance on which product is right for your age group.

See full Duloxetine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Fasting

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

2Major
206Moderate
0Minor
2,621No known interaction
Major

2 interactions

Moderate

206 interactions

Showing 60 of 206 moderate interactions — see all 206 on the Fasting page.

No interaction 2,621 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Fasting References

The 23 references that drive our Fasting 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. Carter S, Clifton PM, Keogh JB. Effect of intermittent compared with continuous energy restricted diet on glycemic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes: A randomized noninferiority trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(3):e180756. PubMed
  2. Tinsley GM, Moore ML, Graybeal AJ, et al. Time-restricted feeding plus resistance training in active females: a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;110(3):628-640. PubMed
  3. Cioffi I, Evangelista A, Ponzo V, et al. Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Transl Med. 2018;16(1):371. PubMed
  4. Schübel R, Nattenmüller J, Sookthai D, et al. Effects of intermittent and continuous calorie restriction on body weight and metabolism over 50 wk: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;108(5):933-945. PubMed
  5. Sundfør TM, Svendsen M, Tonstad S. Effect of intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss, maintenance and cardiometabolic risk: A randomized 1-year trial. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2018;28(7):698-706. PubMed
  6. Harris L, Hamilton S, Azevedo LB, et al. Intermittent fasting interventions for treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2018;16(2):507-547. PubMed
  7. Harris L, McGarty A, Hutchison L, Ells L, Hankey C. Short-term intermittent energy restriction interventions for weight management: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2018;19(1):1-13. PubMed
  8. Conley M, Le Fevre L, Haywood C, Proietto J. Is two days of intermittent energy restriction per week a feasible weight loss approach in obese males? A randomised pilot study. Nutr Diet. 2018;75(1):65-72. PubMed
  9. Chowdhury A, Khan H, Lasker SS, Chowdhury TA. Fasting outcomes in people with diabetes and chronic kidney disease in East London during Ramadan 2018: The East London diabetes in Ramadan survey. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2019;152:166-170. PubMed
  10. Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0209353. PubMed
  11. Finnell JS, Saul BC, Goldhamer AC, Myers TR. Is fasting safe? A chart review of adverse events during medically supervised, water-only fasting. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018;18(1):67. PubMed
  12. Katada Y, Nakagawa S, Nishimura A, et al. Effects of fasting on warfarin sensitivity index in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2019;75(4):561-568. PubMed
  13. Lai YF, Cheen MHH, Lim SH, et al. The effects of fasting in Muslim patients taking warfarin. J Thromb Haemost. 2014;12(3):349-54. PubMed
  14. Grajower MM, Horne BD. Clinical management of intermittent fasting in patients with diabetes mellitus. Nutrients. 2019;11(4):873. PubMed
  15. Ibrahim M, Davies MJ, Ahmad E, et al. Recommendations for management of diabetes during Ramadan: update 2020, applying the principles of the ADA/EASD consensus. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2020;8(1):e001248. 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

Following Fasting While Taking Duloxetine: Common Questions

Is it safe to follow Fasting while taking Duloxetine?
We do not list a known interaction between Fasting and Duloxetine. 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.
Do Fasting and Duloxetine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 10 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Are Fasting and Duloxetine 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 Fasting in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Duloxetine is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Fasting and Duloxetine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Duloxetine is filed under 8 classifications, and Fasting has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — none of Duloxetine'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 Fasting interact with any other medications?
Yes. Fasting has 208 documented drug interactions in our database — Duloxetine 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 Duloxetine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Duloxetine has documented interactions with 132 supplements in our database — Fasting is not one of them. The Duloxetine 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 Duloxetine and Fasting?

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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.