Drug & supplement interaction

Genistein Combined Polysaccharide + Imipramine

Imipramine brand names: Tofranil, Tofranil PM.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated June 2023
The bottom line Minor

Genistein Combined Polysaccharide has a minor interaction with Imipramine. Some evidence suggests that genistein can alter the pharmacokinetics of CYP2C9 substrates and should be used cautiously with them.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceC
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Genistein Combined Polysaccharide and Imipramine

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

Minor

Cytochrome P450 2C9 (Cyp2C9) Substrates

Why this applies to Imipramine

Imipramine falls under Cytochrome P450 2C9 (Cyp2C9) Substrates — the group Genistein Combined Polysaccharide interacts with.

Some evidence suggests that genistein can alter the pharmacokinetics of CYP2C9 substrates and should be used cautiously with them. This has only been seen in animal studies however. (PUBMED https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29387488/)
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence C

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 with combining GCP and your imipramine (Tofranil). The genistein in this soy-mushroom supplement might slow down a liver enzyme called CYP2C9, which is one of the pathways your body uses to clear imipramine. If that pathway slows, a bit more imipramine could hang around, which in theory might nudge up its usual side effects like dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, or a faster heartbeat.

Now, the honest part: this concern comes only from animal studies, so it's flagged as a minor, possible interaction with weak evidence. It may not amount to much in real life, especially at food-level soy amounts versus concentrated supplement doses. Still, since imipramine takes careful dose adjusting, please run GCP by your oncologist or pharmacist before starting it.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction

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

Genistein Combined Polysaccharide Also Interacts With Other Medications

Genistein Combined Polysaccharide has 29 moderate, 110 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Imipramine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 29 Minor 110 No known interaction 2,691 (incl. Imipramine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Genistein Combined Polysaccharide

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Genistein Combined Polysaccharide or Imipramine

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

This page covers Genistein Combined Polysaccharide only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Imipramine page lists 254 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 11 major · 190 moderate · 53 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Imipramine page

“Imipramine (Tofranil) is an older tricyclic antidepressant, and the supplements on this page deserve real scrutiny before you add one. Most of the list acts on the liver enzymes that process the drug, so an ingredient can quietly raise or lower imipramine levels: grapefruit pushes them up, while St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Imipramine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Genistein Combined Polysaccharide and Imipramine 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 Genistein Combined Polysaccharide
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Imipramine
Steady interest

#2,282 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 Genistein Combined Polysaccharide

What is Genistein Combined Polysaccharide?

  • Prostate cancer support
  • Bladder cancer support
  • Breast cancer support
  • Hormone-related cancers
  • Immune support

Genistein Combined Polysaccharide (GCP) is a soy-and-mushroom supplement studied mostly for hormone-related cancers like prostate cancer, but solid human evidence is still limited. It should never replace standard cancer treatment, and you should talk with your oncologist and pharmacist before using it, especially if you have a hormone-sensitive condition.

Read the full Genistein Combined Polysaccharide monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Imipramine

What Is Imipramine Used For?

Brand names: Tofranil, Tofranil PM

Imipramine is used to relieve symptoms of depression. Both Imipramine Hydrochloride tablets and Imipramine Pamoate capsules are approved for this use. Endogenous depression — the kind that seems to arise from within rather than a clear outside cause — tends to respond especially well. It may take one to three weeks before you notice the full benefit.

Imipramine Hydrochloride tablets are also approved as a short-term, add-on treatment to help reduce nighttime bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) in children aged 6 and older, after a doctor has ruled out physical causes.

See full Imipramine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Genistein Combined Polysaccharide

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

0Major
29Moderate
110Minor
2,690No known interaction
29 Moderate 110 Minor 2,690 No interaction
Moderate

29 interactions

Minor

110 interactions

Showing 60 of 110 minor interactions — see all 110 on the Genistein Combined Polysaccharide page.

No interaction 2,690 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,690 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Genistein Combined Polysaccharide list.

See the full Genistein Combined Polysaccharide interactions page
See every supplement checked against Imipramine, 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
Genistein Combined Polysaccharide monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Imipramine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Imipramine, ranked by severity Imipramine 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 Genistein Combined Polysaccharide and Imipramine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Genistein Combined Polysaccharide with Imipramine?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Genistein Combined Polysaccharide and Imipramine interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Imipramine and Genistein Combined Polysaccharide?

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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.