Drug & supplement interaction

Green Tea + Empagliflozin, Metformin

Empagliflozin, Metformin brand name: Synjardy.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated October 2026
The bottom line Minor

Empagliflozin, Metformin falls into 2 drug categories that Green Tea can interact with; the most serious is rated minor. Theoretically, taking green tea with antidiabetes drugs might interfere with blood glucose control.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodUnlikely
Interactions2
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Green Tea and Empagliflozin, Metformin

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Green Tea interacts with whole categories of medication. Empagliflozin, Metformin falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Green Tea in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Minor).

Minor

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Empagliflozin, Metformin

Empagliflozin, Metformin falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Green Tea interacts with.

Theoretically, taking green tea with antidiabetes drugs might interfere with blood glucose control.
Concomitant use of green tea and antidiabetes drugs might interfere with blood glucose control. The data are conflicting. Reports claim that green tea and/or caffeine, a constituent of green tea, might increase or decrease blood sugar.
Severity Minor Likelihood Unlikely Evidence B

Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans..

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

Good news first: if you enjoy a cup or two of green tea while taking Synjardy (empagliflozin and metformin), this is considered a minor concern and unlikely to cause real trouble for most people. The idea on file is purely theoretical, and honestly the research points in both directions. Some reports suggest green tea (or the caffeine in it) might nudge blood sugar up a little, while others suggest it could lower it slightly.

What this means in plain terms: green tea might very slightly shift how well your blood sugar is controlled, but the evidence is weak and conflicting. If you drink a lot of strong tea or take concentrated green tea extract pills, that's worth mentioning to your pharmacist or doctor. Keep checking your sugars as usual, and don't change your medication on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Watson JM, Jenkins EJ, Hamilton P, et al. Influence of caffeine on the frequency and perception of hypoglycemia in free-living patients with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2000;23:455-9. PubMed
  2. Bell DG, Jacobs I, Ellerington K. Effect of caffeine and ephedrine ingestion on anaerobic exercise performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001;33:1399-403. PubMed
  3. Josic, J., Olsson, A. T., Wickeberg, J., Lindstedt, S., and Hlebowicz, J. Does green tea affect postprandial glucose, insulin and satiety in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled trial. Nutr.J. 2010;9:63. PubMed
  4. Hsu, C. H., Liao, Y. L., Lin, S. C., Tsai, T. H., Huang, C. J., and Chou, P. Does supplementation with green tea extract improve insulin resistance in obese type 2 diabetics? A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial. Altern.Med.R
  5. Bogdanski, P., Suliburska, J., Szulinska, M., Stepien, M., Pupek-Musialik, D., and Jablecka, A. Green tea extract reduces blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, and oxidative stress and improves parameters associated with insulin resistance in obese, h
  6. Liu K, Zhou R, Wang B, Chen K, Shi LY, Zhu JD, Mi MT. Effect of green tea on glucose control and insulin sensitivity: a meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Aug;98(2):340-8. PubMed
Minor

METFORMIN (Glucophage)

2 of 2
Theoretically, metformin might increase the levels and adverse effects of caffeine.
Green tea contains caffeine. Animal research suggests that metformin can reduce caffeine metabolism. Theoretically, concomitant use can increase caffeine serum concentrations and the risk of caffeine adverse effects.
Severity Minor 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 interesting twist with this combo: it's not that green tea changes how your Synjardy (empagliflozin and metformin) works, but the other way around. The metformin part may slow down how your body clears the caffeine that's naturally in green tea. In theory, that caffeine could hang around a bit longer and build up.

What might that feel like? The usual too-much-caffeine stuff: jitteriness, a racing heart, trouble sleeping, or an upset stomach. I want to be honest though, this is based only on animal lab research, so it's more theoretical than proven. A cup or two of green tea is very unlikely to be a problem. If you load up on caffeine or use green tea extract pills, just mention it to your pharmacist or doctor.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Mohiuddin, M., Azam, A. T., Amran, M. S., and Hossain, M. A. In vive effects of gliclazide and metformin on the plasma concentration of caffeine in healthy rats. Pak.J Biol Sci 5-1-2009;12(9):734-737.

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

Green Tea Also Interacts With Other Medications

Green Tea has 13 major, 908 moderate, 372 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Empagliflozin, Metformin one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 13 Moderate 908 Minor 372 No known interaction 1,537 (incl. Empagliflozin, Metformin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Green Tea

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Green Tea or Empagliflozin, Metformin

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

This page covers Green Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Empagliflozin, Metformin page lists 258 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 218 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Empagliflozin, Metformin page

“Severe low blood sugar from Siberian cocklebur is the scariest interaction on file for Synjardy (empagliflozin and metformin), and it has actually happened in people, not just in a lab. It is one of only two major-rated entries among the 258 interacting supplements and herbs here, a list I treat with genuine care.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Empagliflozin, Metformin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 9,084 real supplement products containing Green Tea, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Green Tea. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Empagliflozin, Metformin too, on top of Green Tea — 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 Green Tea and Empagliflozin, Metformin 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 Green Tea
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Empagliflozin, Metformin
Top 10%

#172 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 Green Tea

What is Green Tea?

Green Tea
  • Antioxidant support
  • Weight loss
  • Heart health
  • Mental alertness
  • Cancer risk reduction

Green tea is a popular beverage rich in antioxidants called catechins, and drinking it in normal amounts is considered safe for most people. Concentrated green tea extracts are a different story—they may help modestly with weight or heart health for some, but high doses have been linked to rare liver problems. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking green tea supplements, especially if you have liver concerns or are pregnant.

Read the full Green Tea monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Green Tea

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

13Major
908Moderate
372Minor
1,536No known interaction
13 Major 908 Moderate 372 Minor 1,536 No interaction
Major

13 interactions

Moderate

908 interactions

Showing 60 of 908 moderate interactions — see all 908 on the Green Tea page.

Minor

372 interactions

Showing 60 of 372 minor interactions — see all 372 on the Green Tea page.

No interaction 1,536 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,536 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Green Tea list.

See the full Green Tea interactions page
See every supplement checked against Empagliflozin, Metformin, 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
Green Tea monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Empagliflozin, Metformin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Empagliflozin, Metformin, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Green Tea and Empagliflozin, Metformin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Green Tea with Empagliflozin, Metformin?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Green Tea and Empagliflozin, Metformin?
Empagliflozin, Metformin belongs to more than one drug category, and Green Tea interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Green Tea and Empagliflozin, Metformin 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 Empagliflozin, Metformin and Green Tea?

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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.