Drug & supplement interaction

Higenamine + Zolpidem

Zolpidem brand names: Ambien CR, Intermezzo, Sublinox.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Higenamine has a moderate interaction with Zolpidem. Theoretically, higenamine might increase the levels and clinical effects drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

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

Higenamine and Zolpidem

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

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Zolpidem

Zolpidem falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Higenamine interacts with.

Theoretically, higenamine might increase the levels and clinical effects drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.
In vitro research shows that higenamine inhibits CYP3A4 enzymes by 21%. However, this effect has not been reported in humans.
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 basic idea: your body uses a liver enzyme called CYP3A4 to clear zolpidem out of your system. In lab dish studies, higenamine slowed that enzyme down by about 21%. If that same thing happened in people, zolpidem could hang around a bit longer and hit harder, meaning more next-morning grogginess, dizziness, trouble with coordination, or feeling overly sedated.

I want to be honest with you though: this has only been seen in test-tube research, not in real people, so it's more of a theoretical caution than a proven problem. There's a separate concern worth mentioning too. Higenamine is a stimulant that can raise heart rate and blood pressure, which works against a sleep aid. I'd run this combo by your pharmacist or doctor before using both.

References
  1. Liu Y, Santillo MF. Cytochrome P450 2D6 and 3A4 enzyme inhibition by amine stimulants in dietary supplements. Drug Test Anal. 2016;8(3-4):307-10. 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

Higenamine Also Interacts With Other Medications

Higenamine has 890 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Zolpidem one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Higenamine

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Higenamine or Zolpidem

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

This page covers Higenamine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Zolpidem page lists 195 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 9 major · 147 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Zolpidem page

“Zolpidem (Ambien, Intermezzo) is a sleep medicine that works by slowing the brain, and the 195 supplements and herbal ingredients on this page deserve genuine care, starting with the nine rated major. Most of the list pulls in one of two directions.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Zolpidem interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 154 real supplement products containing Higenamine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Higenamine. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Zolpidem too, on top of Higenamine — 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 Higenamine and Zolpidem 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 Higenamine
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Zolpidem
Top half

#878 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 Higenamine

What is Higenamine?

  • Weight loss and fat burning
  • Pre-workout energy and performance
  • Appetite suppression
  • Athletic stimulant
  • Traditional medicine remedies

Higenamine is a plant-based stimulant compound added to many weight-loss and pre-workout supplements, but there is very little human evidence that it works and real concerns about heart and blood pressure effects. It is banned in sports by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and product labels often list inaccurate amounts, so most people should approach it with caution and talk to a pharmacist or doctor first.

Read the full Higenamine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Zolpidem

What Is Zolpidem Used For?

Brand names: Ambien CR, Intermezzo, Sublinox

Zolpidem is used short-term for insomnia. Most formulations — including Ambien, oral tablets, and Zolpidem Tartrate Capsules — are approved to help people who have trouble falling asleep at bedtime. Zolpidem Tartrate Capsules are specifically indicated for adults under 65.

The extended-release formulations (including Zolpidem Tartrate Extended-Release Tablets) help with both falling asleep and staying asleep through the night. Sublingual tablets (Edluar, Zolpidem Tartrate Sublingual Tablet, and Zolpidem tartrate sublingual) are taken as needed when you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep — but only if at least 4 hours of sleep time remain before you need to be up.

See full Zolpidem drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Higenamine

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

0Major
890Moderate
0Minor
1,939No known interaction
Moderate

890 interactions

Showing 60 of 890 moderate interactions — see all 890 on the Higenamine page.

No interaction 1,939 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Higenamine and Zolpidem Together: Common Questions

Can you take Higenamine with Zolpidem?
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 Higenamine and Zolpidem 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 Zolpidem and Higenamine?

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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.