Drug & supplement interaction

Hops + Abemaciclib

Abemaciclib brand name: Verzenio.

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

Hops has a minor interaction with Abemaciclib. Theoretically, hops extract might alter metabolism of CYP3A4 substrates; however, this effect may not be clinically significant.

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

Hops and Abemaciclib

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

Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Abemaciclib

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

Theoretically, hops extract might alter metabolism of CYP3A4 substrates; however, this effect may not be clinically significant.
Animal research suggests that specific constituents of hops, called lupulones, can induce hepatic CYP3A4 enzyme activity. However, a pharmacokinetic study in healthy postmenopausal patients with normal metabolism shows that taking a standardized extract of spent hops containing prenylated phenols, as 59.5 mg twice daily for 2 weeks, decreases the concentration of alprazolam, a CYP3A4 probe substrate, by 7.6%. This reduction is unlikely to be clinically relevant.
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 situation with hops and your Verzenio (abemaciclib). Your body relies on a liver enzyme called CYP3A4 to break down abemaciclib, and there's a theory that hops could nudge this enzyme to work a little faster. If that happened, your medication might clear out slightly quicker and work a touch less well. Abemaciclib is an active drug, not a prodrug, so speeding it up means less of it sticking around, not more.

Honestly, the evidence here is thin and mostly from lab and animal studies. A human study found only a tiny 7.6% change with a related medication, which is not enough to matter. Still, because you're on cancer treatment, I'd loop in your oncologist or pharmacist before adding a hops supplement, just to be safe.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Mannering, G. J., Shoeman, J. A., and Deloria, L. B. Identification of the antibiotic hops component, colupulone, as an inducer of hepatic cytochrome P-4503A in the mouse. Drug Metab Dispos 1992;20(2):142-147. DOI
  2. van Breemen RB, Chen L, Tonsing-Carter A, et al. Pharmacokinetic Interactions of a Hop Dietary Supplement with Drug Metabolism in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women. J Agric Food Chem. 2020;68(18):5212-5220. 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

Hops Also Interacts With Other Medications

Hops has 289 moderate, 573 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Abemaciclib one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 289 Minor 573 No known interaction 1,968 (incl. Abemaciclib)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Hops

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Abemaciclib

This page covers Hops only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Abemaciclib page lists 138 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 94 moderate · 41 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Abemaciclib page

“A daily pill for a common form of advanced breast cancer, abemaciclib (Verzenio) only helps when its blood level stays steady, so this list of 138 supplements deserves genuine care. Nearly all of them act on CYP3A4, the liver enzyme that clears abemaciclib, meaning a supplement can push its level up and intensify side effects, or drag…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Abemaciclib interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,325 real supplement products containing Hops, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Hops. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Abemaciclib too, on top of Hops — 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 Hops and Abemaciclib 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 Hops
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Abemaciclib
Top 10

#4 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 Hops

What is Hops?

Hops
  • Sleep problems and insomnia
  • Anxiety and restlessness
  • Menopausal symptoms
  • Mild digestive complaints
  • Flavoring in beer and food

Hops are most often used for sleep and mild anxiety, frequently combined with valerian, but the human evidence is limited and not very strong. They are generally well tolerated when used short-term, though they may cause drowsiness, and should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding because their safety is unknown.

Read the full Hops monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Abemaciclib

What Is Abemaciclib Used For?

Brand name: Verzenio

Verzenio (abemaciclib) is used to treat adults with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. For early breast cancer at high risk of returning, Verzenio is taken alongside endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor) after surgery to help prevent recurrence.

For advanced or metastatic breast cancer, Verzenio can be used in three ways: combined with an aromatase inhibitor as a first hormonal treatment; combined with fulvestrant after the cancer has progressed on prior hormone therapy; or on its own after both hormone therapy and prior chemotherapy have stopped working.

See full Abemaciclib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Hops

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

0Major
289Moderate
573Minor
1,967No known interaction
289 Moderate 573 Minor 1,967 No interaction
Moderate

289 interactions

Showing 60 of 289 moderate interactions — see all 289 on the Hops page.

Minor

573 interactions

Showing 60 of 573 minor interactions — see all 573 on the Hops page.

No interaction 1,967 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,967 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Hops list.

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

Can you take Hops with Abemaciclib?
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 Hops and Abemaciclib 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 Abemaciclib and Hops?

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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.