Drug & supplement interaction

Hops + Aripiprazole

Aripiprazole brand names: Abilify, Abilify Mycite, Abilify Maintena.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Aripiprazole falls into 2 drug categories that Hops can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, concomitant use of hops with sedative drugs might cause additive sedation.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Hops and Aripiprazole

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

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

Moderate

CNS DEPRESSANTS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Aripiprazole

Aripiprazole falls under CNS DEPRESSANTS — the group Hops interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use of hops with sedative drugs might cause additive sedation.
Some animal research shows that hops has sedative effects.
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 simple version: hops may have a mild calming, sleepy effect, and aripiprazole (Abilify) can already cause drowsiness in some people. Put them together and the worry is just that the two sedating effects could stack up, leaving you more tired, foggy, or less steady on your feet than usual.

I want to be honest about how strong this concern is. It's theoretical, based mostly on animal studies and what we know about how these compounds behave, not solid human research. Hops doesn't change how your body breaks aripiprazole down, so it's really about the extra drowsiness, not a dangerous buildup of the drug. If you'd like to try hops for sleep, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor first and notice how alert you feel before driving.

References
  1. Schiller, H., Forster, A., Vonhoff, C., Hegger, M., Biller, A., and Winterhoff, H. Sedating effects of Humulus lupulus L. extracts. Phytomedicine. 2006;13(8):535-541. PubMed
  2. Lee KM, Jung JS, Song DK, and et al. Effects of Humulus lupulus extract on the central nervous system in mice. Planta Med 1993;59(Suppl):A691.
  3. Assessment report on Humulus lupulus L., flos. European Medicines Agency, 2014. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-report/final-assessment-report-humulus-lupulus-l-flos_en.pdf. Accessed September 29, 2021.
Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Aripiprazole also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES.

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 quick version: your body uses a liver enzyme called CYP3A4 to help clear aripiprazole (Abilify). Some lab and animal studies hint that compounds in hops might nudge that enzyme to work a little faster, which in theory could lower your aripiprazole levels and make it slightly less effective. In real terms, that might mean your symptoms aren't quite as well controlled.

But I want to keep this in perspective. In an actual human study, hops changed levels of a similar drug by under 8 percent, which is too small to really matter. So this is mostly theoretical and very unlikely to cause a problem. If you notice extra drowsiness or feel your symptoms shifting, just check in with your pharmacist or doctor before changing anything.

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 288 moderate, 574 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Aripiprazole one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Hops or Aripiprazole

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

This page covers Hops only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Aripiprazole page lists 250 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), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major) and Beer (major).

By severity: 17 major · 194 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Aripiprazole page

“Aripiprazole (Abilify) is an antipsychotic prescribed for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and as an add-on for depression, and this is one of the lists I want readers to treat with real care. The biggest cluster changes how the body handles the drug itself: grapefruit can raise aripiprazole levels, while St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Aripiprazole 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 Aripiprazole 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 Aripiprazole 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Aripiprazole
Top 5%

#123 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 Aripiprazole

What Is Aripiprazole Used For?

Brand names: Abilify, Abilify Mycite, Abilify Maintena

Aripiprazole treats several mental health conditions. It is approved for schizophrenia, acute manic and mixed episodes of Bipolar I Disorder, and as an add-on to antidepressants for Major Depressive Disorder.

It is also used for irritability linked to autistic disorder and for Tourette's disorder — in both children and adults depending on the condition.

See full Aripiprazole 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
288Moderate
574Minor
1,967No known interaction
Moderate

288 interactions

Showing 60 of 288 moderate interactions — see all 288 on the Hops page.

Minor

574 interactions

Showing 60 of 574 minor interactions — see all 574 on the Hops page.

No interaction 1,967 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 Hops and Aripiprazole Together: Common Questions

Can you take Hops with Aripiprazole?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Hops and Aripiprazole?
Aripiprazole belongs to more than one drug category, and Hops 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 Hops and Aripiprazole 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 Aripiprazole 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.