Drug & supplement interaction

Inositol Nicotinate + Sitagliptin

Sitagliptin brand names: Januvia, Zituvio.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Inositol Nicotinate has a moderate interaction with Sitagliptin. Theoretically, inositol nicotinate might increase blood glucose levels and may diminish the effects of antidiabetes drugs.

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

Inositol Nicotinate and Sitagliptin

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Sitagliptin

Sitagliptin falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Inositol Nicotinate interacts with.

Theoretically, inositol nicotinate might increase blood glucose levels and may diminish the effects of antidiabetes drugs.
Inositol nicotinate is metabolized to niacin in the body. Niacin can cause hyperglycemia, abnormal glucose tolerance, and glycosuria. Increased blood glucose monitoring may be necessary, particularly early in the course of treatment.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence B

Interaction 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..

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

Here's the thing to keep in mind if you take sitagliptin (Januvia) for type 2 diabetes. Inositol nicotinate is a 'no-flush' niacin product, and once it's in your body it slowly releases niacin. Niacin can nudge blood sugar in the wrong direction (upward), so it may partly work against what sitagliptin is doing. In other words, your numbers could creep higher than usual.

This isn't because of a battle over how the drug is broken down. Sitagliptin is not a prodrug, and it's mostly cleared by the kidneys unchanged. The concern is simply niacin's known effect on glucose. The evidence here is modest, but it's reasonable to watch your readings more closely, especially in the first weeks. Please loop in your pharmacist or doctor before adding this supplement so they can help you monitor.

References
  1. Anon. Inositol hexaniacinate. Altern Med Rev 1998;3:222-3.
  2. Crouse JR III. New developments in the use of niacin for treatment of hyperlipidemia: new considerations in the use of an old drug. Coron Artery Dis 1996;7:321-6. PubMed
  3. Garg A, Grundy SM. Nicotinic acid as therapy for dyslipidemia in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. JAMA 1990;264:723-6. DOI
  4. McKenney J. New perspectives on the use of niacin in the treatment of lipid disorders. Arch Intern Med 2004;164:697-705. 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

Inositol Nicotinate Also Interacts With Other Medications

Inositol Nicotinate has 222 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Sitagliptin 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 Inositol Nicotinate

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Inositol Nicotinate or Sitagliptin

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

This page covers Inositol Nicotinate only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Sitagliptin page lists 256 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 · 215 moderate · 39 minor.

Open the Sitagliptin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 202 real supplement products containing Inositol Nicotinate, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Inositol Nicotinate. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Sitagliptin too, on top of Inositol Nicotinate — 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 Inositol Nicotinate and Sitagliptin 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 Inositol Nicotinate
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Sitagliptin
Top half

#714 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 Inositol Nicotinate

What is Inositol Nicotinate?

Inositol Nicotinate
  • Cholesterol support
  • Improving circulation
  • Raynaud's phenomenon
  • Intermittent claudication (leg pain with walking)
  • A 'no-flush' niacin alternative

Inositol nicotinate is a 'no-flush' form of niacin marketed for cholesterol and circulation. Evidence that it works as well as regular niacin is weak and inconsistent, and it is not a proven replacement for prescription cholesterol treatment. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have liver problems or take other medicines.

Read the full Inositol Nicotinate monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Sitagliptin

What Is Sitagliptin Used For?

Brand names: Januvia, Zituvio

Sitagliptin is used alongside diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is available as tablets (Januvia, Zituvio, and generic sitagliptin products) and as an oral solution (Brynovin), all approved for this same use.

Sitagliptin is not for type 1 diabetes. It has not been studied in people with a history of pancreatitis, so its safety in that group is unknown.

See full Sitagliptin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Inositol Nicotinate

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

0Major
222Moderate
0Minor
2,607No known interaction
Moderate

222 interactions

Showing 60 of 222 moderate interactions — see all 222 on the Inositol Nicotinate page.

No interaction 2,607 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 Inositol Nicotinate and Sitagliptin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Inositol Nicotinate with Sitagliptin?
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 Inositol Nicotinate and Sitagliptin 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 Sitagliptin and Inositol Nicotinate?

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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.