Drug & supplement interaction

Ipriflavone + Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol

Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol brand names: Ortho-Cept 28, Ortho-Cept 21, Marvelon 21, Marvelon 28, Desogen, and others.

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

Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol falls into 2 drug categories that Ipriflavone can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Ipriflavone is thought to competitively inhibit cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2).

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

Ipriflavone and Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

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

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol

Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Ipriflavone interacts with.

Ipriflavone is thought to competitively inhibit cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2). Theoretically, concurrent use of ipriflavone and drugs metabolized by these enzymes might result in decreased drug elimination, increased serum levels, and potential toxicity. Some drugs metabolized by CYP1A2 include clozapine (Clozaril), cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), fluvoxamine (Luvox), haloperidol (Haldol), imipramine (Tofranil), mexiletine (Mexitil), olanzapine (Zyprexa), Pentazocine (Talwin), propranolol (Inderal), tacrine (Cognex), theophylline (Slo-bid, Theo-Dur, others), zileuton (Zyflo), Zolmitriptan (Zomig), and others.
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 gist for your birth control pill (desogestrel with ethinyl estradiol). Ipriflavone may gently block a liver enzyme called CYP1A2, which can slow down how your body clears certain medicines. In theory, that could let estrogen levels run a little higher than usual, which might bump up estrogen-type side effects like nausea, breast tenderness, bloating, or headaches.

That said, I want to keep this in perspective. This interaction is based only on lab and animal data, not real-world cases, so it's quite theoretical and not a strong worry. Your pill is also cleared mainly by other pathways. I wouldn't change anything on your own, but it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before adding ipriflavone, especially since its long-term safety isn't well proven.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Monostory K, Vereczkey L, Levai F, et al. Ipriflavone as an inhibitor of human cytochrome P450 enzymes. Br J Pharmacol 1998;123:605-10. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES.

Ipriflavone is thought to competitively inhibit cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9). Theoretically, concurrent use of ipriflavone and drugs metabolized by these enzymes might result in decreased drug elimination, increased serum levels, and potential toxicity. Some drugs metabolized by CYP2C9 include amitriptyline (Elavil), diazepam (Valium), estradiol (Estrace), tacrine (Cognex), verapamil (Calan), warfarin (Coumadin), zileuton (Zyflo), and others.
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. Your birth control pill contains an estrogen (ethinyl estradiol) and a progestin (desogestrel). Ipriflavone may gently slow down one of the liver enzymes (CYP2C9) that helps break these hormones down. If that happens, a bit more estrogen could linger in your bloodstream than usual.

In real life, that might mean more of the typical estrogen-related nuisances, like nausea, breast tenderness, bloating, headaches, or mood changes. Keep in mind this concern comes only from lab and test-tube studies, not from people, so it's more of a theoretical heads-up than a proven problem. It's still worth mentioning to your pharmacist or doctor before adding ipriflavone, so they can keep an eye on how you feel.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Monostory K, Vereczkey L, Levai F, et al. Ipriflavone as an inhibitor of human cytochrome P450 enzymes. Br J Pharmacol 1998;123:605-10. 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

Ipriflavone Also Interacts With Other Medications

Ipriflavone has 390 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 390 No known interaction 2,440 (incl. Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Ipriflavone

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol

This page covers Ipriflavone only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol page lists 246 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major) and St. John's Wort (major).

By severity: 6 major · 201 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol page

“St. John's Wort is the supplement I would flag first for anyone on desogestrel with ethinyl estradiol (Desogen, Ortho-Cept, Marvelon).”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 204 real supplement products containing Ipriflavone, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Ipriflavone. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol too, on top of Ipriflavone — 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 Ipriflavone and Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol 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 Ipriflavone
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol
Top 25%

#367 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 Ipriflavone

What is Ipriflavone?

Ipriflavone
  • Bone density and osteoporosis
  • Postmenopausal bone loss
  • Athletic performance
  • Tinnitus related to bone disorders

Ipriflavone is a synthetic isoflavone studied mainly for bone health and osteoporosis, but high-quality research has not shown that it reliably prevents fractures or builds strong bone. Because it can lower white blood cell counts in some people and its long-term safety is not well established, talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Read the full Ipriflavone monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ipriflavone

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

0Major
390Moderate
0Minor
2,439No known interaction
390 Moderate 2,439 No interaction
Moderate

390 interactions

Showing 60 of 390 moderate interactions — see all 390 on the Ipriflavone page.

No interaction 2,439 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,439 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ipriflavone list.

See the full Ipriflavone interactions page
See every supplement checked against Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol, 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
Ipriflavone monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol, 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 Ipriflavone and Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol Together: Common Questions

Can you take Ipriflavone with Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol?
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 Ipriflavone and Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol?
Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol belongs to more than one drug category, and Ipriflavone 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 Ipriflavone and Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol 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 Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol and Ipriflavone?

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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.