Drug & supplement interaction

Iron + Duloxetine

Duloxetine brand names: Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle, Irenka.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Iron and Duloxetine in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Iron and Duloxetine

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Duloxetine and Iron in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Iron safety at a glance

Iron overall Use caution Generally safe at recommended doses, but excess iron can be toxic and supplements should be used when there is a real need.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately. Iron is safe during pregnancy and breast-feeding in patients with adequate iron stores when used in doses below the tolerabl... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately. Iron is safe during pregnancy and breast-feeding in patients with adequate iron stores when used in doses below the tolerabl... Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Duloxetine and Iron? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Duloxetine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Duloxetine is filed under 8 classifications — including antidepressant drugs, cytochrome p450 2d6 (cyp2d6) inhibitors, serotonergic drugs. Iron has documented interactions with 13 drug classes — the most serious being bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (biktarvy) (moderate), bisphosphonates (moderate) and denosumab (prolia, others) (moderate) — and none of Duloxetine’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Iron Does Interact With Other Medications

Iron has 79 moderate, 1 minor known drug interactions in our database — Duloxetine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 79 Minor 1 No known interaction 2,750 (incl. Duloxetine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Iron

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Iron and Duloxetine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    Iron

    “Orally, iron can cause dry mouth, gastrointestinal irritation, heartburn, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. These adverse effects are uncommon at doses below the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 45 mg per day of elemental iron in adults with normal iron stores. Higher doses can be taken safely in adults with iron deficiency, but gastrointestinal side effects may occur.”

    Iron · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in alzheimer disease.

    6 sources cited
    1. 96621. Low MS, Speedy J, Styles CE, De-Regil LM, Pasricha SR. Daily iron supplementation for improving anaemia, iron status and health in menstruating women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;4:CD009747. PubMed
    2. 102864. Kaundal R, Bhatia P, Jain A, et al. Randomized controlled trial of twice-daily versus alternate-day oral iron therapy in the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia. Ann Hematol 2020;99(1):57-63. PubMed
    3. 104680. Li N, Zhao G, Wu W, et al. The efficacy and safety of vitamin C for iron supplementation in adult patients with iron deficiency anemia: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(11):e2023644.<br> PubMed
    4. 104684. Houston BL, Hurrie D, Graham J, et al. Efficacy of iron supplementation on fatigue and physical capacity in non-anaemic iron-deficient adults: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open. 2018;8(4):e019240. PubMed
    5. 110179. Koch RM, Tchernodrinski S, Principe DR. Case report: Rapid onset, ischemic-type gastritis after initiating oral iron supplementation. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022;9:1010897. PubMed
    6. 110185. Rogozinska E, Daru J, Nicolaides M, et al. Iron preparations for women of reproductive age with iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy (FRIDA): a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet Haematol 2021;8(7):e503-e512. PubMed

    “Orally, iron has been associated with rare reports of iron pill aspiration. This occurs when all or part of the pill is aspirated into the lungs. Once in the lungs, it can cause a chemical burn of the bronchial mucosa. Dozens of cases of iron pill aspiration have been reported in individuals ranging in age from 22 months to 92 years. Patients presented with cough, dyspnea, wheezing, and hemoptysis.”

    Iron · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in burns.

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Sweating Additional detail

    Iron

    “Cutaneous hemosiderosis, or skin staining, has been reported following intravenous (IV) iron infusion in various case reports. Most of these cases are due to extravasation following iron infusion. In one case, extravasation has occurred following iron derisomaltose infusion in a 41-year-old female with chronic kidney disease. Rarely, diffuse cutaneous hermosiderosis has occurred.”

    Iron · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in extravasation.

    2 sources cited
    1. 112605. Shi R, Marin JG, Beaulieu M. Skin staining following intravenous iron extravasation in a patient with chronic kidney disease: A case report. Can J Kidney Health Dis 2023;10:20543581231165705. PubMed
    2. 112611. Fernandez-Flores A, Fernandez-Parrado M, Alzoghby-Abi Chaker J, Angulo AG. Axillary cutaneous hemosiderosis in a patient with hyperhidrosis, after intravenous iron infusion. Am J Dermatopathol 2023;45(7):463-465. PubMed

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Dry mouth / Stomach upset Additional detail

    Iron

    Recorded for Iron in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Bleeding or bruising above.

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Back pain / Low blood pressure Additional detail

    Iron

    “Intravenously, sodium ferric gluconate complex (SFGC) caused drug intolerance reactions in 0.4% of hemodialysis patients including 2 patients with pruritus and one patient each with anaphylactoid reaction, hypotension, chills, back pain, dyspnea/chest pain, facial flushing, rash and cutaneous symptoms of porphyria.”

    Iron · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in back pain.

    1 source cited
    1. 56527. Michael, B., Coyne, D. W., Fishbane, S., Folkert, V., Lynn, R., Nissenson, A. R., Agarwal, R., Eschbach, J. W., Fadem, S. Z., Trout, J. R., Strobos, J., and Warnock, D. G. Sodium ferric gluconate complex in hemodialysis patients: adverse reactions compar

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Constipation / Diarrhea / Vomiting Additional detail

    Iron

    “Orally or intravenously, iron is generally well tolerated when used appropriately.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, and vomiting.

    Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):

    Orally: Case reports have raised concerns about oral or gastric ulcerations.

    Intravenously: Case reports have raised concerns about hypophosphatemia and osteomalacia.”

    Iron · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Stomach pain Additional detail

    Iron

    “There is debate regarding the association between coronary heart disease (CHD) or myocardial infarction (MI) and high iron intake or high body iron stores. Some observational studies have reported that high body iron stores are associated with increased risk of MI and CHD.”

    Iron · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in alcohol-related liver disease.

    6 sources cited
    1. 1492. Klipstein-Grobusch K, Grobbee DE, den Breeijen JH, et al. Dietary iron and risk of myocardial infarction in the Rotterdam Study. Am J Epidemiol 1999;149:421-8. PubMed
    2. 9542. Schumann K, Borch-Iohnsen B, Hentze MW, Marx JJ. Tolerable upper intakes for dietary iron set by the US Food and Nutrition Board (commentary). Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:499-500. PubMed
    3. 9544. Tuomainen TP, Punnonen K, Nyyssonen K, Salonen JT. Association between body iron stores and the risk of acute myocardial infarction in men. Circulation 1998;97:1461-6.. PubMed
    4. 9545. Salonen JT, Nyyssonen K, Korpela H, et al. High stored iron levels are associated with excess risk of myocardial infarction in Eastern Finnish men. Circulation 1992;86:803-11.. PubMed
    5. 15175. Kiechl S, Willeit J, Egger G, et al. Body iron stores and the risk of carotid atherosclerosis: prospective results from the Bruneck study. Circulation 1997;96:3300-07. PubMed
    6. 112607. Jara Vidal M, López García MC, Quílez Toboso RP. Kounis syndrome after intravenous iron administration. Med Clin (Barc) 2023. DOI

    Duloxetine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Duloxetine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Showing the 10 most notable of 12 shared effects — ranked by how unusual each one is, not just whether both lists mention it.

Reported for Iron but not commonly for Duloxetine: kidney problems, a severe allergic reaction, a heart attack and an allergic reaction.

Effects for Duloxetine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Iron come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Iron in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally and appropriately. Iron is safe during pregnancy and breast-feeding in patients with adequate iron stores when used in doses below the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 45 mg daily of elemental iron.

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Unsafe

When used orally in high doses. Tell patients who are not iron deficient to avoid exceeding the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 45 mg daily of elemental iron. Higher doses frequently cause gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and vomiting and might increase the risk of preterm labor. High hemoglobin concentrations at the time of delivery are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

From our Q&A

Questions About Iron or Duloxetine

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

This page covers Iron only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Duloxetine page lists 132 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Lithium (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major) and Wine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 107 moderate · 20 minor.

Open the Duloxetine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 16,325 real supplement products containing Iron, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Iron. Even though Iron itself has no known interaction with Duloxetine, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Iron and Duloxetine 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 Iron
Top 1%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Duloxetine
Top 5%

#47 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.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Iron reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Iron and Duloxetine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Iron

What is Iron?

  • Iron-deficiency anemia
  • Low iron stores during pregnancy
  • Fatigue from iron deficiency
  • Heavy menstrual blood loss
  • Restless legs syndrome (with low iron)

Iron is an essential mineral your body needs to make hemoglobin and carry oxygen in the blood. Supplements are mainly useful for treating or preventing iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, ideally after a blood test confirms you are low. Because too much iron can be harmful, take it only when needed and under the guidance of a pharmacist or doctor.

Mineral (essential trace element) · Tablets, capsules, liquid/drops, gummies, chewables, and intravenous (IV) preparations

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Iron is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Iron record says about it on its own.

Iron: dosing

Treatment doses for anemia are usually higher than amounts found in a daily multivitamin.Follow the dose on your product label or the dose your healthcare provider gives you.

From our Iron monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Iron monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Duloxetine

What Is Duloxetine Used For?

Brand names: Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle, Irenka

Duloxetine delayed-release capsules treat major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults. They also manage diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (nerve pain from diabetes), fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain (such as chronic low back pain and pain from osteoarthritis) in adults.

GAD is also approved in pediatric patients 7 years and older for Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle, and certain duloxetine delayed-release capsule products. Fibromyalgia is approved in patients 13 years and older for Cymbalta and some duloxetine delayed-release capsule products. Age-specific approvals vary by product — follow your prescriber's guidance on which product is right for your age group.

See full Duloxetine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Iron

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

0Major
79Moderate
1Minor
2,749No known interaction
79 Moderate 1 Minor 2,749 No interaction
Moderate

79 interactions

Showing 60 of 79 moderate interactions — see all 79 on the Iron page.

Minor

1 interaction

No interaction 2,749 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,749 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Iron list.

See the full Iron interactions page
See every supplement checked against Duloxetine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Iron References

The 72 references that drive our Iron monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 1998.
  2. Bruner AB, Joffe A, Duggan AK, et al. Randomized study of cognitive effects of iron supplementation in non- anaemic iron-deficient adolescent girls. Lancet 1996;348:992-6.
  3. Ullen H, Augustsson K, Gustavsson C, Steineck G. Supplementary iron intake and risk of cancer: reversed causality? Cancer Lett 1997;114:215-6.
  4. Reunanen A, Takkunen H, Knekt P, et al. Body iron stores, dietary iron intake and coronary heart disease mortality. J Intern Med 1995;238:223-30. PubMed
  5. Lund EK, Wharf SG, Fairweather-Tait SJ, Johnson IT. Oral ferrous sulfate supplements increase the free radical-generating capacity of feces from healthy volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;69:250-5.
  6. Rehman A, Collis CS, Yang M, et al. The effects of iron and vitamin C co-supplementation on oxidative damage to DNA in healthy volunteers. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 1998;246:293-8. PubMed
  7. Klipstein-Grobusch K, Grobbee DE, den Breeijen JH, et al. Dietary iron and risk of myocardial infarction in the Rotterdam Study. Am J Epidemiol 1999;149:421-8. PubMed
  8. Hansten PD, Horn JR. Drug Interactions Analysis and Management. Vancouver, WA: Applied Therapeutics Inc., 1997 and updates.
  9. Tatro DS, ed. Drug Interactions Facts. Facts and Comparisons Inc., St. Louis, MO. 1999.
  10. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2002.
  11. Campbell N, Paddock V, Sundaram R. Alteration of methyldopa absorption, metabolism, and blood pressure control by ferrous sulfate and ferrous gluconate. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1988;43:381-6..
  12. Schumann K, Borch-Iohnsen B, Hentze MW, Marx JJ. Tolerable upper intakes for dietary iron set by the US Food and Nutrition Board (commentary). Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:499-500. PubMed
  13. Tuomainen TP, Punnonen K, Nyyssonen K, Salonen JT. Association between body iron stores and the risk of acute myocardial infarction in men. Circulation 1998;97:1461-6.. PubMed
  14. Salonen JT, Nyyssonen K, Korpela H, et al. High stored iron levels are associated with excess risk of myocardial infarction in Eastern Finnish men. Circulation 1992;86:803-11.. PubMed
  15. Campbell NRC, Hasinoff B. Ferrous sulfate reduces levodopa bioavailability: Chelation as a possible mechanism. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1989;45:220-5.. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Iron and Duloxetine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Iron with Duloxetine?
We do not list a known interaction between Iron and Duloxetine. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Iron and Duloxetine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 10 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
How was the Iron and Duloxetine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Duloxetine is filed under 8 classifications, and Iron has documented interactions with 13 drug classes — none of Duloxetine's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Iron interact with any other medications?
Yes. Iron has 80 documented drug interactions in our database — Duloxetine is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Duloxetine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Duloxetine has documented interactions with 132 supplements in our database — Iron is not one of them. The Duloxetine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Iron monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Duloxetine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Duloxetine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Duloxetine, 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 References The 72 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Duloxetine and Iron?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.