Drug & supplement interaction

Lady Fern + Megestrol Acetate

Megestrol Acetate brand names: Megestrol, Megace.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Lady Fern and Megestrol Acetate 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.

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Interaction report

Lady Fern and Megestrol Acetate

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 Megestrol Acetate and Lady Fern 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Lady Fern at all — not against Megestrol Acetate, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Lady Fern safety at a glance

Lady Fern overall Use caution Limited safety data exist; some ferns can be irritating or harmful if eaten raw or in large amounts.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid medicinal use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety data; best avoided while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Megestrol Acetate and Lady Fern? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Megestrol Acetate’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Lady Fern. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Megestrol Acetate’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Blood clots Worth acting on
  • High blood sugar Worth acting on
  • Confusion Worth acting on
  • Seizures Worth acting on
  • Chest pain Worth acting on
  • Low mood Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on
  • Raised blood pressure Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 36 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Megestrol Acetate. Read the label on DailyMed › Lady Fern’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Lady Fern side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Lady Fern has no side effects.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Megestrol Acetate

This page covers Lady Fern only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Megestrol Acetate page lists 18 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 8 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Megestrol Acetate page

“Megestrol acetate (Megace) is usually prescribed to restore appetite and weight in people who are seriously ill, so the drug only helps if it actually gets absorbed. That is exactly where this list earns real caution.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Megestrol Acetate interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Lady Fern and Megestrol Acetate 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 Lady Fern
Steady interest

#1,430 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Megestrol Acetate
Top half

#1,150 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. Lady Fern is not yet covered by that licensed database, so its write-up cites publicly available medical sources directly (see the references below).
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Lady Fern reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 27, 2026. The Lady Fern and Megestrol Acetate records this page draws on were last updated June 20, 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 Lady Fern

What is Lady Fern?

  • Traditional digestive complaints
  • Folk remedy for intestinal worms
  • Topical use for wounds and skin irritation
  • General traditional tonic
  • Eaten as a foraged spring vegetable (fiddleheads)

Lady fern is a woodland fern used in some folk traditions and occasionally foraged for its young fronds (fiddleheads). There is very little scientific evidence to support any medicinal use, and some ferns can be unsafe if raw or improperly prepared, so caution is warranted.

Athyrium filix-femina · Athyriaceae · Rhizome (rootstock) and young fronds (fiddleheads) · Dried rhizome, traditional decoction, occasionally cooked young fronds (fiddleheads) as food

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

Lady Fern: dosing

There is no established or standardized medicinal dose for lady fern. It has not been studied enough to recommend a safe and effective amount for any condition.If you choose to use a product that contains lady fern, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed the suggested amount. For fiddleheads used as food, cook them fully according to trusted preparation guidance.

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

Read the full Lady Fern monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Megestrol

What Is Megestrol Used For?

Brand names: Megestrol, Megace

Megestrol acetate is used for two distinct purposes depending on the formulation. Megestrol Acetate oral suspension is indicated for treating anorexia (loss of appetite), cachexia (severe weight loss and muscle wasting), or unexplained significant weight loss in patients with a diagnosis of AIDS.

Megestrol Acetate tablets are used for the palliative treatment — meaning to ease symptoms, not cure — of advanced breast cancer or endometrial (uterine lining) cancer that is recurrent, inoperable, or has spread to other parts of the body. Tablets are not a replacement for surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Megestrol Acetate

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 353 reports
Diarrhea 352 reports
Decreased appetite 276 reports
Asthenia 273 reports
Nausea 268 reports
See full Megestrol drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lady Fern

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Lady Fern References

The 2 sources that drive our Lady Fern monograph — publicly available pages from reputable medical and government organizations. Every link was verified to work before publishing. Lady Fern is not covered by the licensed Natural Medicines interaction database, so its page cites these public sources directly.

  1. Herbs at a Glance — NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Source
  2. Herbs and Supplements — MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Source

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 Lady Fern and Megestrol Acetate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Lady Fern with Megestrol Acetate?
We do not list a known interaction between Lady Fern and Megestrol Acetate. 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.
Does Megestrol Acetate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Megestrol Acetate has documented interactions with 18 supplements in our database — Lady Fern is not one of them. The Megestrol Acetate interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Megestrol Acetate and Lady Fern?

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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.