Drug & supplement interaction

Lentinan + Desipramine

Desipramine brand names: Norpramin, Desipramine, Pertofrane.

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

Desipramine falls into 3 drug categories that Lentinan can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Laboratory evidence suggests that lentinan might increase the activity of cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2).

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions3
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Lentinan and Desipramine

These two interact in 3 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 3 Interactions?

Lentinan interacts with whole categories of medication. Desipramine falls into 3 of those categories, so it can interact with Lentinan in 3 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 3

Why this applies to Desipramine

Desipramine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Lentinan interacts with.

Laboratory evidence suggests that lentinan might increase the activity of cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2). So far, this interaction has not been reported in humans. However, watch for a decrease in the levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2 in patients taking lentinan.
Some drugs metabolized by CYP1A2 include amitriptyline (Elavil), haloperidol (Haldol), ondansetron (Zofran), propranolol (Inderal), theophylline (Theo-Dur, others), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, others), 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 desipramine: your liver uses an enzyme called CYP1A2 to help clear this antidepressant. Lab and animal studies hint that lentinan may speed that enzyme up. If that happened in people, your body could break desipramine down a bit faster, leaving slightly lower levels in your blood. In practical terms, that might mean your depression treatment doesn't work as well, with symptoms creeping back.

I want to be honest about the strength here: this is only test-tube and animal data, and it has never been reported in actual patients. So I wouldn't panic. Still, since desipramine is dosed carefully and tracked by how you feel, it's worth a quick chat with your doctor or pharmacist before adding lentinan, especially a concentrated supplement.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Lin Y, Wei Y, Hu X, et al. Evaluation of lentinan effects on cytochrome P450 activity in rats by a cocktail method. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2019;22(3):296-301.
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES

2 of 3

Desipramine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES.

Laboratory research suggests that lentinan might increase the activity of cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19). So far, this interaction has not been reported in humans. However, watch for a decrease in the levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C19 in patients taking lentinan.
Some drugs metabolized by CYP2C19 include proton pump inhibitors including omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and pantoprazole (Protonix); diazepam (Valium); carisoprodol (Soma); nelfinavir (Viracept); 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 idea behind this pairing. Lentinan, in lab and animal studies only, seems to speed up a liver enzyme called CYP2C19. Your body uses this enzyme (among others) to help process desipramine. If lentinan revs that enzyme up, it could in theory clear desipramine a little faster and leave less of it in your system. Desipramine is an active drug, not a prodrug, so lower levels generally mean a weaker effect, which could let your depression symptoms creep back.

I want to be honest about how thin this evidence is. This has only been seen in test tubes and animals, never reported in actual people, so it may not matter at all in real life. Still, if you notice your mood slipping while using lentinan, please loop in your pharmacist or doctor before changing anything.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Lin Y, Wei Y, Hu X, et al. Evaluation of lentinan effects on cytochrome P450 activity in rats by a cocktail method. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2019;22(3):296-301.
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) SUBSTRATES

3 of 3

Desipramine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) SUBSTRATES.

Laboratory research suggests that lentinan might increase the activity of cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). So far, this interaction has not been reported in humans. However, watch for a decrease in the levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2D6 in patients taking lentinan.
Some drugs metabolized by CYP2D6 include tricyclic antidepressants such as imipramine (Tofranil) and amitriptyline (Elavil); antipsychotics such as haloperidol (Haldol), risperidone (Risperdal), and chlorpromazine (Thorazine); beta-blockers such as propranolol (Inderal), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), and carvedilol (Coreg); tamoxifen (Nolvadex); 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 desipramine: your body relies on an enzyme called CYP2D6 to clear this antidepressant from your system. Lab studies hint that lentinan might rev up that enzyme a bit. If that happened in real life, your body could break desipramine down faster, leaving less of it in your blood. The worry there isn't extra side effects, it's that your depression treatment could get weaker, with symptoms creeping back.

I want to be honest about the evidence, though. This has only been seen in test tubes and animals, never in actual patients, so it's more of a theoretical caution than a proven problem. Still, desipramine is one of those drugs where steady levels matter. Before adding lentinan, please loop in your pharmacist or doctor so they can keep an eye on how you're feeling.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Lin Y, Wei Y, Hu X, et al. Evaluation of lentinan effects on cytochrome P450 activity in rats by a cocktail method. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2019;22(3):296-301.

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

Lentinan Also Interacts With Other Medications

Lentinan has 813 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Desipramine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 813 No known interaction 2,017 (incl. Desipramine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Lentinan

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Lentinan or Desipramine

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

This page covers Lentinan only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Desipramine page lists 253 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: 16 major · 198 moderate · 39 minor.

Open the Desipramine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1 real supplement products containing Lentinan, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Lentinan. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Desipramine too, on top of Lentinan — 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 Lentinan and Desipramine 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 Lentinan
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Desipramine
Top half

#1,092 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 Lentinan

What is Lentinan?

Lentinan
  • Immune support
  • Used alongside cancer treatment
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • General wellness/tonic
  • Antimicrobial support

Lentinan is a beta-glucan polysaccharide from shiitake mushrooms that is studied mainly as an immune-modulating add-on to cancer chemotherapy, where it is given by injection in a few countries. Evidence for oral supplements is limited, and quality varies widely between products. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a health condition or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Read the full Lentinan monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Desipramine

What Is Desipramine Used For?

Brand names: Norpramin, Desipramine, Pertofrane

Desipramine hydrochloride tablets — sold under the brand names Norpramin, Desipramine HCL, and Desipramine Hydrochloride — are FDA-approved for the treatment of depression in adults. Norpramin tablets and the generic formulations share this same approved indication.

Desipramine tablets are not approved for use in children. Adolescents and elderly patients may be prescribed it in certain circumstances, but at lower doses and under close supervision.

See full Desipramine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lentinan

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

0Major
813Moderate
0Minor
2,016No known interaction
813 Moderate 2,016 No interaction
Moderate

813 interactions

Showing 60 of 813 moderate interactions — see all 813 on the Lentinan page.

No interaction 2,016 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,016 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Lentinan list.

See the full Lentinan interactions page
See every supplement checked against Desipramine, 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
Lentinan monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Desipramine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Desipramine, ranked by severity Desipramine drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication 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 Lentinan and Desipramine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Lentinan with Desipramine?
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 3 interactions listed for Lentinan and Desipramine?
Desipramine belongs to more than one drug category, and Lentinan 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 Lentinan and Desipramine 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 Desipramine and Lentinan?

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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.