Drug & supplement interaction

Lily-of-the-valley + Dexamethasone

Dexamethasone brand names: Decadron, Hexadrol, Dexone, Ozurdex, Dexycu, and others.

Major Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated October 2026
The bottom line Major

Lily-of-the-valley has a major interaction with Dexamethasone. Theoretically, using lily-of-the-valley with prolonged corticosteroid therapy can cause cardiac glycoside toxicity.

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

Lily-of-the-valley and Dexamethasone

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

Major

CORTICOSTEROIDS

Why this applies to Dexamethasone

Dexamethasone falls under CORTICOSTEROIDS — the group Lily-of-the-valley interacts with.

Theoretically, using lily-of-the-valley with prolonged corticosteroid therapy can cause cardiac glycoside toxicity.
Lily-of-the-valley contains cardiac glycosides. Concomitant, long-term corticosteroid use can increase the risk of cardiac glycoside toxicity due to potassium depletion and electrolyte imbalance.
Severity Major Likelihood Probable Evidence D

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 is the concern with this pairing. Lily-of-the-valley naturally contains cardiac glycosides, plant chemicals that act a lot like the heart drug digoxin. Dexamethasone itself isn't broken down or activated by this plant, so it doesn't change the steroid's effect directly. The worry runs the other way: dexamethasone, especially over weeks or longer, tends to lower your potassium and shift your body's salts. Low potassium makes these glycosides far more likely to tip into toxicity.

That can show up as nausea, vomiting, confusion, blurred or yellow-tinged vision, and dangerous changes in heart rate or rhythm. Keep in mind lily-of-the-valley is a poisonous plant that isn't meant for self-treatment at all. Please don't combine them, and talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using any heart-active herb while on steroids.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.

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

Lily-of-the-valley Also Interacts With Other Medications

Lily-of-the-valley has 25 major, 131 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Dexamethasone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 25 Moderate 131 No known interaction 2,674 (incl. Dexamethasone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Lily-of-the-valley

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Lily-of-the-valley. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Lily-of-the-valley or Dexamethasone

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Lily-of-the-valley or Dexamethasone, 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 Dexamethasone

This page covers Lily-of-the-valley only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Dexamethasone page lists 221 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 182 moderate · 35 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Dexamethasone page

“People take dexamethasone for serious reasons, a chemotherapy course, an autoimmune flare, brain swelling, so I want anyone on it to give its 221 supplement interactions genuine attention, starting with the four rated major. Grapefruit and St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Dexamethasone interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Lily-of-the-valley as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 10 real supplement products containing Lily-of-the-valley, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Lily-of-the-valley. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Dexamethasone too, on top of Lily-of-the-valley — 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 Lily-of-the-valley and Dexamethasone 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 Lily-of-the-valley
Steady interest

#1,213 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Dexamethasone
Top 25%

#343 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 Lily-of-the-valley

What is Lily-of-the-valley?

Lily-of-the-valley
  • Heart failure (historical)
  • Irregular heartbeat (historical)
  • Fluid retention/edema
  • General heart tonic (traditional)

Lily-of-the-valley is a poisonous plant that contains powerful heart-affecting compounds called cardiac glycosides, similar to the drug digoxin. While it was used historically for heart conditions, it is dangerous and is not recommended for self-treatment. All parts of the plant are toxic, and accidental poisoning can be life-threatening.

Read the full Lily-of-the-valley monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Dexamethasone

What Is Dexamethasone Used For?

Brand names: Decadron, Hexadrol, Dexone, Ozurdex, Dexycu, Hemady, Dextenza

Dexamethasone is mainly used to calm inflammation and overactive immune responses. Depending on the product, it treats allergic conditions, skin diseases, adrenal and other hormone disorders, and certain bowel diseases.

Some uses belong only to specific products. Hemady tablets are used with other anti-myeloma medicines for adults with multiple myeloma. Dextenza (an eye insert) treats eye inflammation and pain after eye surgery and eye itching from allergic conjunctivitis. Ozurdex (an eye implant) treats macular edema after retinal vein occlusion, non-infectious uveitis of the back of the eye, and diabetic macular edema. Maxidex and dexamethasone sodium phosphate eye drops treat steroid-responsive inflammation of the front of the eye.

See full Dexamethasone drug information Dexamethasone NDC codes and packages
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lily-of-the-valley

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

25Major
131Moderate
0Minor
2,673No known interaction
25 Major 131 Moderate 2,673 No interaction
Major

25 interactions

Moderate

131 interactions

Showing 60 of 131 moderate interactions — see all 131 on the Lily-of-the-valley page.

No interaction 2,673 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Lily-of-the-valley against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,673 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Lily-of-the-valley list.

See the full Lily-of-the-valley interactions page
See every supplement checked against Dexamethasone, 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
Lily-of-the-valley monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Dexamethasone supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Dexamethasone, ranked by severity Dexamethasone drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Dexamethasone NDC codes and packages › Every package, labeler and price in the FDA directory 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 Lily-of-the-valley and Dexamethasone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Lily-of-the-valley with Dexamethasone?
This is rated a major interaction, so the combination is best avoided unless your doctor or pharmacist has specifically told you otherwise. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Lily-of-the-valley and Dexamethasone interaction?
We rate it Major. This is a clinically significant combination that is generally best avoided, or used only under the direct supervision of your physician or pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Dexamethasone and Lily-of-the-valley?

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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.