Drug & supplement interaction

Lychee + Liraglutide

Liraglutide brand name: Victoza.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Lychee has a moderate interaction with Liraglutide. Theoretically, lychee seed might increase the risk of hypoglycemia when used with antidiabetes drugs.

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

Lychee and Liraglutide

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Liraglutide

Liraglutide falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Lychee interacts with.

Theoretically, lychee seed might increase the risk of hypoglycemia when used with antidiabetes drugs.
Animal research suggests that an aqueous extract of lychee seed reduces fasting and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose and improves impaired glucose tolerance in rats with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, retrospective research in children has found an association between lychee consumption and increased odds of acute hypoglycemic encephalopathy.
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: liraglutide (Victoza) already works to lower your blood sugar. Concentrated lychee seed extract may, in theory, push blood sugar down a little too. Stack the two together and you could be at slightly higher risk for a low blood sugar episode, which can show up as shakiness, sweating, dizziness, a fast heartbeat, or feeling confused.

I want to be honest about how strong this is: it's theoretical, based mostly on animal studies and a sugar-lowering effect seen in unripe lychee. Enjoying lychee as a fruit is very unlikely to cause trouble. The caution is really about seed extracts or supplement-strength products. If you're considering one, check with your pharmacist or doctor first, and keep an eye on your glucose readings.

References
  1. Guo JW. Effects of Litchi seed on enhancing insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic-insulin resistant rats. Chinese J New Drugs 2003;12:526-9.
  2. Shrivastava A, Kumar A, Thomas JD, et al. Association of acute toxic encephalopathy with litchi consumption in an outbreak in Muzaffarpur, India, 2014: a case-control study. Lancet Glob Health. 2017;5(4):e458-e466.

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

Lychee Also Interacts With Other Medications

Lychee has 85 moderate, 121 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Liraglutide one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Lychee

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Liraglutide

This page covers Lychee only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Liraglutide page lists 239 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate), Agaricus Mushroom (moderate) and Agmatine (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 208 moderate · 30 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Liraglutide page

“If you take liraglutide (Victoza), the ingredient to know first is Siberian cocklebur, the only major-rated interaction of the 239 on this page. Its seeds have caused severe hypoglycemia in people, dangerously low blood sugar, and liraglutide already pushes glucose down.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Liraglutide interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 98 real supplement products containing Lychee, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Lychee. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Liraglutide too, on top of Lychee — 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 Lychee and Liraglutide 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 Lychee
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Liraglutide
Top half

#903 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 Lychee

What is Lychee?

  • General nutrition and antioxidant support
  • Digestive complaints (traditional use)
  • Cough and sore throat (traditional use)
  • Blood sugar support (preliminary)
  • Weight and metabolic support (preliminary)

Lychee is a sweet tropical fruit that is nutritious and a source of vitamin C and antioxidant plant compounds. While the fruit is a healthy food for most people, supplement-strength extracts have only limited research behind specific health claims, and eating large amounts of unripe lychee on an empty stomach has been linked to dangerous low blood sugar in undernourished children. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using lychee extracts for any health condition.

Read the full Lychee monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Liraglutide Injection

What Is Liraglutide Injection Used For?

Brand name: Victoza

Saxenda is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management. It is approved for adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or a BMI of 27 or higher if they also have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or dyslipidemia (abnormal cholesterol or fat levels). It is also approved for adolescents aged 12 and older who weigh more than 60 kg and meet certain BMI thresholds for obesity.

Saxenda should not be used together with other liraglutide-containing products or any other GLP-1 receptor agonist. Its safety and effectiveness in combination with other prescription or over-the-counter weight-loss products have not been established.

See full Liraglutide Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lychee

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

0Major
85Moderate
121Minor
2,623No known interaction
Moderate

85 interactions

Showing 60 of 85 moderate interactions — see all 85 on the Lychee page.

Minor

121 interactions

Showing 60 of 121 minor interactions — see all 121 on the Lychee page.

No interaction 2,623 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Lychee and Liraglutide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Lychee with Liraglutide?
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.
How serious is the Lychee and Liraglutide 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 Liraglutide and Lychee?

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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.