Drug & supplement interaction

Ornithine + Amitriptyline

Amitriptyline brand name: Elavil.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Ornithine and Amitriptyline 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.

Know someone taking this? Share
Interaction report

Ornithine and Amitriptyline

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 Amitriptyline and Ornithine 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 Ornithine at all — not against Amitriptyline, 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.

Ornithine safety at a glance

Ornithine overall Use caution Generally well tolerated short-term, but long-term safety is not well studied.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data; best to avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety data; best to avoid while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Amitriptyline and Ornithine? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Amitriptyline’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Ornithine. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Amitriptyline’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.

  • Mania or an unusually elevated mood Worth acting on
  • Dependence or withdrawal symptoms Worth acting on
  • Serotonin syndrome Worth acting on
  • A bowel blockage Worth acting on
  • Trouble passing urine Worth acting on
  • Unsteadiness Worth acting on
  • A heart attack Worth acting on
  • Hallucinations Worth acting on
  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes Worth acting on
  • Fainting Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 51 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 Amitriptyline. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 17,459 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Amitriptyline that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Ornithine’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Ornithine side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Ornithine has no side effects.

From our Q&A

Questions About Ornithine or Amitriptyline

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

This page covers Ornithine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Amitriptyline page lists 296 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: 17 major · 228 moderate · 51 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Amitriptyline page

“Amitriptyline (Elavil), an older antidepressant now often prescribed for nerve pain, migraines, and sleep, is one of the drugs I genuinely want patients to be careful with, and 17 of the 296 supplement and herbal ingredients on this list carry a major rating. Most of the serious ones deepen the drowsiness amitriptyline already causes,…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Amitriptyline interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 751 real supplement products containing Ornithine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Ornithine. Even though Ornithine itself has no known interaction with Amitriptyline, 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 Ornithine and Amitriptyline 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 Ornithine
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Amitriptyline
Top 5%

#52 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. Ornithine 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 Ornithine reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Ornithine and Amitriptyline records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 Ornithine

What is Ornithine?

  • Athletic performance and recovery
  • Reducing fatigue
  • Sleep and stress support
  • Liver and ammonia metabolism support
  • Wound healing

Ornithine is a non-essential amino acid your body makes naturally as part of the urea cycle, which helps remove ammonia. It is sold as a supplement for fatigue, exercise recovery, and sleep, but human evidence is limited and mixed. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a medical condition.

Amino acid (not a plant part) · Capsules, tablets, powder, often as L-ornithine or ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG)

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

Ornithine: dosing

There is no official, standardized dose of ornithine for any supplement use. Amounts used in studies have varied widely, and there is not enough strong evidence to recommend a specific dose.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed them.

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

Read the full Ornithine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Amitriptyline

What Is Amitriptyline Used For?

Brand name: Elavil

Amitriptyline HCL and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride tablets are used to relieve symptoms of depression. Depression that originates from within the body (called endogenous depression) tends to respond better than other types of depression.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Amitriptyline

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (17,459 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Nausea 1,535 reports
Headache 1,476 reports
Fatigue 1,448 reports
Dyspnea 1,442 reports
Dizziness 1,227 reports
See full Amitriptyline drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ornithine

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Ornithine — 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

Ornithine References

The 1 sources that drive our Ornithine monograph — publicly available pages from reputable medical and government organizations. Every link was verified to work before publishing. Ornithine is not covered by the licensed Natural Medicines interaction database, so its page cites these public sources directly.

  1. Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements 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 Ornithine and Amitriptyline Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Ornithine with Amitriptyline?
We do not list a known interaction between Ornithine and Amitriptyline. 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 Amitriptyline interact with any supplements?
Yes. Amitriptyline has documented interactions with 296 supplements in our database — Ornithine is not one of them. The Amitriptyline 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 Amitriptyline and Ornithine?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.