Drug & supplement interaction

Picamilon + Ribavirin

Ribavirin brand names: Rebetol, Copegus, Ribasphere, Moderiba.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Picamilon and Ribavirin 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. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Ribavirin states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Picamilon and Ribavirin

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 Ribavirin and Picamilon 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.

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.

Picamilon safety at a glance

Picamilon overall Use caution Human safety data are limited and its legal status as a supplement is questionable in some countries.
Pregnancy Avoid No reliable safety data exist, so it should be avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No safety information is available, so avoid while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Ribavirin and Picamilon? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ribavirin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ribavirin is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Picamilon has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being niacin (moderate) — and none of Ribavirin’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Picamilon Does Interact With Other Medications

Picamilon has 3 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ribavirin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Picamilon

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

What to actually watch for

What Ribavirin’s Own FDA Label Lists

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

  • A change in thyroid levels Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on mentioned in 13.1% of FDA reports for Ribavirin
  • Thoughts of self-harm Worth acting on
  • Pancreatitis Worth acting on
  • Chest pain Worth acting on
  • Low mood Worth acting on
  • A low platelet count Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 41 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 Ribavirin. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 63,877 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ribavirin that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Picamilon’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Picamilon side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Picamilon has no side effects.

How to take them

Some Ribavirin Products Have a Food Rule — Picamilon Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Ribavirin says to take it with food. If you take Picamilon on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Ribavirin with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Ribavirin products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Ribavirin capsules should be taken with food [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Ribavirin — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ribavirin

This page covers Picamilon only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ribavirin page lists 17 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 · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ribavirin page

“Nearly every entry on this ribavirin page pulls the same lever, changing how much of the drug reaches your bloodstream, and that deserves genuine care here. Ribavirin (Rebetol, Copegus) is an antiviral for hepatitis C, and treatment succeeds only when levels stay steady enough to keep the virus in check, so anything that quietly lowers…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ribavirin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 135 real supplement products containing Picamilon, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Picamilon. Even though Picamilon itself has no known interaction with Ribavirin, 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 Picamilon and Ribavirin 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 Picamilon
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ribavirin
Top half

#838 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.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Picamilon reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Picamilon and Ribavirin 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 Picamilon

What is Picamilon?

  • Anxiety and stress
  • Mental focus and cognition
  • Low mood
  • Migraine or headache
  • Fatigue and energy

Picamilon is a synthetic compound made by joining niacin (vitamin B3) and GABA, originally developed in the former Soviet Union as a prescription drug. It is sold in some countries as a supplement for anxiety, focus, and mood, but high-quality human evidence is very limited, and U.S. regulators have stated it does not qualify as a legal dietary supplement ingredient. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Synthetic compound (not from a plant) · Capsules, tablets, powder

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

Picamilon: dosing

There is no officially established or standardized dose of picamilon for supplement use, and quality control of products is uncertain.If a product is available to you, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Picamilon monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ribavirin

What Is Ribavirin Used For?

Brand names: Rebetol, Copegus, Ribasphere, Moderiba

Ribavirin comes in different forms for different uses. Ribavirin capsules are used in combination with interferon alfa-2b (pegylated or non-pegylated) to treat chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in patients 3 years and older with compensated liver disease. Ribavirin tablets are used in combination with PEGASYS® (peginterferon alfa-2a) to treat chronic hepatitis C in patients 5 years and older with compensated liver disease who have not previously been treated with interferon — including adults who also have HIV. Ribavirin for inhalation solution is a separate product used to treat hospitalized infants and young children with severe lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Ribavirin must never be used alone to treat hepatitis C — it only works as part of combination therapy. Only the most severe RSV infections requiring hospitalization should be treated with the inhaled form; mild RSV illness in children does not require this treatment.

See full Ribavirin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Picamilon

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

0Major
3Moderate
0Minor
2,826No known interaction
Moderate

3 interactions

No interaction 2,826 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Picamilon References

The 3 references that drive our Picamilon monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Avula B, Chittiboyina AG, Sagi S, et al. Identification and quantification of vinpocetine and picamilon in dietary supplements sold in the United States. Drug Test Anal. 2016;8(3-4):334-43. PubMed
  2. Vishnevskii EL, Guseva NB. Validation of the treatment of the neurogenic bladder in children with myelodysplasia using pikamilon [abstract only]. Urol Nefrol (Mosk) 1998;(2):27-30.
  3. Kolomoitseva EM, Ermakova VN, Abdulkadyrova MZh. Results of pikamilon use in the treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma [abstract only]. Vestn Oftalmol 1994;110(4):4-7.

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 Picamilon and Ribavirin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Picamilon with Ribavirin?
We do not list a known interaction between Picamilon and Ribavirin. 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.
Should I take Picamilon and Ribavirin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Ribavirin says to take it with food. If you take Picamilon on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Ribavirin with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Ribavirin products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Picamilon and Ribavirin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ribavirin is filed under 1 classification, and Picamilon has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Ribavirin's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Picamilon interact with any other medications?
Yes. Picamilon has 3 documented drug interactions in our database — Ribavirin is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Ribavirin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ribavirin has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Picamilon is not one of them. The Ribavirin 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 Ribavirin and Picamilon?

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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.