Drug & supplement interaction

Raspberry Ketone + Sibutramine

Sibutramine brand name: Meridia.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Raspberry Ketone has a moderate interaction with Sibutramine. Theoretically, raspberry ketone might increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular effects with stimulant drugs.

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

Raspberry Ketone and Sibutramine

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

Moderate

STIMULANT DRUGS

Why this applies to Sibutramine

Sibutramine falls under STIMULANT DRUGS — the group Raspberry Ketone interacts with.

Theoretically, raspberry ketone might increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular effects with stimulant drugs.
Structurally, raspberry ketone resembles synephrine, a known stimulant agent. Heart palpitations, elevated blood pressure, coronary vasospasm, pulseless electrical activity arrest, and resistant polymorphic ventricular tachycardia have been reported in patients taking raspberry ketone.
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 concern with pairing raspberry ketone and sibutramine. Sibutramine is a weight-loss drug that works as a stimulant, raising the activity of brain chemicals that can also speed up your heart rate and bump up your blood pressure. Raspberry ketone has a chemical shape similar to synephrine, another stimulant-like compound, so the worry is that stacking the two could add stimulant on top of stimulant.

Together, that could mean a faster or pounding heartbeat, higher blood pressure, or in rare reports, more serious heart rhythm problems. I'll be honest though: this is theoretical and based mostly on anecdotal reports, not solid studies. Still, since both push the heart in the same direction, it's worth running by your pharmacist or doctor before combining them.

References
  1. Adverse Event Report. Raspberry Ketone. Natural MedWatch, April 27, 2012.
  2. Ansari SA, Patel F, Ashouri D, Dhaliwal JSS, Desai A. Resistant Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia in a Patient Taking Raspberry Ketones Weight Loss Supplement. Cureus 2022;14(12):e33089. PubMed
  3. Khattar A, Beeton I. Coronary vasospasm and raspberry ketones weight-loss supplement: Is there a connection? Anatol J Cardiol. 2020;24(3):205-208.

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

Raspberry Ketone Also Interacts With Other Medications

Raspberry Ketone has 173 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Sibutramine 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 Raspberry Ketone

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Sibutramine

This page covers Raspberry Ketone only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Sibutramine page lists 191 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 11 major · 139 moderate · 41 minor.

Open the Sibutramine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 682 real supplement products containing Raspberry Ketone, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Raspberry Ketone. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Sibutramine too, on top of Raspberry Ketone — 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 Raspberry Ketone and Sibutramine 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 Raspberry Ketone
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Sibutramine
Top 25%

#298 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 Raspberry Ketone

What is Raspberry Ketone?

Raspberry Ketone
  • Weight loss
  • Fat burning
  • Boosting metabolism
  • Appetite support
  • General 'fat-burner' supplement

Raspberry ketone is a natural aroma compound found in red raspberries that is heavily marketed for weight loss, but there is no good human evidence that it helps people lose weight. Most claims come from lab and animal studies using doses far higher than what you could get from food or typical supplements. If you choose to try it, talk to your pharmacist or doctor first.

Read the full Raspberry Ketone monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Raspberry Ketone

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

0Major
173Moderate
0Minor
2,656No known interaction
Moderate

173 interactions

Showing 60 of 173 moderate interactions — see all 173 on the Raspberry Ketone page.

No interaction 2,656 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 Raspberry Ketone and Sibutramine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Raspberry Ketone with Sibutramine?
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 Raspberry Ketone and Sibutramine 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

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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.