Drug & supplement interaction

Resveratrol + Imipramine

Imipramine brand names: Tofranil, Tofranil PM.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Imipramine falls into 3 drug categories that Resveratrol can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, resveratrol might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C19.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions3
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Resveratrol and Imipramine

These two interact in 3 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 3 Interactions?

Resveratrol interacts with whole categories of medication. Imipramine falls into 3 of those categories, so it can interact with Resveratrol in 3 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES

1 of 3

Why this applies to Imipramine

Imipramine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES — the group Resveratrol interacts with.

Theoretically, resveratrol might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C19.
In vitro research shows that resveratrol can inhibit CYP2C19 enzymes. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
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 gist for imipramine and resveratrol. Your liver uses an enzyme called CYP2C19 to help break imipramine down. In lab dish studies, resveratrol seems to slow that enzyme a little. If that happened in your body, imipramine could clear more slowly and build up, which might mean stronger effects and more of its usual side effects, things like drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation, blurry vision, dizziness on standing, or a faster heartbeat.

The important part: this has only been seen in test tubes, not in real people, so it may not matter at all in practice. Still, since tricyclics like imipramine need careful dosing, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before adding resveratrol.

References
  1. Yu, C., Shin, Y. G., Kosmeder, J. W., Pezzuto, J. M., and van Breemen, R. B. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric determination of inhibition of human cytochrome P450 isozymes by resveratrol and resveratrol-3-sulfate. Rapid Commun.Mass Spectro PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

2 of 3

Imipramine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, resveratrol might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.
In vitro research shows that resveratrol can inhibit CYP1A2 enzymes. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
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 short version for imipramine (Tofranil): your body uses an enzyme called CYP1A2 to help clear this medicine out of your system. In test tube studies, resveratrol can slow that enzyme down. If that were to happen in real life, imipramine could build up a bit more than usual, which might mean stronger effects and more side effects like drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation, blurry vision, dizziness on standing, or a faster heartbeat.

The honest part: this is only a theoretical concern from lab work, and it has not been reported in actual people. Food amounts of resveratrol (grapes, berries) are very unlikely to matter. Still, since imipramine is a sensitive drug, it's smart to run a concentrated supplement past your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. Chang, T. K., Chen, J., and Lee, W. B. Differential inhibition and inactivation of human CYP1 enzymes by trans-resveratrol: evidence for mechanism-based inactivation of CYP1A2. J.Pharmacol.Exp.Ther. 2001;299(3):874-882.
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

3 of 3

Imipramine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, resveratrol might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.
In vitro research shows that resveratrol can inhibit the CYP3A4 enzyme. However, clinical research shows that taking resveratrol 3000 mg daily for 8 weeks does not necessitate dose adjustments to medications metabolized by CYP3A4.
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

Your body uses an enzyme called CYP3A4 to help clear imipramine (Tofranil). In test-tube studies, resveratrol can slow that enzyme down. In theory, that could let a bit more imipramine linger in your system, which might bump up its usual side effects like dry mouth, constipation, drowsiness, blurry vision, dizziness when standing, or a faster heartbeat.

Here's the reassuring part: this concern comes only from lab work, not real people. In an actual human study, folks took a hefty 3000 mg of resveratrol daily for 8 weeks and did not need any dose changes for CYP3A4 medicines. So this is more theoretical than practical. Still, since imipramine is a tricyclic that needs careful dosing, just give your pharmacist or doctor a heads-up before adding resveratrol.

References
  1. Piver B, Berthou F, Dreano Y, Lucas D. Inhibition of CYP3A, CYP1A and CYP2E1 activities by resveratrol and other non volatile red wine components. Toxicol Lett 2001;125:83-91. PubMed
  2. Yu, C., Shin, Y. G., Kosmeder, J. W., Pezzuto, J. M., and van Breemen, R. B. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric determination of inhibition of human cytochrome P450 isozymes by resveratrol and resveratrol-3-sulfate. Rapid Commun.Mass Spectro PubMed
  3. Chachay VS, Macdonald GA, Martin JH, Whitehead JP, O'Moore-Sullivan TM, Lee P, Franklin M, Klein K, Taylor PJ, Ferguson M, Coombes JS, Thomas GP, Cowin GJ, Kirkpatrick CM, Prins JB, Hickman IJ. Resveratrol does not benefit patients with nonalcoholic fatty

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

Resveratrol Also Interacts With Other Medications

Resveratrol has 821 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Imipramine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Resveratrol

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Resveratrol or Imipramine

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

This page covers Resveratrol only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Imipramine page lists 254 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 · 190 moderate · 53 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Imipramine page

“Imipramine (Tofranil) is an older tricyclic antidepressant, and the supplements on this page deserve real scrutiny before you add one. Most of the list acts on the liver enzymes that process the drug, so an ingredient can quietly raise or lower imipramine levels: grapefruit pushes them up, while St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Imipramine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,939 real supplement products containing Resveratrol, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Resveratrol. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Imipramine too, on top of Resveratrol — 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 Resveratrol and Imipramine 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 Resveratrol
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Imipramine
Steady interest

#1,981 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 Resveratrol

What is Resveratrol?

Resveratrol
  • Heart and blood vessel health
  • Antioxidant support
  • Anti-aging
  • Blood sugar and metabolic support
  • General anti-inflammatory support

Resveratrol is a plant compound found in red grapes, berries, and peanuts that is popular for heart health, anti-aging, and antioxidant support. While lab and animal studies are promising, strong human evidence for most uses is still limited. It appears generally well tolerated in supplement doses, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before starting it.

Read the full Resveratrol monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Imipramine

What Is Imipramine Used For?

Brand names: Tofranil, Tofranil PM

Imipramine is used to relieve symptoms of depression. Both Imipramine Hydrochloride tablets and Imipramine Pamoate capsules are approved for this use. Endogenous depression — the kind that seems to arise from within rather than a clear outside cause — tends to respond especially well. It may take one to three weeks before you notice the full benefit.

Imipramine Hydrochloride tablets are also approved as a short-term, add-on treatment to help reduce nighttime bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) in children aged 6 and older, after a doctor has ruled out physical causes.

See full Imipramine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Resveratrol

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

0Major
821Moderate
0Minor
2,008No known interaction
Moderate

821 interactions

Showing 60 of 821 moderate interactions — see all 821 on the Resveratrol page.

No interaction 2,008 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 Resveratrol and Imipramine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Resveratrol with Imipramine?
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.
Why are there 3 interactions listed for Resveratrol and Imipramine?
Imipramine belongs to more than one drug category, and Resveratrol interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Resveratrol and Imipramine 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 Imipramine and Resveratrol?

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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.