Drug & supplement interaction

Rutin + Acarbose

Acarbose brand names: Precose, Prandase, Glucobay.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Rutin has a moderate interaction with Acarbose. Theoretically, taking rutin with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Rutin and Acarbose

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Acarbose

Acarbose falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Rutin interacts with.

Theoretically, taking rutin with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Animal research suggests that rutin has hypoglycemic effects.
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 basic idea with rutin and your acarbose. Acarbose works by slowing how your body digests carbs after meals, which keeps your blood sugar from spiking. Rutin, in animal studies, has shown a mild blood-sugar-lowering effect of its own. So in theory, stacking the two could nudge your sugar a little lower than acarbose alone.

I want to be honest about how thin this evidence is: it comes from lab and animal research, not real-world human studies, so the actual risk is likely small. Still, it's worth knowing the signs of low blood sugar (shakiness, sweating, confusion, feeling dizzy). One quirk with acarbose: if you do go low, you may need glucose tablets rather than regular sugar, since acarbose slows table sugar's absorption. Just check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding rutin.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Sun C, Wang L, Sun J, Wang Z, Tang Z. Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of rutin on hyperglycemic rats. J Tradit Chin Med. 2020;40(4):640-645.

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

Rutin Also Interacts With Other Medications

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

Moderate 85 No known interaction 2,745 (incl. Acarbose)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Rutin

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Rutin or Acarbose

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

This page covers Rutin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acarbose page lists 281 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major) and Acai (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 240 moderate · 37 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Acarbose page

“Acarbose (Precose, Glucobay) is taken with meals to blunt the blood sugar rise after eating, and its supplement list calls for genuine care, starting with the four major-rated entries: heavy alcohol and the herb Siberian cocklebur can strain the liver alongside acarbose, while activated charcoal can soak up oral drugs and cut what reac…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Acarbose interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 3,711 real supplement products containing Rutin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Rutin. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Acarbose too, on top of Rutin — 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 Rutin and Acarbose 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 Rutin
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Acarbose
Steady interest

#1,590 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 Rutin

What is Rutin?

  • Varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Easy bruising and fragile capillaries
  • Swelling (edema) in the legs
  • General antioxidant support

Rutin is a plant flavonoid (often taken from buckwheat or citrus) that people use mainly for blood vessel and circulation problems like varicose veins and hemorrhoids. The evidence is limited and mostly preliminary, so it should not replace proven treatments. It is generally well tolerated, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before starting it, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Read the full Rutin monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Acarbose

What Is Acarbose Used For?

Brand names: Precose, Prandase, Glucobay

Acarbose tablets are used to help control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. They are always used together with a proper diet and regular exercise — not as a replacement for them.

Acarbose can be used on its own or combined with other diabetes medicines such as sulfonylureas, insulin, or metformin to get better blood sugar control.

See full Acarbose drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Rutin

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

0Major
85Moderate
0Minor
2,744No known interaction
85 Moderate 2,744 No interaction
Moderate

85 interactions

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

No interaction 2,744 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Rutin against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,744 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Rutin list.

See the full Rutin interactions page
See every supplement checked against Acarbose, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Rutin monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Acarbose supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Acarbose, ranked by severity Acarbose drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Rutin and Acarbose Together: Common Questions

Can you take Rutin with Acarbose?
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 Rutin and Acarbose 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 Acarbose and Rutin?

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.