Drug & supplement interaction

Vinpocetine + Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen

Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen brand name: Combogesic.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen falls into 2 drug categories that Vinpocetine can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, vinpocetine might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C9.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Vinpocetine and Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Vinpocetine interacts with whole categories of medication. Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Vinpocetine in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES

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Why this applies to Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen

Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES — the group Vinpocetine interacts with.

Theoretically, vinpocetine might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C9.
In vitro research shows that vinpocetine weakly inhibits CYP2C9. However, this effect 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 Combogesic, which pairs acetaminophen with ibuprofen. The ibuprofen part is partly cleared by a liver enzyme called CYP2C9. In test-tube studies, vinpocetine seems to weakly block that enzyme. In plain terms, if the enzyme slows down, a bit more ibuprofen could linger in your body, which in theory could nudge up its usual side effects like stomach upset, heartburn, or, with heavier use, effects on your kidneys or blood pressure.

The reassuring part: this is based only on lab research and has never actually been seen in people, so it's more of a theoretical caution than a proven problem. Neither drug is a prodrug here, so the direction holds. Still, it's worth a quick word with your pharmacist before combining them, especially if you take Combogesic regularly.

References
  1. Kong L, Song C, Ye L, et al. The Effect of Vinpocetine on Human Cytochrome P450 Isoenzymes by Using a Cocktail Method. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:5017135. PubMed
Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

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Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen also falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS.

Vinpocetine might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
Clinical research shows that vinpocetine decreases red blood cell aggregation, as well as plasma and whole blood viscosity. This effect has been seen with intravenous vinpocetine 1 mg/kg and oral vinpocetine 30 mg daily. Vinpocetine also seems to have antiplatelet effects.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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 thing to keep an eye on with Combogesic (acetaminophen plus ibuprofen). The ibuprofen half is an NSAID, and NSAIDs already nudge up your bleeding risk on their own by making platelets a little less sticky and by being a bit rough on the stomach lining. Vinpocetine appears to have its own mild blood-thinning, anti-platelet effect, so stacking the two could add together.

In plain terms, that means a slightly higher chance of things like easy bruising, nosebleeds, or stomach irritation and bleeding. This is rated moderate and the evidence is on the weaker side, so it's a reasonable caution rather than a red alert. The acetaminophen portion itself isn't the bleeding concern here. Before combining them, please check with your pharmacist or doctor.

References
  1. Akopov SE, Gabrielian ES. Effects of aspirin, dipyridamole, nifedipine and cavinton which act on platelet aggregation induced by different aggregating agents alone and in combination. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1992;42:257-9. PubMed
  2. Kidd PM. A review of nutrients and botanicals in the integrative management of cognitive dysfunction. Altern Med Rev 1999;4:144-61..
  3. Feher, G., Koltai, K., Kesmarky, G., Horvath, B., Toth, K., Komoly, S., and Szapary, L. Effect of parenteral or oral vinpocetine on the hemorheological parameters of patients with chronic cerebrovascular diseases. Phytomedicine. 2009;16(2-3):111-117. PubMed
  4. Kuzuya, F. Effects of vinpocetine on platelet aggregability and erythrocyte deformability. Ther Hung. 1985;33(1):22-34.
  5. Osawa, M. and Maruyama, S. Effects of TCV-3B (vinpocetine) on blood viscosity in ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. Ther.Hung. 1985;33(1):7-12.

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

Vinpocetine Also Interacts With Other Medications

Vinpocetine has 207 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen 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 Vinpocetine

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen

This page covers Vinpocetine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen page lists 342 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Danshen (major) and Piracetam (major).

By severity: 7 major · 290 moderate · 45 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen page

“Combogesic pairs acetaminophen with ibuprofen, so it inherits the vulnerabilities of both drugs, and its supplement list deserves real attention before you add anything to it. Of the 342 ingredients on file, 7 carry a major rating, and those are the ones to understand first.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 630 real supplement products containing Vinpocetine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Vinpocetine. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen too, on top of Vinpocetine — 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 Vinpocetine and Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen 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 Vinpocetine
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen
Top 25%

#426 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 Vinpocetine

What is Vinpocetine?

Vinpocetine
  • Memory and cognitive support
  • Brain blood flow
  • Stroke recovery
  • Age-related memory decline
  • Tinnitus and hearing concerns

Vinpocetine is a lab-made compound based on a chemical from the periwinkle plant, and it is marketed mainly for memory and brain health. The evidence behind these uses is limited and not strong, and U.S. regulators have warned that it should be avoided by people who are pregnant or could become pregnant. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before trying it.

Read the full Vinpocetine monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Vinpocetine

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

0Major
207Moderate
0Minor
2,622No known interaction
Moderate

207 interactions

Showing 60 of 207 moderate interactions — see all 207 on the Vinpocetine page.

No interaction 2,622 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 Vinpocetine and Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen Together: Common Questions

Can you take Vinpocetine with Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen?
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 2 interactions listed for Vinpocetine and Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen?
Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen belongs to more than one drug category, and Vinpocetine 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 Vinpocetine and Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen 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.