Drug & supplement interaction

Vinpocetine + Acyclovir

Acyclovir brand names: Zovirax, Zovirax Injection, Sitavig, Avaclyr.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Vinpocetine and Acyclovir 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 two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Vinpocetine and Acyclovir

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 Acyclovir and Vinpocetine 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.

Vinpocetine safety at a glance

Vinpocetine overall Use caution It is generally well tolerated short-term, but long-term safety and quality of supplements are not well established.
Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally. In June 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement of warning that those who are pregnant or who could become pregnant... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Avoid There is not enough safety information, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Acyclovir

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Acyclovir is filed under 6 classifications — including organic anion transporter 1 (oat1) substrates, topical drugs, nephrotoxic drugs. Vinpocetine has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate), cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) substrates (moderate) and warfarin (coumadin) (minor) — and none of Acyclovir’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

Vinpocetine Does Interact With Other Medications

Vinpocetine has 208 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Acyclovir isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 208 No known interaction 2,622 (incl. Acyclovir)
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.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Vinpocetine and Acyclovir May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Stomach pain / Nausea / Vomiting reported in 4.9% of FDA reports for Acyclovir Additional detail

    Vinpocetine

    “Orally, gastric discomfort, upper abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, heartburn, difficulty swallowing, and dry mouth have been reported with vinpocetine. Intravenously, diarrhea has been reported with vinpocetine.”

    Vinpocetine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    1 source cited
    1. 98226. Zhang W, Huang Y, Li Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of vinpocetine as part of treatment for acute cerebral infarction: A randomized, open-label, controlled, multicenter CAVIN (Chinese Assessment for Vinpocetine in Neurology) trial. Clin Drug Investig 2016; PubMed

    Acyclovir

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Acyclovir, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • A skin rash reported in 3.7% of FDA reports for Acyclovir Additional detail

    Vinpocetine

    “Orally, vinpocetine has been reported to cause flushing, skin rash, and urticaria. Intravenously, vinpocetine has been associated with one report of allergic dermatitis.”

    Vinpocetine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    5 sources cited
    1. 82118. Kovacs, L. Cavinton in the treatment of acute stroke. Ther Hung. 1985;33(1):50-57.
    2. 82120. Ebi, O. Open-labeled phase III clinical trials with vinpocetine in Japan. Ther.Hung. 1985;33(1):41-49.
    3. 82153. Manconi, E., Binaghi, F., and Pitzus, F. A double-blind clinical trial of vinpocetine in the treatment of cerebral insufficiency of vascular and degenerative origin. CURR THER RES, CLIN EXP 1986;40(4):702-709.
    4. 106845. Gutiérrez-Farfán I, Reyes-Legorreta C, Solís-Olguín M, Alatorre-Miguel E, Verduzco-Mendoza A, Durand-Rivera A. Evaluation of vinpocetine as a therapy in patients with sensorineural hearing loss: a phase II, open-label, single-center study. J Pharmacol Sci PubMed
    5. 98226. Zhang W, Huang Y, Li Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of vinpocetine as part of treatment for acute cerebral infarction: A randomized, open-label, controlled, multicenter CAVIN (Chinese Assessment for Vinpocetine in Neurology) trial. Clin Drug Investig 2016; PubMed

    Acyclovir

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Acyclovir, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Dizziness / Headache Additional detail

    Vinpocetine

    “Orally, anxiety, drowsiness, headache, sleep disturbance, nervousness, excitation, hyperirritability, epileptiform convulsion, and vertigo have been reported with vinpocetine. Intravenously, dizziness has been reported with vinpocetine.”

    Vinpocetine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anxiety.

    6 sources cited
    1. 1787. Hindmarch I, Fuchs HH, Erzigkeit H. Efficacy and tolerance of vinpocetine in ambulant patients suffering from mild to moderate organic psychosyndromes. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 1991;6:31-43. PubMed
    2. 10221. Wollschlaeger B. Efficacy of vinpocetine in the management of cognitive impairment and memory loss. JANA 2001;4:25-30.
    3. 68772. Fischhof, P. K., Moslinger-Gehmayr, R., Herrmann, W. M., Friedmann, A., and Russmann, D. L. Therapeutic efficacy of vincamine in dementia. Neuropsychobiology 1996;34(1):29-35. PubMed
    4. 82118. Kovacs, L. Cavinton in the treatment of acute stroke. Ther Hung. 1985;33(1):50-57.
    5. 82120. Ebi, O. Open-labeled phase III clinical trials with vinpocetine in Japan. Ther.Hung. 1985;33(1):41-49.
    6. 82151. Fenzl, E., Apecechea, M., Schaltenbr, R., and Fridel, R. Long term study concerning tolerance and efficacy of vinpocetine in elderly patients suffering from a mild to moderate organic psychosyndrome. Senile dementia: early detection 1986;580-585.

    Acyclovir

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Acyclovir. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Vinpocetine but not commonly for Acyclovir: trouble swallowing, an irregular heartbeat, trouble sleeping and a low white blood cell count.

Effects for Acyclovir come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Vinpocetine come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 114,761 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Acyclovir that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Vinpocetine in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe

When used orally. In June 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement of warning that those who are pregnant or who could become pregnant should avoid vinpocetine. In rats, vinpocetine has been associated with an increased risk of miscarriage at a dose of 60 mg/kg daily and with reduced fetal weight and increased incidence of birth defects at a dose of 5-20 mg/kg. Based on pharmacokinetic analyses, a daily vinpocetine dose of 10 mg in humans is comparable to a daily dose of 5 mg/kg in rats.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

From our Q&A

Questions About Vinpocetine or Acyclovir

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

This page covers Vinpocetine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acyclovir page lists 37 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Aristolochia (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 23 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Acyclovir page

“Kidney strain is the risk to understand first. Acyclovir (Zovirax) can stress the kidneys on its own, and a few ingredients here, Siberian cocklebur especially, are toxic to kidney tissue, so pairing them could compound the harm.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Acyclovir 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. Even though Vinpocetine itself has no known interaction with Acyclovir, 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 Vinpocetine and Acyclovir 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Acyclovir
Top 5%

#59 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 Vinpocetine reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Vinpocetine and Acyclovir records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 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.

Apocynaceae · Synthetic compound derived from vincamine, an alkaloid found in lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) leaves · Capsules, tablets, powder

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

Vinpocetine: dosing

There is no officially established or standardized dose for vinpocetine as a supplement, and products vary widely. They can help you decide whether it is appropriate and review the product for quality and safety.

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

Read the full Vinpocetine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Acyclovir

What Is Acyclovir Used For?

Brand names: Zovirax, Zovirax Injection, Sitavig, Avaclyr

Acyclovir treats infections caused by herpes viruses. Depending on the form, it is used for cold sores (herpes labialis), genital herpes (initial episodes and recurrent flare-ups), shingles (herpes zoster), and chickenpox (varicella). It can also be used long-term to suppress recurrent genital herpes outbreaks.

Some forms are approved for more serious situations: acyclovir injection is used in hospital settings for herpes simplex encephalitis (herpes infection of the brain), neonatal herpes (in newborns), and herpes or shingles infections in immunocompromised patients. Avaclyr ophthalmic ointment is specifically indicated for acute herpetic keratitis (a herpes ulcer on the cornea of the eye). Sitavig buccal tablet and Zovirax cream are specifically indicated for recurrent cold sores in immunocompetent adults.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Acyclovir

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (114,761 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 8,029 reports
Diarrhea 7,348 reports
Pneumonia 5,700 reports
Nausea 5,643 reports
Fever 4,989 reports
See full Acyclovir drug information
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
208Moderate
0Minor
2,621No known interaction
208 Moderate 2,621 No interaction
Moderate

208 interactions

Showing 60 of 208 moderate interactions — see all 208 on the Vinpocetine page.

No interaction 2,621 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,621 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Vinpocetine list.

See the full Vinpocetine interactions page
See every supplement checked against Acyclovir, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Vinpocetine References

The 27 references that drive our Vinpocetine 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. Hindmarch I, Fuchs HH, Erzigkeit H. Efficacy and tolerance of vinpocetine in ambulant patients suffering from mild to moderate organic psychosyndromes. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 1991;6:31-43. PubMed
  2. Balestreri R, Fontana L, Astengo F. A double-blind placebo controlled evaluation of the safety and efficacy of vinpocetine in the treatment of patients with chronic vascular senile cerebral dysfunction. J Am Geriatr Soc 1987;35:425-30. PubMed
  3. 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
  4. Kidd PM. A review of nutrients and botanicals in the integrative management of cognitive dysfunction. Altern Med Rev 1999;4:144-61..
  5. Wollschlaeger B. Efficacy of vinpocetine in the management of cognitive impairment and memory loss. JANA 2001;4:25-30.
  6. Hitzenberger G, Sommer W, Grandt R. Influence of vinpocetine on warfarin-induced inhibition of coagulation. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 1990;28:323-8..
  7. Dekoninck, W. J., Jocquet, P., Jacquy, J., and Henriet, M. Comparative study of the clinical effects of vincamine + glycerol versus glycerol + placebo in the acute phase of stroke. Arzneimittelforschung. 1978;28(9):1654-1657.
  8. Fischhof, P. K., Moslinger-Gehmayr, R., Herrmann, W. M., Friedmann, A., and Russmann, D. L. Therapeutic efficacy of vincamine in dementia. Neuropsychobiology 1996;34(1):29-35. PubMed
  9. 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
  10. Kuzuya, F. Effects of vinpocetine on platelet aggregability and erythrocyte deformability. Ther Hung. 1985;33(1):22-34.
  11. Kovacs, L. Cavinton in the treatment of acute stroke. Ther Hung. 1985;33(1):50-57.
  12. Osawa, M. and Maruyama, S. Effects of TCV-3B (vinpocetine) on blood viscosity in ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. Ther.Hung. 1985;33(1):7-12.
  13. Ebi, O. Open-labeled phase III clinical trials with vinpocetine in Japan. Ther.Hung. 1985;33(1):41-49.
  14. Richichi, I., Valsecchi, O., Falcone, C., Sofi, A., and Zanini, L. [A case of "torsade de pointe" during vincamine therapy]. Minerva Cardioangiol. 1978;26(3):197-200.
  15. Dany, F., Merle, L., Goudoud, J. C., Liozon, F., Blanc, P., Bouvot, J. C., Nicot, G., and Dangoumau, J. [Cardiac toxicity of vincamine: a seven cases report of ventricular arrhythmias by parenteral administration of vincamine (author's transl)]. Therapie

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 Vinpocetine and Acyclovir Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Vinpocetine with Acyclovir?
We do not list a known interaction between Vinpocetine and Acyclovir. 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.
Do Vinpocetine and Acyclovir have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 6 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
How was the Vinpocetine and Acyclovir combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Acyclovir is filed under 6 classifications, and Vinpocetine has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Acyclovir'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 Vinpocetine interact with any other medications?
Yes. Vinpocetine has 208 documented drug interactions in our database — Acyclovir 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 Acyclovir interact with any supplements?
Yes. Acyclovir has documented interactions with 37 supplements in our database — Vinpocetine is not one of them. The Acyclovir interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Vinpocetine monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Acyclovir drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Acyclovir supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Acyclovir, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 27 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Acyclovir and Vinpocetine?

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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.