Drug & supplement interaction

Vitamin C + Escitalopram

Escitalopram brand name: Lexapro.

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 Vitamin C and Escitalopram 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

Vitamin C and Escitalopram

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 Escitalopram and Vitamin C 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.

Vitamin C safety at a glance

Vitamin C overall Generally safe Vitamin C is generally safe at normal dietary and supplement doses, but very high doses can cause side effects.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately. Read the full breastfeeding detail

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 Escitalopram and Vitamin C? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Escitalopram

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Escitalopram is filed under 7 classifications — including antidepressant drugs, cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) inhibitors, cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) inhibitors. Vitamin C has documented interactions with 13 drug classes — the most serious being alkylating agents (moderate), aluminum (moderate) and antitumor antibiotics (moderate) — and none of Escitalopram’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

Vitamin C Does Interact With Other Medications

Vitamin C has 101 moderate, 106 minor known drug interactions in our database — Escitalopram isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 101 Minor 106 No known interaction 2,623 (incl. Escitalopram)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Vitamin C

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Vitamin C and Escitalopram 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on Additional detail

    Vitamin C

    “Hyperoxalosis and oxalate nephropathy have been reported following high-dose infusions of vitamin C. Hyperoxalosis and acute kidney failure contributed to the death of a 76-year-old patient with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung who received 10 courses of intravenous infusions containing vitamins, including vitamin C and other supplements over a period of 1 month.”

    Vitamin C · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cerebral palsy.

    3 sources cited
    1. 106618. Giffen MA, McLemore JL. Hyperoxalosis Secondary to Intravenous Vitamin C Administration as a Non-Allopathic Treatment for Cancer. Acad Forensic Pathol 2019;9(1-2):118-126. PubMed
    2. 106625. Maike A, Sturgill D, Gallan A. Oxalate Nephropathy in a Renal Transplant Recipient After Receiving High Dose Ascorbic Acid. Am J Med Sci 2021. PubMed
    3. 109962. Shen ZY, Chen YR, Wang MC, Chang SS. High-dose vitamin C-induced acute oxalate nephropathy in a renal transplant recipient: a case report and literature review. Asian J Surg 2022. PubMed

    Escitalopram

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

  • Drowsiness / Trouble sleeping / Tiredness reported in 6.8% of FDA reports for Escitalopram Additional detail

    Vitamin C

    “Orally, the adverse effects of vitamin C are dose-related and include fatigue, headache, insomnia, and sleepiness.”

    Vitamin C · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    4 sources cited
    1. 3042. Levine M, Rumsey SC, Daruwala R, et al. Criteria and recommendations for vitamin C intake. JAMA 1999;281:1415-23. PubMed
    2. 4844. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309069351/html/.
    3. 83475. Einerson, B., Nathorn, C., Kitiyakara, C., Sirada, M., and Thamlikitkul, V. The efficacy of ascorbic acid in suboptimal responsive anemic hemodialysis patients receiving erythropoietin: a meta-analysis. J Med.Assoc.Thai. 2011;94 Suppl 1:S134-S146.
    4. 83476. Li, G., Li, L., Yu, C., and Chen, L. Effect of vitamins C and E supplementation on Helicobacter pylori eradication: a meta-analysis. Br.J Nutr 2011;106(11):1632-1637.

    Escitalopram

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

  • Stomach upset Additional detail

    Vitamin C

    “Orally, the adverse effects of vitamin C are dose-related and include nausea, vomiting, esophagitis, heartburn, abdominal cramps, gastrointestinal obstruction, and diarrhea. Doses greater than the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 2000 mg per day can increase the risk of adverse effects such as osmotic diarrhea and severe gastrointestinal upset.”

    Vitamin C · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    6 sources cited
    1. 3042. Levine M, Rumsey SC, Daruwala R, et al. Criteria and recommendations for vitamin C intake. JAMA 1999;281:1415-23. PubMed
    2. 4844. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309069351/html/.
    3. 96707. Rumbold A, Ota E, Nagata C, Shahrook S, Crowther CA. Vitamin C supplementation in pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(9):CD004072. PubMed
    4. 104450. Thomas S, Patel D, Bittel B, et al. Effect of High-Dose Zinc and Ascorbic Acid Supplementation vs Usual Care on Symptom Length and Reduction Among Ambulatory Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The COVID A to Z Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2 PubMed
    5. 114493. Pejcic AV, Petrovic NZ, Djordjic MD, Milosavljevic MN. Vitamin C Levels in Pregnant Women and the Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplements in Preventing Premature Rupture of Membranes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Balkan Med J 2024;41(4):248-260. PubMed
    6. 114490. Sharma Y, Sumanadasa S, Shahi R, et al. Efficacy and safety of vitamin C supplementation in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis. Sci Rep 2024;14(1):11846. PubMed

    Escitalopram

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

  • Stomach pain / Diarrhea / Vomiting reported in 5.0% of FDA reports for Escitalopram Additional detail

    Vitamin C

    “Orally, intravenously, and topically, vitamin C is well-tolerated.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Abdominal cramps, esophagitis, heartburn, headache, osmotic diarrhea, nausea, vomiting. Kidney stones have been reported in those prone to kidney stones.”

    Vitamin C · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    Escitalopram

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

  • Nausea reported in 6.8% of FDA reports for Escitalopram Additional detail

    Vitamin C

    Recorded for Vitamin C in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Stomach pain / Diarrhea / Vomiting above.

    Escitalopram

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

Reported for Vitamin C but not commonly for Escitalopram: kidney problems, increased thirst, kidney stones and raised blood pressure.

Effects for Escitalopram come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Vitamin C come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 139,512 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Escitalopram 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

Vitamin C in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally and appropriately.

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Unsafe

When used orally in excessive doses. Tell patients over age 19 not to use doses exceeding the UL of 2000 mg daily when pregnant or breast-feeding and for those 14-18 years of age not to use doses exceeding 1800 mg daily when pregnant or breast-feeding. Higher doses can cause osmotic diarrhea and gastrointestinal upset. Large doses of vitamin C during pregnancy can also cause newborn scurvy; avoid using.

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 Vitamin C or Escitalopram

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

This page covers Vitamin C only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Escitalopram page lists 55 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Lithium (major), 5-htp (moderate), Acetyl-l-carnitine (moderate) and Ayahuasca (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 38 moderate · 15 minor.

Open the Escitalopram interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 36,382 real supplement products containing Vitamin C, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Vitamin C. Even though Vitamin C itself has no known interaction with Escitalopram, 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 Vitamin C and Escitalopram 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 Vitamin C
Most looked up

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

29 days ago today
Medication Escitalopram
Top 1%

#13 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 Vitamin C reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Vitamin C and Escitalopram records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Vitamin C

What is Vitamin C?

  • Common cold and immune support
  • Antioxidant support
  • Skin health and collagen formation
  • Wound healing
  • Preventing or treating scurvy
  • Improving iron absorption

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient your body needs but cannot make, so you must get it from food or supplements. It's important for immune function, collagen, and acts as an antioxidant, but taking large doses doesn't prevent colds for most people and may cause stomach upset. Most people get enough from a balanced diet, so check with your pharmacist or doctor before taking high-dose supplements.

Not applicable (a water-soluble vitamin; found in fruits and vegetables) · Tablets, capsules, chewables, gummies, effervescent powders, liquids, and intravenous (in medical settings)

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

Vitamin C: dosing

For everyday nutrition, vitamin C needs are met through a balanced diet and standard multivitamins, and recommended daily amounts vary by age, sex, and life stage. Smokers generally need somewhat more.There is no single agreed-upon "treatment" dose for the supplement uses people are interested in. Because high doses can cause stomach upset and other problems, more is not always better.

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

Read the full Vitamin C monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Escitalopram

What Is Escitalopram Used For?

Brand name: Lexapro

Escitalopram treats major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults and in adolescents 12 years of age and older. It also treats generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults.

Lexapro (escitalopram) tablets are additionally approved to treat generalized anxiety disorder in pediatric patients 7 years of age and older. Escitalopram Capsules are indicated for MDD and GAD in adults younger than 65 years of age, and for MDD in pediatric patients 12 years and older — the capsule form is not indicated for patients 65 and older.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Escitalopram

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (139,512 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 9,542 reports
Nausea 9,514 reports
Headache 7,397 reports
Diarrhea 7,045 reports
Anxiety 6,668 reports
See full Escitalopram drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Vitamin C

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

0Major
101Moderate
106Minor
2,622No known interaction
101 Moderate 106 Minor 2,622 No interaction
Moderate

101 interactions

Showing 60 of 101 moderate interactions — see all 101 on the Vitamin C page.

Minor

106 interactions

Showing 60 of 106 minor interactions — see all 106 on the Vitamin C page.

No interaction 2,622 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,622 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Vitamin C list.

See the full Vitamin C interactions page
See every supplement checked against Escitalopram, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Vitamin C References

The 51 references that drive our Vitamin C 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. McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 1998.
  2. Back DJ, Breckenridge AM, MacIver M, et al. Interaction of ethinyloestradiol with ascorbic acid in man. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981;282:1516.
  3. Morris JC, Beeley L, Ballantine N. Interaction of ethinyloestradiol with ascorbic acid in man [letter]. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981;283:503.
  4. Labriola D, Livingston R. Possible interactions between dietary antioxidants and chemotherapy. Oncology 1999;13:1003-8.
  5. Dwyer JH, Merz NB, Shirocre AM, et al. Progression of early atherosclerosis and intake of vitamin C and vitamin E from supplements and food. The Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study. 41st Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevent
  6. Levine M, Rumsey SC, Daruwala R, et al. Criteria and recommendations for vitamin C intake. JAMA 1999;281:1415-23. PubMed
  7. Hansten PD, Horn JR. Drug Interactions Analysis and Management. Vancouver, WA: Applied Therapeutics Inc., 1997 and updates.
  8. Segal S, Kaminski S. Drug-nutrient interactions. American Druggist 1996 Jul;42-8.
  9. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309069351/html/.
  10. Houston JB, Levy G. Drug biotransformation interactions in man VI: Acetaminophen and ascorbic acid. J Pharm Sci 1976;65:1218-21. PubMed
  11. Brown BG, Zhao XQ, Chait A, et al. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease. N Engl J Med 2001;345:1583-93. DOI
  12. Rosenthal G. Interaction of ascorbic acid and warfarin. JAMA 1971;215:1671. DOI
  13. Hume R, Johnstone JM, Weyers E. Interaction of ascorbic acid and warfarin. JAMA 1972;219:1479. DOI
  14. Smith EC, Skalski RJ, Johnson GC, Rossi GV. Interaction of ascorbic acid and warfarin. JAMA 1972;221:1166. DOI
  15. Traxer O, Huet B, Poindexter J, et al. Effect of ascorbic acid consumption on urinary stone risk factors. J Urol 2003;170:397-401.. PubMed

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 Vitamin C and Escitalopram Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Vitamin C with Escitalopram?
We do not list a known interaction between Vitamin C and Escitalopram. 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 Vitamin C and Escitalopram have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 9 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 Vitamin C and Escitalopram combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Escitalopram is filed under 7 classifications, and Vitamin C has documented interactions with 13 drug classes — none of Escitalopram'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 Vitamin C interact with any other medications?
Yes. Vitamin C has 207 documented drug interactions in our database — Escitalopram 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 Escitalopram interact with any supplements?
Yes. Escitalopram has documented interactions with 55 supplements in our database — Vitamin C is not one of them. The Escitalopram 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

Vitamin C monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Escitalopram drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Escitalopram supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Escitalopram, 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 51 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Escitalopram and Vitamin C?

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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.