Drug & supplement interaction

Wine + Glyburide, Metformin

Glyburide, Metformin brand name: Glucovance.

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

Glyburide, Metformin falls into 3 drug categories that Wine can interact with; the most serious is rated major. Concomitant use of alcohol with hepatotoxic drugs may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMajor
LikelihoodProbable
Interactions3
EvidenceC
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Wine and Glyburide, Metformin

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

Why Are There 3 Interactions?

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

Major

HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS

1 of 3

Why this applies to Glyburide, Metformin

Glyburide, Metformin falls under HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS — the group Wine interacts with.

Concomitant use of alcohol with hepatotoxic drugs may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity.
Concomitant use of excessive amounts of alcohol with potentially hepatotoxic drugs can increase the risk of liver damage.
Severity Major Likelihood Probable Evidence C

Interaction 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..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the deal with Glucovance (which combines glyburide and metformin) and wine. Both medicines are processed by your liver, and drinking heavily can stress that same organ. When you regularly add a lot of alcohol on top, you raise the odds of liver irritation or damage. This isn't about a glass of wine with dinner now and then for most people, it's the heavier, frequent drinking that's the real concern.

There's another wrinkle worth knowing: alcohol can drop your blood sugar, and glyburide already lowers it, so you may notice shakiness, sweating, or dizziness from low sugar. With metformin, drinking too much also slightly raises the risk of a rare but serious problem called lactic acidosis. Please chat with your pharmacist or doctor about what amount, if any, is safe for you.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

2 of 3

Glyburide, Metformin also falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS.

Concomitant use may interfere with blood glucose control.
Alcohol can impair gluconeogenesis and may increase the risk of acute hypoglycemia when used concomitantly with antidiabetes drugs. However, the carbohydrates in wine may also worsen glycemic control in patients with diabetes.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence C

Interaction 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..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Mixing wine with Glucovance (the combo pill of glyburide and metformin) can pull your blood sugar in two directions, which makes it tricky. Alcohol slows the way your liver makes new sugar, so on top of glyburide (a sulfonylurea that already pushes your body to release more insulin) it can cause your blood sugar to drop too low. Watch for shakiness, sweating, confusion, dizziness, or a racing heart, especially if you drink on an empty stomach. The metformin side adds its own concern: alcohol can rarely raise the risk of a serious buildup of lactic acid.

On the flip side, the sugars in wine can also push glucose up, so readings get unpredictable. This is well-recognized, so please talk with your pharmacist or doctor about whether any drinking is safe for you.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
Moderate

METFORMIN (Glucophage)

3 of 3
Concomitant use may increase the risk of lactic acidosis.
Concomitant consumption of large amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of lactic acidosis with metformin.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence C

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

Glucovance combines two diabetes medicines: metformin and glyburide. The concern here is mainly with the metformin part. Metformin can rarely cause a dangerous buildup of acid in the blood called lactic acidosis, and drinking a lot of alcohol pushes that risk higher. Warning signs include unusual muscle aches, deep or fast breathing, severe stomach pain, feeling very cold or weak, and extreme tiredness.

The glyburide side also matters: alcohol can drop your blood sugar lower than expected, so you may feel shaky, sweaty, dizzy, or confused. A glass of wine with a meal now and then is usually fine for most people, but heavy or binge drinking is the real problem. Please check with your pharmacist or doctor about what's safe for you.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Glucophage XR (metformin) prescribing information. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Princeton, NJ, May 2018. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2018/020357s034,021202s018lbl.pdf

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

Wine Also Interacts With Other Medications

Wine has 655 major, 270 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Glyburide, Metformin one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 655 Moderate 270 No known interaction 1,905 (incl. Glyburide, Metformin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Wine

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Glyburide, Metformin

This page covers Wine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Glyburide, Metformin page lists 332 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 7 major · 281 moderate · 44 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Glyburide, Metformin page

“Glucovance combines glyburide and metformin to lower blood sugar, and its list of 332 interacting supplements deserves real care, starting with the seven rated major. Most entries, 239 of them, lower blood sugar on their own, so stacking one on top of a drug built to do exactly that can drop your glucose into dangerous territory.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Glyburide, Metformin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 8 real supplement products containing Wine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Wine. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Glyburide, Metformin too, on top of Wine — 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 Wine and Glyburide, Metformin 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 Wine
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Glyburide, Metformin
Top half

#1,153 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 Wine

What is Wine?

  • Social and relaxation use
  • Heart health (popular belief)
  • Antioxidant intake
  • Aiding digestion (traditional use)
  • Culinary flavoring

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes and is not a true dietary supplement or medicine. Despite popular claims about heart benefits, the alcohol it contains carries real health risks, and no amount of drinking can be recommended to improve health. If you drink, do so in moderation, and avoid alcohol entirely during pregnancy or if you have certain medical conditions.

Read the full Wine monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Wine

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

655Major
270Moderate
0Minor
1,904No known interaction
655 Major 270 Moderate 1,904 No interaction
Major

655 interactions

Showing 60 of 655 major interactions — see all 655 on the Wine page.

Moderate

270 interactions

Showing 60 of 270 moderate interactions — see all 270 on the Wine page.

No interaction 1,904 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,904 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Wine list.

See the full Wine interactions page
See every supplement checked against Glyburide, Metformin, 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
Wine monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Glyburide, Metformin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Glyburide, Metformin, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Wine and Glyburide, Metformin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Wine with Glyburide, Metformin?
This is rated a major interaction, so the combination is best avoided unless your doctor or pharmacist has specifically told you otherwise. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 3 interactions listed for Wine and Glyburide, Metformin?
Glyburide, Metformin belongs to more than one drug category, and Wine 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 Wine and Glyburide, Metformin interaction?
We rate it Major. This is a clinically significant combination that is generally best avoided, or used only under the direct supervision of your physician or pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Glyburide, Metformin and Wine?

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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.