Drug & supplement interaction

Wine + Metformin Hydrochloride

Metformin Hydrochloride brand name: Riomet ER.

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

Metformin Hydrochloride falls into 2 drug categories that Wine can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Concomitant use may interfere with blood glucose control.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodProbable
Interactions2
EvidenceC
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Wine and Metformin Hydrochloride

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Metformin Hydrochloride

Metformin Hydrochloride falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Wine interacts with.

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 metformin is worth a little caution. Alcohol can block your liver from making new sugar (a process called gluconeogenesis), and metformin already works partly by lowering how much sugar your liver releases. Put them together and your blood sugar can drop too low, especially if you drink on an empty stomach or skip meals. Signs of low blood sugar include shakiness, sweating, dizziness, confusion, and a racing heart.

On the flip side, the sugars in wine can also nudge your blood sugar up, so it can swing either way. There's also a rare but serious concern: heavy drinking with metformin can raise the risk of lactic acidosis. An occasional glass with food is usually manageable for many people, but 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. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
Moderate

METFORMIN (Glucophage)

2 of 2
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

Here's the deal with wine and your metformin: the main concern isn't that wine changes how metformin works in your blood, it's that heavy drinking and metformin together can raise the risk of a rare but serious problem called lactic acidosis. That's when too much acid builds up in your body. It's uncommon, but warning signs include feeling very weak or tired, muscle aches, trouble breathing, stomach pain, and feeling cold or dizzy.

The good news is that a single glass of wine with dinner is a very different thing than binge drinking or drinking heavily day after day, which is where the real danger sits. Alcohol can also make your blood sugar harder to predict. I'd just run your usual drinking habits by your doctor or pharmacist so they can give you a safe limit for your situation.

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 656 major, 269 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Metformin Hydrochloride one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 656 Moderate 269 No known interaction 1,905 (incl. Metformin Hydrochloride)
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 Metformin Hydrochloride

This page covers Wine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Metformin Hydrochloride page lists 257 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 2 major · 217 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Metformin Hydrochloride page

“Anyone taking metformin hydrochloride (Riomet ER) should treat this list with genuine care, because two of its 257 entries are rated major. Siberian cocklebur has caused severe hypoglycemia in people and should not be combined with metformin at all, and activated charcoal can adsorb the drug in the gut so less reaches your blood.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Metformin Hydrochloride 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 Metformin Hydrochloride 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 Metformin Hydrochloride 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 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Metformin Hydrochloride
Top half

#929 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.

656Major
269Moderate
0Minor
1,904No known interaction
656 Major 269 Moderate 1,904 No interaction
Major

656 interactions

Showing 60 of 656 major interactions — see all 656 on the Wine page.

Moderate

269 interactions

Showing 60 of 269 moderate interactions — see all 269 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 Metformin Hydrochloride, 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 Metformin Hydrochloride supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Metformin Hydrochloride, 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 Metformin Hydrochloride Together: Common Questions

Can you take Wine with Metformin Hydrochloride?
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 Wine and Metformin Hydrochloride?
Metformin Hydrochloride 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 Metformin Hydrochloride 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 Metformin Hydrochloride and Wine?

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.