Herb & supplement monograph

Deanol Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Deanol interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Deanol is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Deanol is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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Reviewed by licensed pharmacists Sourced from Natural Medicines

On this page

Deanol Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Deanol drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major or moderate, and every one of them is classed as minor with weak supporting evidence.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The only concerns in the data involve medications that work on acetylcholine, a chemical messenger in the body. Because deanol is thought to raise acetylcholine levels, it could in theory blunt anticholinergic drugs or add to the effects and side effects of cholinergic drugs. Even here, the documentation grades suggest these effects have not been shown to occur in people, so we see them as points of awareness rather than proven problems.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications may look worrying, but it mostly reflects these two theoretical concerns applied across many individual drugs. In other words, the same predicted effect on acetylcholine accounts for nearly the whole list, and it has not been confirmed in humans. A long list here does not mean each combination is actually harmful.

Check your medications against Deanol

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Deanol interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Deanol

219 medications have a known interaction with Deanol, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Deanol using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Deanol interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. 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.
Possible. 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
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Deanol combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Deanol affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Deanol is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 2 drug categories Deanol interacts with

Anticholinergic DrugsCholinergic Drugs

Anticholinergic Drugs

Theoretically, deanol might decrease the effectiveness of anticholinergic drugs.
Deanol is thought to increase acetylcholine levels.

Likelihood Unlikely Evidence D

Cholinergic Drugs

Theoretically, deanol might increase the effects and adverse effects of cholinergic drugs.
Deanol is thought to increase acetylcholine levels.

Likelihood Unlikely Evidence D

Monograph

Deanol: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Deanol (DMAE) is a compound related to choline that is marketed for memory, focus, and mood, but solid human evidence for most of these uses is limited or mixed. It can cause side effects in some people, and it should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding because its safety is not established. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before trying it.

Part used: Synthetic or naturally occurring compound (not a plant part)
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, liquid drops, powder; also found in skin creams

People commonly use it for

Memory and focus
Mood and mental clarity
ADHD-type symptoms
Skin firmness (topical)
General brain health

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

May be tolerated by some adults but evidence is limited and side effects can occur.

PregnancyInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Jump to a section

Overview

Deanol is a chemical compound also known as DMAE (2-dimethylaminoethanol). It is closely related to choline, a nutrient your body uses to make brain chemicals. Small amounts of deanol occur naturally in the body and in some foods such as fish.

It is sold as a dietary supplement in capsules, tablets, liquids, and powders, and it is sometimes added to skin creams. People take it hoping to sharpen memory, improve focus, lift mood, or support healthy aging. In the past, a prescription form was studied for attention and movement problems, but it is no longer widely available as a medicine in most places.

How it works

Deanol is a precursor in the body's pathways related to choline and acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory and learning. The popular theory is that taking deanol could raise acetylcholine levels and support brain function.

In reality, scientists are not certain how much deanol actually increases acetylcholine in the human brain, and some research suggests its effects on the brain are limited. Much of the support for its proposed mechanism comes from laboratory and animal studies, which do not always carry over to people.

Effectiveness

Does Deanol work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 7 uses evaluated

2 Leans ineffective 5 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

Likely Ineffective Alzheimer disease