Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Diindolylmethane 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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Diindolylmethane 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 Diindolylmethane drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, more than half are minor, and even the moderate ones rest on limited or theoretical evidence.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The combination most worth watching involves diuretics that lower sodium, since very large doses of diindolylmethane were linked to two cases of low sodium in research, though neither person had symptoms. We would also pay attention to estrogens, including hormone replacement therapy, because diindolylmethane may have mild hormone-like or hormone-blocking effects that could, in theory, change how these medicines work. Both concerns are based on limited evidence rather than well-documented harm in people.

What the rest of the list means

Diindolylmethane appears alongside a long list of medications, but a listing is not the same as proven harm. Most of these pairings are theoretical, based on lab findings that diindolylmethane might speed up an enzyme the body uses to clear certain medications. That predicted effect has never actually been reported in humans, which is why so many of these interactions are graded minor.

Check your medications against Diindolylmethane

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Diindolylmethane

269 medications have a known interaction with Diindolylmethane, 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 Diindolylmethane using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Diindolylmethane 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 Diindolylmethane 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 Diindolylmethane affects

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

All 3 drug categories Diindolylmethane interacts with

Diuretic DrugsEstrogensCytochrome P450 1a2 (cyp1a2) Substrates

Diuretic Drugs

Theoretically, diindolylmethane might increase the risk of hyponatremia if used with sodium-depleting diuretics.
Large doses of diindolylmethane (600 mg daily) have been associated with two cases of asymptomatic hyponatremia in clinical research.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Estrogens

Theoretically, diindolylmethane might increase or decrease the effects of estrogens.
Diindolylmethane might have mild estrogenic or antiestrogenic effects. Theoretically, large amounts of diindolylmethane might interfere with hormone replacement therapy.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Cytochrome P450 1A2 (Cyp1A2) Substrates

Theoretically, diindolylmethane might lower serum levels of CYP1A2 substrates.
In vitro evidence suggests that diindolylmethane can induce CYP1A2. Theoretically, it might increase metabolism of CYP1A2 substrates and lower serum concentrations. This interaction has not been reported in humans.

Likelihood Unlikely Evidence D

Monograph

Diindolylmethane: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a compound made when your body digests cruciferous vegetables, and it is sold as a supplement mainly for hormone balance and cancer prevention. Although early lab studies look interesting, strong human evidence is lacking for most of these uses. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before taking DIM, especially if you have a hormone-sensitive condition.

Part used: A compound formed from indole-3-carbinol found in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts)
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, softgels (often combined with black pepper extract/BioPerine for absorption)

People commonly use it for

Estrogen/hormone balance
Acne and hormonal skin issues
Prostate health support
Cancer-risk reduction (unproven)
PMS and menopause symptoms
General 'detox' support

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

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally well tolerated in short-term studies, but long-term safety is not well established.

PregnancyLikely Safe

When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. The typical diet supplies 2-24 mg of diindolylmethane daily. There is insufficient reliable infor...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingLikely Safe

When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. The typical diet supplies 2-24 mg of diindolylmethane daily. There is insufficient reliable infor...

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.

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Overview

Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a natural compound your body creates when it breaks down indole-3-carbinol, a substance found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. So when you eat these vegetables, you naturally make a small amount of DIM during digestion.

As a supplement, DIM is concentrated into capsules or tablets and is marketed mostly for hormone balance, skin health, and as a 'detox' aid. Because DIM is not very well absorbed on its own, many products add black pepper extract (BioPerine) to try to improve absorption.

It is important to know that the amount of DIM in a supplement is much higher than what you would get from eating vegetables.

How it works

DIM is thought to affect how the body metabolizes estrogen. It may encourage the formation of certain estrogen breakdown products that some researchers believe are 'friendlier,' though the real-world meaning of this is still uncertain.

In laboratory studies, DIM has also been shown to influence cell-signaling pathways, support certain detoxification enzymes, and act as an antioxidant. Some lab work suggests it may slow the growth of abnormal cells.

Keep in mind that most of these mechanisms come from test-tube and animal studies. What happens in a lab dish does not always happen in the human body.

Effectiveness

Does Diindolylmethane work?

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

Evidence overview · 9 uses evaluated

9 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.

For Diindolylmethane, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 9 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)