Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Lycopene 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

Lycopene 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 Lycopene drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and every one traces back to a single theoretical concern that has not been confirmed in human studies.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The interactions that deserve the most attention involve anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, often called blood thinners. Lab research suggests lycopene may make platelets less sticky, so in theory it could add to the effect of these medicines and raise the chance of bleeding. Because bleeding risk is closely watched in people taking blood thinners, this combination is worth a conversation even though the evidence comes only from laboratory studies, not from people.

What the rest of the list means

Although a fairly large number of medications appear on the interaction list, nearly all of them are there because of this one shared, theoretical bleeding concern. A long list does not mean each combination has been shown to cause harm, and so far no human studies have demonstrated that lycopene meaningfully changes how these medicines work.

Check your medications against Lycopene

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Lycopene

122 medications have a known interaction with Lycopene, 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 Lycopene using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Lycopene 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 Lycopene 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 Lycopene affects

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

All 1 drug category Lycopene interacts with

Anticoagulant/antiplatelet Drugs

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Theoretically, taking lycopene with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs might increase the risk of bleeding.
In vitro research shows that lycopene has antiplatelet effects.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Lycopene: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Lycopene is a red plant pigment and antioxidant found mainly in tomatoes and other red fruits. Eating lycopene-rich foods is linked with possible heart and prostate benefits, but evidence from supplements is mixed and far from conclusive. For most people, getting lycopene from food is a safe and reasonable choice; talk to your pharmacist before taking high-dose supplements.

Part used: Pigment extracted from the fruit (mainly tomato)
Common forms: Capsules, softgels, and as a natural food source (tomatoes, watermelon, guava, pink grapefruit)

People commonly use it for

Heart health
Prostate health
Antioxidant support
Sun/skin protection
General wellness

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

Safety at a glance

OverallLikely safe

Lycopene from food is considered safe, and supplement doses are generally well tolerated.

PregnancyLikely Safe

When consumed in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of lycopene supplements during...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingLikely Safe

When consumed in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of lycopene supplements during...

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

Lycopene is a natural red pigment that belongs to a group of plant compounds called carotenoids. It gives the bright red color to foods like tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, and papaya. Tomatoes and tomato-based products such as sauce, paste, and ketchup are the most concentrated common sources.

Unlike some other carotenoids, lycopene is not converted into vitamin A in the body. People take it as a supplement, but most lycopene in the average diet comes from food. Interestingly, cooking tomatoes and eating them with a little fat or oil seems to help the body absorb lycopene better.

How it works

Lycopene is a strong antioxidant. Antioxidants help neutralize unstable molecules called free radicals, which can damage cells over time. This activity is thought to be the main reason lycopene may support health.

In laboratory and animal studies, lycopene has also shown effects on inflammation, cholesterol handling, and cell growth signals. However, most of these mechanisms come from test-tube and animal research, and it is not certain that the same effects happen at the levels people get from food or typical supplements.

Effectiveness

Does Lycopene work?

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

Evidence overview · 41 uses evaluated

1 Possibly effective 2 Leans ineffective 38 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.

Possibly Effective Prostate cancer