Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Vinpocetine 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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Vinpocetine 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 Vinpocetine drug interaction appears low for most people, though anyone on a blood thinner deserves extra care. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and most rest on lab findings or small effects that have not been shown to cause meaningful problems in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The interactions that matter most involve anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs. Human research shows vinpocetine can thin the blood in several ways, so adding it to a blood thinner could raise bleeding risk. Notably, warfarin has been studied directly with vinpocetine, and the changes seen were small; researchers felt this combination is unlikely to cause real problems for most patients. Still, because warfarin and similar medicines have a narrow safety margin, this pairing deserves attention.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications looks worse than it is. Most entries come from a single theoretical concern: lab research suggests vinpocetine might weakly slow an enzyme the body uses to clear certain medications, but this effect has never been reported in humans. In other words, many of these interactions are predicted rather than proven.

Check your medications against Vinpocetine

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Vinpocetine

209 medications have a known interaction with Vinpocetine, 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 Vinpocetine using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Vinpocetine 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 Vinpocetine 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 Vinpocetine affects

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

All 3 drug categories Vinpocetine interacts with

Anticoagulant/antiplatelet DrugsCytochrome P450 2c9 (cyp2c9) SubstratesWarfarin (coumadin)

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Vinpocetine might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
Clinical research shows that vinpocetine decreases red blood cell aggregation, as well as plasma and whole blood viscosity. This effect has been seen with intravenous vinpocetine 1 mg/kg and oral vinpocetine 30 mg daily. Vinpocetine also seems to have antiplatelet effects.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Cytochrome P450 2C9 (Cyp2C9) Substrates

Theoretically, vinpocetine might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C9.
In vitro research shows that vinpocetine weakly inhibits CYP2C9. However, this effect has not been reported in humans.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Warfarin (Coumadin)

Vinpocetine might modestly increase the risk of bleeding when taken with warfarin.
Clinical research shows that the combination of warfarin and vinpocetine leads to slight increases in prothrombin time and the area under the concentration curve for warfarin. However, these increases were small, and researchers suggest that this interaction is not likely to be clinically significant in most patients.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Monograph

Vinpocetine: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Vinpocetine is a lab-made compound based on a chemical from the periwinkle plant, and it is marketed mainly for memory and brain health. The evidence behind these uses is limited and not strong, and U.S. regulators have warned that it should be avoided by people who are pregnant or could become pregnant. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before trying it.

Family: Apocynaceae
Part used: Synthetic compound derived from vincamine, an alkaloid found in lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) leaves
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, powder

People commonly use it for

Memory and cognitive support
Brain blood flow
Stroke recovery
Age-related memory decline
Tinnitus and hearing concerns

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

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

It is generally well tolerated short-term, but long-term safety and quality of supplements are not well established.

PregnancyPossibly Unsafe

When used orally. In June 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement of warning that those who are pregnant or who could becom...

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.

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Overview

Vinpocetine is a man-made (synthetic) compound. It is created from vincamine, a natural chemical called an alkaloid found in the leaves of the lesser periwinkle plant (Vinca minor), a low-growing plant native to parts of Europe.

In some countries vinpocetine is sold as a prescription medicine for brain and circulation problems. In the United States it is sold as a dietary supplement. People most often take it hoping to support memory, thinking, and blood flow to the brain.

How it works

Researchers believe vinpocetine may affect the brain in several ways. It is thought to widen blood vessels and improve blood flow, and it may help brain cells use oxygen and glucose. It may also block certain enzymes (such as a type called phosphodiesterase) and affect ion channels involved in nerve signaling.

It has also been studied for possible anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Most of this information comes from laboratory and animal studies, so it is not clear how meaningful these effects are in people who take it as a supplement.

Effectiveness

Does Vinpocetine work?

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

Evidence overview · 12 uses evaluated

1 Possibly effective 11 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 Dementia