Interactions on record — worth a quick check against your medications. Based on 1 of 3 ingredients. Check your meds →
Dietary supplement

Flax Oil Ingredients & Drug Interactions

by Spectrum Essentials

Flax Oil label
See full label image
Softgel Capsule Category: Fat/fatty Acid
Most serious interaction: Moderate
Clinical methodology reviewed by · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Label data from the NIH DSLD
What is this page for?

First and foremost: checking Flax Oil against your medications. The heart of this page is the interaction checker and the full interaction report — how this product’s ingredients may interact with prescription and over-the-counter medicines you may be taking.

Around that, we add a pharmacist’s high-level view of the product as a whole — what’s inside, the evidence for its stated use, how transparent the label is, and what safety data exists — so you can see the full picture in one place. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases and the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist — not medical advice — and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

The interaction bottom line Most serious interaction: Moderate

Flax Oil is a dietary supplement by Spectrum Essentials with 3 active ingredients. Its ingredients are commonly taken for heart health, healthy cooking fat, skin moisturizing.Based on those ingredients, 86 medications have a known interaction with it, the most serious rated moderate. The ingredients most likely to interact are Oleic Acid. Use the checker below to test your specific medication, or read the full HelloPharmacist Interaction Report.

Jump to a section

Check Your Meds Against Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials

Ask about any prescription or over-the-counter medication and we check it for interactions with Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials — and tell you which ingredient is responsible.

Pharmacist-reviewed data Checks every ingredient Answer in seconds
Prefer a human? Send your question to our licensed pharmacists — free, answered by email within 24 hours.

HelloPharmacist Scorecard of Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials

Our pharmacy team’s full take, with four database checks built into the cards below — a summary of what is known, not a grade of the product itself.

From our pharmacy team — supplement deep dive

Generated from HelloPharmacist’s pharmacist-curated databases and editorial rules · Last generated Jul 30, 2026

What’s inside

Full disclosure
Ingredient Transparency · database check
Full

Every active ingredient lists its own amount on the label.

Why this rating?
  • The label discloses an exact amount for 5 of its 5 active ingredients.
  • No proprietary blends here — you can verify the dose of every single component.

Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials is a 5-ingredient softgel delivering cold-pressed unrefined organic flaxseed oil as its base. The product contains naturally occurring fats — polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat (including oleic acid), and essential fatty acids (linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid) — the compounds your body can't make on its own.

Does it work?

Moderate evidence
Evidence for Intended Use · database check
By FDA rules, dietary supplements can’t claim to treat, cure, or prevent disease — so labels speak in careful marketing language. We discern each product’s intended use from its name, label claims, and label statements, then grade the clinical evidence for that use. How these ratings are computed
Moderate

Some clinical evidence supports this product's ingredients for its stated purpose, but it isn't conclusive.

Why this rating?
  • The label markets this product for: Omega-3 essential fatty acids.
  • We looked for evidence on: Coronary heart disease (CHD), Hypertension, Hypercholesterolemia, Stroke, Cardiovascular health, Triglycerides.
  • The strongest evidence on file: Oleic Acid is rated "Possibly Effective" for Coronary heart disease (CHD) (Natural Medicines).
  • Also on file: Oleic Acid is rated "Possibly Effective" for Hypercholesterolemia.
  • Also on file: Oleic Acid is rated "Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate" for Hypertension, Stroke.

Oleic acid, one of the fats in this product, is possibly effective for high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) and coronary heart disease based on the evidence we hold. We don't have effectiveness ratings for the other ingredients in this formulation.

The evidence, ingredient by ingredient Oleic Acid

How safe is it?

Some data gaps
Safety Information · database check
Some gaps

Safety data exists for these ingredients, but with some important gaps.

Why this rating?
  • We hold adverse-effect (side-effect) data for 0 of the 1 matched ingredient.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding safety ratings cover 1 of 1.
  • General safety write-ups exist for 1 of 1.
  • Remember: this measures how much safety information exists. Thin data is not the same as being safe.

Oleic acid from food sources like olive oil is generally recognized as safe in normal amounts. At supplement-level doses, the safety data in pregnancy and lactation isn't well established; the evidence we hold notes that concentrated supplements haven't been well studied in these situations.

There are no reported adverse effects in our data. If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or thinking about becoming pregnant, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about whether this product is right for you.

Side effects, ingredient by ingredient Oleic Acid

Meds to double-check

Moderate interaction found
Known Interaction Concern · database check
Moderate identified

The most serious documented interaction for these ingredients is Moderate. Check your medications for a personalized result.

Why this rating?
  • 1 of the 1 matched ingredient can interact with medications — Oleic Acid.
  • The most serious interaction on file is rated Moderate.
  • Some involve high-stakes drug classes: diabetes medications.
  • For scale: 86 individual medications appear in the full list. A big number alone doesn't make a product dangerous — what matters is whether YOUR medication is on it, so run yours through the interaction checker on this page.

Before taking Flax Oil, double-check with your doctor or pharmacist if you're on antidiabetes drugs (medications that lower blood sugar). Oleic acid in this product may increase how well those drugs work, which could drop your blood sugar lower than intended.

We hold no interaction data for the other fats in this product.

Check your own medication Run your meds through the checker above

The bottom line

Scorecard at a glanceFully disclosed formula with some supporting evidence for its stated purpose. Moderate medication interactions have been identified, and some safety-information gaps remain.

Flax Oil may help with cholesterol and heart health through its oleic acid content, but it can theoretically increase the effect of blood sugar-lowering medications. If you take antidiabetes drugs or any other prescription medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting — the interaction data shows a lot of individual drugs may be affected.

Pregnancy and lactation safety isn't well studied at supplement doses, so talk that over with your provider too.

Educational only — not medical advice; always confirm with your pharmacist. Our editorial policy · How we use AI

Assessment coverage: 1 of 5 active ingredients matched to our full ingredient reviews (monographs). Based on the product label dated Aug 24, 2012.

This Scorecard evaluates available label information, ingredient evidence, and known medication-safety considerations. It does not independently verify product identity, purity, potency, contamination, or manufacturing quality. How these ratings are computed

At a glance

General information

Key facts about Flax Oil, straight from the product label.

Brand Spectrum Essentials
Barcode (UPC) 022506120020
Net contents 250 Softgel(s)
Market status On market
Date entered into DSLD Aug 24, 2012
DSLD ID 12189
Product type Fat/fatty Acid
Supplement form Softgel Capsule
Dietary claims / uses Nutrient, All Other, Structure/Function
Intended target group(s) Adult (18 - 50 Years)
From the label
Everything in this section is reproduced from the manufacturer’s own product label — it’s the label speaking, not HelloPharmacist. We show it so you can see exactly what the maker states; we don’t verify or endorse those statements.

Supplement Facts

The label details for Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials, sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

Supplement Facts

Daily Value (DV) Target Group(s):
Adults and children 4 or more years of age
Minimum serving Sizes:
6 Softgel(s)
Maximum serving Sizes:
6 Softgel(s)
Servings per container
42
UPC/BARCODE
022506120020
IngredientAmount% DV
Calories50 {Calories}--
Calories from Fat50 {Calories}--
Total Fat6 g9%
Saturated Fat0.5 g3%
Polyunsaturated Fat4 g--
Monounsaturated Fat1 g--
Linoleic Acid0.9 g--
Oleic Acid1.2 g--
Alpha-Linolenic Acid3.3 g206%

Other ingredients: Cold-pressed unrefined organic flaxseed oil, Softgel

Tap any ingredient to jump to its full detail below.

Label statements
These statements are the manufacturer’s wording, reproduced from the product label — the label is saying it, not HelloPharmacist. We don’t verify or endorse them.
Storage

STORE IN A COOL, DRY PLACE. REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING.

FDA Disclaimer Statement

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

General Statements

L240480P-006

PRODUCT OF USA

THE BENEFITS OF OMEGA-3s Flax oil is nature's richest source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 essential fatty acid. Often referred to as a "Good Fat", this vital EFA helps support normal cardiovascular function and helps to maintain healthy hair, skin and nails.

1000 mg EACH

Formula

OMEGA-3 Essential Fatty Acids Cold Pressed - Unrefined

A 6g SERVING HAS: 3.3 g OMEGA-3 ALA

Suggested/Recommended/Usage/Directions

Suggested Serving: 6 softgels daily with food.

Precautions

Consult a healthcare practitioner for your individual needs.

FDA Statement of Identity

DIETARY SUPPLEMENT

Seals/Symbols

(recycle) 2 HDPE

Brand IP Statement(s)

(C)2010 The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.

Is this label outdated? Report a formula or label change and our pharmacy team will review it.

See for yourself

Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials label

The label scan from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Tap to enlarge.

Flax Oil label

Label images are published by the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database for the version of this product on file. Always read your actual product label.

View the full label (PDF)
What’s inside

The Ingredients in Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials

These are the 3 active ingredients this product is made of. Select any to open its full monograph.

Serving size6 Softgel(s) Dosage formSoftgel Capsule Servings per container42 Amounts shown are per serving.

Most supplement products combine several ingredients, and a medication can interact with the product through any one of them. Each ingredient below shows whether it has known drug interactions.

Linoleic Acid

0.9 g per serving

Oleic Acid

Interacts with
86 drugs
1.2 g per serving

Oleic acid is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found mainly in olive oil, canola oil, avocados, and nuts. As part of a Mediterranean-style diet, it...

Oleic Acid monograph & interactions

Alpha-Linolenic Acid

3.3 g per serving

Other (inactive) ingredients: Cold-pressed unrefined organic flaxseed oil, Softgel. These complete the product’s ingredient list but are not active constituents.

Interaction report

Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials Drug Interactions

Want to check YOUR meds against Flax Oil?

Ask about interactions with your drugs in plain English — “Can I take it with lisinopril?” — and we find you the answer in seconds, ingredient by ingredient.

 Go to the checker
86Drugs
86 Moderate

Ingredients driving the most interactions

Oleic Acid 86

Individual Drug Interactions

The ingredients in Flax Oil interact with 86 drugs. Click any drug to see the details.

1 of the 3 ingredients in Flax Oil interact with drugs. Each result below shows which ingredient is responsible. Oleic Acid

Each ingredient & the kinds of drugs it affects

For each ingredient in Flax Oil with known interactions, here are the types of medications it can affect. Open any type for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

Oleic Acid1 drug type · 86 drugs

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, oleic acid might increase the effects of antidiabetes drugs. Preliminary clinical research in patients with type 2 diabetes taking oral hypoglycemic drugs shows that eating a diet rich in oleic acid from olive oil decreases fasting blood glucose levels when compared to eating a diet rich in linoleic acid from sunflower oil. It is unknown if taking oleic acid supplements would have this effect or if this change is clinically significant. Until more is known, use caution. Dose adjustment may be necessary. Some antidiabetes drugs include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and others.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B
Oleic Acid full monograph & interactions
The maker

Brand information

Manufacturer and brand details for Flax Oil, from the product label.

Spectrum Essentials

See all Spectrum Essentials products
Name
Spectrum Organic Products A Division of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
City
Melville
State
NY
ZipCode
11747
Phone Number
800.343.7833
Web Address
www.spectrumorganics.com
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials: Common Questions

Does Flax Oil by Spectrum Essentials interact with any medications?
Yes. Based on its ingredients, Flax Oil has a known interaction with 86 medications. Use the checker to see how it interacts with a specific drug.
How can one product interact with so many drugs?
Flax Oil contains 3 active ingredients, and an interaction can come from any of them. We check every ingredient, combine the results into one list per medication, and show which ingredient and mechanism is responsible.
Where does this information come from?
The product label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD); the interaction data is built on the Natural Medicines database and reviewed by HelloPharmacist pharmacists.
Will flax oil help my cholesterol?
The oleic acid in flax oil is possibly effective for high cholesterol and coronary heart disease based on the evidence we hold. Results vary from person to person, so talk with your doctor about whether it fits your overall heart health plan.
Can I take this if I'm pregnant or breastfeeding?
The safety data we have notes that food amounts of oleic acid are fine, but concentrated supplement doses haven't been well studied in pregnancy and lactation. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist about whether this product is safe for you in these situations.
I'm on a blood sugar medication — can I take this?
Flax oil contains oleic acid, which may theoretically increase how well antidiabetes drugs work and lower your blood sugar more than intended. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting to make sure it's safe with your specific medication and dose.
What are the fatty acids in flax oil for?
Flaxseed oil is rich in essential fatty acids — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats your body can't make on its own. These fats support normal body functions and are believed to play a role in heart and cholesterol health.
Are there any side effects?
We have no reported adverse effects for this product in our data. If you notice any unusual symptoms after taking it, let your doctor or pharmacist know.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Not sure if Flax Oil is safe with your meds?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

Label information is sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database and reflects the product version on file; always read your actual product label. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Confirm with your pharmacist or doctor before combining supplements and medications.

Flax Oil label
Go deeper

The Full Monographs Behind Flax Oil’s Ingredients

Every ingredient we hold a full HelloPharmacist monograph for — uses, evidence, safety, and the complete interaction list.

Herb & supplement monograph

Oleic Acid

Interacts with 86 drugs

Oleic acid is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found mainly in olive oil, canola oil, avocados, and nuts. As part of a Mediterranean-style diet, it is widely viewed as a healthier replace...

Read the full Oleic Acid monograph →
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Flax Oil's label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database; the ingredient interaction data is from the Natural Medicines database, reviewed by our pharmacists.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

The 19 references behind this product’s interaction data

Every citation that drives the interaction findings for this product’s ingredients, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Open an ingredient to browse its citations — links open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

Oleic Acid 19 references
  1. Madigan C, Ryan M, Owens D, et al. Dietary unsaturated fatty acids in type 2 diabetes: higher levels of postprandial lipoprotein on a linoleic acid-rich sunflower oil diet compared with an oleic acid-rich olive oil diet. Diabetes Care 2000;23:1472-7. PubMed
  2. Gillingham, L. G., Gustafson, J. A., Han, S. Y., Jassal, D. S., and Jones, P. J. High-oleic rapeseed (canola) and flaxseed oils modulate serum lipids and inflammatory biomarkers in hypercholesterolaemic subjects. Br J Nutr 2011;105(3):417-427. PubMed
  3. Jones PJ, Senanayake VK, Pu S, Jenkins DJ, Connelly PW, Lamarche B, Couture P, Charest A, Baril-Gravel L, West SG, Liu X, Fleming JA, McCrea CE, Kris-Etherton PM. DHA-enriched high-oleic acid canola oil improves lipid profile and lowers predicted cardiova
  4. Cater, N. B., Heller, H. J., and Denke, M. A. Comparison of the effects of medium-chain triacylglycerols, palm oil, and high oleic acid sunflower oil on plasma triacylglycerol fatty acids and lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in humans. Am.J Clin.Nutr PubMed
  5. Mozaffarian D, Clarke R. Quantitative effects on cardiovascular risk factors and coronary heart disease risk of replacing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils with other fats and oils. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009;63(Suppl 2):S22-33. PubMed
  6. Cao Y, Hou L, Wang W. Dietary total fat and fatty acids intake, serum fatty acids and risk of breast cancer: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Int J Cancer. 2016;138(8):1894-904. doi: 10.1002/ijc.29938. PubMed
  7. FDA completes review of qualified health claim petition for oleic acid and the risk of coronary heart disease. November 2018. Available at: www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm624758.htm. Accessed January 25, 2019.
  8. Liu X, Kris-Etherton PM, West SG, et al. Effects of canola and high-oleic-acid canola oils on abdominal fat mass in individuals with central obesity. Obesity. 2016;24(11):2261-2268. PubMed
  9. Bowen KJ, Kris-Etherton PM, West SG, et al. Diets enriched with conventional or high-oleic acid canola oils lower atherogenic lipids and lipoproteins compared to a diet with a western fatty acid profile in adults with central adiposity. J Nutr. 2019;149(3 PubMed
  10. Steffen BT, Duprez D, Szklo M, Guan W, Tsai MY. Circulating oleic acid levels are related to greater risks of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. J Clin Lipidol. 2018;12(6):1404-1412. PubMed
  11. Banim PJ, Luben R, Khaw KT, Hart AR. Dietary oleic acid is inversely associated with pancreatic cancer - Data from food diaries in a cohort study. Pancreatology. 2018;18(6):655-660. PubMed
  12. Morin SJ, Gaziano JM, Djoussé L. Relation between plasma phospholipid oleic acid and risk of heart failure. Eur J Nutr. 2018;57(8):2937-2942. PubMed
  13. Samieri C, Féart C, Proust-Lima C, et al. Olive oil consumption, plasma oleic acid, and stroke incidence: the Three-City Study. Neurology. 2011;77(5):418-25. PubMed
  14. Compher CW, Kinosian BP, Rubesin SE, Ratcliffe SJ, Metz DC. Energy absorption is reduced with oleic acid supplements in human short bowel syndrome. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2009;33(1):102-8. PubMed
  15. Ben Fradj MK, Ouanes Y, Hadj-Taieb S, et al. Decreased oleic acid and marine n?-?3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in Tunisian patients with urothelial bladder cancer. Nutr Cancer. 2018;70(7):1043-1050.
  16. de Silva PS, Luben R, Shrestha SS, Khaw KT, Hart AR. Dietary arachidonic and oleic acid intake in ulcerative colitis etiology: a prospective cohort study using 7-day food diaries. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014;26(1):11-8. PubMed
  17. Higashi K, Shige H, Ito T, et al. Effect of a low-fat diet enriched with oleic acid on postprandial lipemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lipids. 2001;36(1):1-6. PubMed
  18. Lin HC, van Citters GW, Heimer F, Bonorris G. Slowing of gastrointestinal transit by oleic acid: a preliminary report of a novel, nutrient-based treatment in humans. Dig Dis Sci. 2001;46(2):223-9. PubMed
  19. Li D, Tong Y, Li Y. Associations between dietary oleic acid and linoleic acid and depressive symptoms in perimenopausal women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Nutrition. 2020 Mar;71:110602. PubMed

See these in context on the Oleic Acid monograph →

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
Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Drug–drug interactions › Check two or more of your medications against each other Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements NDC & pricing lookup › Find a drug’s NDCs, packaging and costs Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team