Berberine and NAC: taking them together

No trial has tested berberine and NAC taken together, and Electric Tiger Berberine is a single-ingredient product that doesn't contain NAC. NAC has an unusual regulatory history worth knowing before combining it with anything: it was approved as a prescription drug years before it was ever sold as a supplement.

What NAC is

NAC (N-acetylcysteine) is a modified form of the amino acid cysteine. It was approved by the FDA as a prescription drug in 1963 — as an inhaled mucus-thinning treatment, and later as the standard antidote for acetaminophen overdose — before it was marketed as a dietary supplement. Because a drug approval came first, FDA's stated legal position is that NAC doesn't meet the definition of a dietary supplement ingredient. Since August 2022, FDA has said it will use enforcement discretion — meaning it isn't taking action against NAC supplements — while it considers a rulemaking that could formally resolve the question; as of this writing, that process hasn't concluded. That's why NAC is still widely sold as a supplement despite the underlying legal question, and it's part of why people search for it alongside other supplement ingredients, including berberine.

No trial has tested the combination

We haven't found a study giving people berberine and NAC together, or a documented interaction between the two specifically. Berberine's own research sits mostly at 900 mg to 1.5 g a day of berberine HCl, studied in adults with elevated blood sugar or cholesterol markers; NAC's research is studied in entirely different contexts and doses, most of it tied to its drug approvals. Neither body of research says anything about combining the two.

Taking them together

If you take a prescription NAC product — for example, as directed after an acetaminophen overdose, or another medically supervised use — talk to a doctor before adding any supplement, including berberine, since berberine has its own broad interaction profile with certain medications. See berberine and medications: what to check for that list.

Our product

Electric Tiger Berberine is 800 mg of berberine HCl extract per two-capsule serving, standardized to 8% — about 73 mg of berberine — and doesn't contain NAC. As low as $17.34 a bottle on subscription, about $0.58 a serving. Full label here.

Questions people ask

Is NAC legal to sell as a supplement?

Yes, for now. FDA's stated position is that NAC's 1963 drug approval technically excludes it from the dietary supplement definition, but the agency has said since 2022 it won't enforce that exclusion while it considers a rule that could resolve the question permanently.

Can you take berberine and NAC together?

We haven't found a documented interaction or a trial testing the combination. Electric Tiger Berberine doesn't contain NAC — it's a single-ingredient berberine product, so you'd need a separate product if you want both.

How much NAC and how much berberine should I take?

We're not able to answer the NAC half of that question here — dosing a drug-history ingredient like NAC is outside what we cover, and any specific amount should come from a doctor or the product's own label. Berberine's own studied dose range, separate from NAC, is covered in berberine dosage.

Related reading: what is berberine and how to choose a good berberine.