Guide
Hops and medications: what to check
No dedicated human trial has tested hops combined with a specific prescription medication. Laboratory studies found hops' compounds inhibit several liver enzymes involved in drug metabolism, and a clinical reference database specifically advises against combining hops with other sedating substances.
No dedicated human trial has tested hops combined with a specific prescription medication. What exists instead is laboratory research on how hops' compounds affect liver enzymes that process many drugs, plus a specific, documented caution against combining hops with other sedating substances.
Liver enzymes that process other drugs
A 2019 pharmacology review reports that prenylated compounds in hops inhibit several human liver cytochrome P450 enzymes — including P450 1A1/2, 1B1, 2C8, 2C9 and 2C19 — in laboratory studies (PMID 30608650). Those enzymes are involved in metabolizing a wide range of prescription medications, so a laboratory finding that hops inhibits them is a reason for caution, but it's not the same as a human trial showing a measurable change in how a specific drug behaves when taken alongside hops — no such trial exists in the research we reviewed. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before combining hops with any medication that's processed by the liver, especially one with a narrow safety margin.
Sedating medications and other sedating substances
A national reference database is specific and direct on this point: hops can cause sedation and should be avoided while taking other sedating drugs (PMID 30000893). This is a documented caution from a clinical reference source, not an inferred, mechanism-based guess. If you take a sedating medication of any kind, or drink alcohol regularly, ask a doctor before adding hops, and be cautious about driving until you know how the combination affects you.
Depression
The same reference database advises against using hops in people with depression, without detailing the specific reasoning in the available summary (PMID 30000893). If you have depression, whether or not you take medication for it, ask a doctor before adding hops.
Antidepressants, hormone-affecting medication, and other prescriptions
We found no dedicated trial testing hops against an antidepressant, a hormone-affecting medication, or common medications for blood pressure, heart rate, or blood sugar. That's an absence of evidence, not evidence of safety — ask a doctor or pharmacist before combining hops with any prescription medication, including these. Hormone-affecting medication is a particular reason to ask first, given hops' own estrogen-like compound; see who should not take hops?.
Questions people ask
Does hops interact with medications?
No dedicated hops-plus-drug trial exists for any specific medication. Laboratory studies found hops compounds inhibit several liver drug-metabolizing enzymes, and a clinical reference source specifically advises against combining hops with other sedating substances or using it in people with depression — reasons to ask a doctor or pharmacist before combining it with a prescription medication.
Can you take hops with a sedative or sleep medication?
Combining two substances that can each cause drowsiness raises a documented, not just theoretical, concern — a clinical reference source specifically advises against it. Ask a doctor before combining hops with a sedating medication.
What shouldn't you take with hops?
Other sedating substances, including alcohol, are the clearest documented caution. Beyond that, ask a doctor or pharmacist about any specific prescription medication, since no dedicated interaction trial exists for hops and most of them.
Does hops interact with hormone-affecting medication?
No dedicated trial has tested this combination. Given hops' own estrogen-like compound, it's a reasonable one to raise with a doctor before combining, rather than assume is fine by default.
Related reading: hops side effects, who should not take hops?, and how much hops should you take a day?
Sources
- The Multiple Biological Targets of Hops and Bioactive Compounds A 2019 pharmacology review describes hops' main compounds (xanthohumol, 8-prenylnaringenin) and their lab-level activities, including one of the most potent phytoestrogens known, an antiobesity mechanism seen with concentrated xanthohumol extracts, and inhibition of several liver drug-metabolizing enzymes — laboratory and mechanistic findings, not a clinical outcome in people taking a hops supplement.
- Hops A national reference database describes hops as containing bitter acids, flavonoids, phytoestrogens and essential oil, notes its GRAS food status, and describes sedation as a known effect and allergy as rare.
*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.