Guide
Valerian root and medications: what to check
No dedicated trial has tested valerian root combined with a specific prescription medication. Lab and human data on liver-enzyme effects disagree, and drowsiness is the clearest reason for caution around sedatives, sleep medication, and alcohol.
No dedicated human trial has tested valerian root combined with a specific prescription medication. What exists instead is lab research on how valerian affects drug-metabolizing enzymes, plus a general, mechanism-based concern about combining it with anything else that causes drowsiness — sedatives, sleep medication and alcohol chief among them.
Liver enzymes that process other drugs
Valerian's effect on cytochrome P450 enzymes — the liver enzymes responsible for metabolizing many prescription drugs — looks different in lab studies than in human studies. A 2005 study gave 12 healthy adults valerian extract daily for 28 days and found no significant change in four major CYP enzymes (CYP1A2, 2D6, 2E1, 3A4/5), unlike goldenseal and kava, tested in the same study, which did show meaningful changes (PMID 15900287). A separate 2004 lab study using 14 commercial valerian products found the opposite in a test tube: valerian extracts inhibited CYP3A4 activity and a drug transporter called P-glycoprotein, with wide variation between products in actual valerenic acid content versus what was labeled (PMID 15367385). Taken together, the human data is more reassuring than the lab data, but the mismatch is a reason to ask a doctor or pharmacist before combining valerian with any medication metabolized by the liver, especially one with a narrow safety margin.
Sedatives, sleep medication, and alcohol
Valerian's most consistently reported side effect is drowsiness (see valerian root side effects), which is the basis for a general, mechanism-based caution: combining it with a prescription sedative, sleep medication, or alcohol could add to that drowsiness beyond what either produces alone. No dedicated trial has tested any of these combinations directly. Ask a doctor before combining valerian with a sedating medication, and be cautious about driving or drinking alcohol until you know how the combination affects you.
Antidepressants and other prescription medications
We found no dedicated trial testing valerian against an SSRI, an antidepressant more broadly, 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 valerian with any prescription medication, including these.
Questions people ask
Does valerian root interact with any medications?
No dedicated valerian-plus-drug trial exists for any specific medication. Human data on liver-enzyme effects looks reassuring, lab (in vitro) data less so, and drowsiness is valerian's best-documented effect on its own — all reasons to ask a doctor or pharmacist before combining it with a prescription medication.
Is valerian root a blood thinner?
No trial we reviewed measured valerian's effect on blood clotting. If you take a blood thinner like warfarin, ask a doctor before adding any new supplement.
Can you take valerian root with Zoloft or Lexapro?
We found no dedicated trial testing valerian combined with an SSRI. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before combining them, especially since any additive sedative effect from valerian hasn't been specifically studied alongside an antidepressant.
Can I take valerian root with Xanax?
Combining two substances that can each cause drowsiness raises a general additive-sedation concern. No dedicated trial has tested valerian alongside a prescription anti-anxiety medication — ask a doctor before combining them.
What not to take with valerian root?
Alcohol and other sedating substances are the clearest, mechanism-based caution. Beyond that, ask a doctor or pharmacist about any specific prescription medication, since no dedicated interaction trial exists for valerian and any of them.
Does valerian root interact with St. John's Wort?
No dedicated trial has tested the combination. Both are marketed for mood or nervous-system-related uses, so the same reasoning applies as with any two supplements taken together: ask a doctor or pharmacist first, since combined effects haven't been studied.
Can you take valerian root with gabapentin?
No dedicated trial exists for this combination. Gabapentin can cause drowsiness on its own, so the same additive-sedation caution applies — ask a doctor before combining them.
Related reading: valerian root side effects, who should not take valerian root?, and how much valerian root should you take a day?
Sources
- In vivo effects of goldenseal, kava kava, black cohosh, and valerian on human cytochrome P450 1A2, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4/5 phenotypes A 2005 study found 28 days of valerian supplementation produced no significant change in four major drug-metabolizing liver enzymes in 12 healthy adults, unlike goldenseal and kava tested in the same study.
- In vitro activity of commercial valerian root extracts against human cytochrome P450 3A4 A 2004 lab (in vitro) study found real variation between labeled and measured valerenic acid content across 14 commercial valerian products.
*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.