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Are there any interactions with Red Yeast Rice?

Red yeast rice is a nutritional supplement. Although claims about the supplement are controversial, some people believe that it reduces cholesterol in the blood by stopping the body from making cholesterol. Red yeast rice is found in products such as The Chinese Way Cholesterol Support Formula, Cholesterex, and Cholestin (no longer).

There is no reliable drug interaction information for red yeast rice. However, the active ingredient, lovastatin, is known to interact with many drugs and cause serious muscle damage and kidney damage. Examples of such drugs include: gemfibrizol (brand name Lopid), cyclosporine (Neoral), erythromycin (Ery-Tab, E.E.S., Eryc), fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), nefazodone (Serzone), alcohol, ranitidine (Zantac), cyclosporine, and niacin (Nicobid or Niaspan). Make sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking red yeast rice.

Sources:
Cholestin product information, Pharmanex Inc., 2007.
Anon. "California Company Agrees to Change Cholestin Label," Drug Topics Archive. February 2, 1998.
Anon. "FDA Determines Cholestin to be an Unapproved Drug," Food and Drug Administration Talk Paper, May 20, 1998.
Micromedex® Healthcare Series Integrated Index Thomson Micromedex, 2007
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Pharmacists Letter Inc., 2001.
Drug Facts and Comparisons. Facts & Comparisons, 2007.
Medline Plus. Medline, 2007.

This answer was prepared 5/8/2001.
This information updated 2/6/2007.