Is Bergamot Extract (BPF) Safe with Atorvastatin?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid bergamot supplements or bergamot-containing products while taking atorvastatin. Bergamot extract inhibits CYP3A4 similarly to grapefruit and may significantly increase atorvastatin blood levels, raising the risk of muscle damage and toxicity.
Why this interaction occurs
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) extract, increasingly marketed as a natural cholesterol-lowering supplement, contains furanocoumarins and flavonoids including bergamottin that inhibit CYP3A4. This interaction mirrors the grapefruit-statin interaction and can elevate atorvastatin plasma concentrations unpredictably. Additionally, combining bergamot's own HMG-CoA reductase inhibitory flavonoids with atorvastatin may produce additive pharmacodynamic effects and increased toxicity risk.
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 343,939 reports mentioning Atorvastatin. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Atorvastatin + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Bergamot Extract (BPF) interactions → · All Atorvastatin interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.