Is Valerian Safe with Hydrocodone?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid valerian supplements while taking hydrocodone. Discuss safe sleep aid alternatives with your pharmacist or physician if insomnia is a concern.
Why this interaction occurs
Hydrocodone produces significant CNS and respiratory depression through opioid receptor agonism. Valerian's sedative constituents, including valerenic acid acting on GABA-A receptors, compound this depression, elevating the risk of oversedation and respiratory compromise.
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 219,290 reports mentioning Hydrocodone. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Hydrocodone + 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 Valerian interactions → · All Hydrocodone interactions →
Already checked this one — check your whole list
Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.