Is Vitex (Chaste Tree Berry) Safe with Oral Contraceptives?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid using Vitex while on hormonal contraceptives. Vitex may counteract the hormonal regulation provided by oral contraceptives, potentially reducing contraceptive efficacy.
Why this interaction occurs
Vitex agnus-castus acts on dopamine receptors to reduce prolactin and modulates LH and FSH secretion from the pituitary gland. This dopaminergic and indirect hormonal activity can interfere with the carefully balanced hormone levels maintained by oral contraceptives.
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 22,854 reports mentioning Oral Contraceptives. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Oral Contraceptives + 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 Vitex (Chaste Tree Berry) interactions → · All Oral Contraceptives interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.