Supplements and medicines
Nerve Supplements and Your Medicines: Gabapentin, Eliquis and More
You can often take a nerve supplement such as SciatiEase with other medications, but ask your doctor or pharmacist first. Three ingredients matter most: feverfew may slow clotting (blood thinners such as Eliquis), passionflower can add drowsiness (gabapentin, pregabalin, sedatives) and alpha-lipoic acid may lower blood sugar (diabetes medicine). The official site suggests spacing it 30 minutes from prescriptions.
Written by the SciatiEase label deskUpdated
The short version01
Can you take nerve supplements with prescription medicine?
Many people take nerve supplements with prescription medicine, but only after a doctor or pharmacist checks the pairing. Supplements are not reviewed by the FDA before sale, and some do change how medicines act (FDA, Q&A on Dietary Supplements) (NIH ODS, Supplements: What to Know).
The SciatiEase label has 12 lines. Most are vitamins and nutrients with few known clashes. Three deserve a closer look: feverfew, passionflower and R-alpha lipoic acid. Folate and carnitine have a few medicine notes too.
The table maps each medicine group to the ingredient that matters for it. Take it, or a photo of the label, to your pharmacist.
| If you take | Ingredient to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Blood thinners: apixaban (Eliquis), warfarin, aspirin | Feverfew (up to 50 mg in the blend) | May slow blood clotting (NCCIH, Feverfew) |
| Gabapentin, pregabalin, sleep aids, sedatives | Passionflower (up to 25 mg in the blend) | Can cause drowsiness, dizziness or confusion (NCCIH, Passionflower) |
| Diabetes medicine, insulin | R-alpha lipoic acid, 250 mg | May lower blood sugar and add to the drug's effect (MSKCC, Alpha-lipoic acid) |
| Metformin, acid reducers | Vitamin B12, 1 mg | These drugs can lower B12 levels (NIH ODS, Vitamin B12) |
| Methotrexate, phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproate | Folate, 500 mcg DFE | Folate can interact with these drugs (NIH ODS, Folate) |
| Valproic acid, phenobarbital and similar | Acetyl-L-carnitine, 250 mg | These drugs lower carnitine levels (NIH ODS, Carnitine) |
| Chemotherapy or radiation | R-alpha lipoic acid | Antioxidants may work against these treatments (MSKCC, Alpha-lipoic acid) |
Gabapentin and pregabalin02
Can you take SciatiEase with gabapentin or pregabalin?
Taking SciatiEase with gabapentin or pregabalin needs a pharmacist's check first, mainly because both can stack drowsiness. Gabapentin can make you sleepy or dizzy, slow your thinking and affect coordination (MedlinePlus, Gabapentin). Passionflower in the herb blend can cause drowsiness too (NCCIH, Passionflower).
Pregabalin brings its own dizziness. In the PRECISE sciatica trial, dizziness was more common with pregabalin than with placebo (PRECISE trial, NEJM 2017).
The herb blend is small, 50 mg in all, and no study has tested these exact pairs. Small is not zero, though, so start only after you ask, and watch how you feel when driving.
Alcohol adds to gabapentin's drowsiness. MedlinePlus also says to take antacids such as Maalox or Mylanta at least 2 hours before gabapentin (MedlinePlus, Gabapentin).
Eliquis and other blood thinners03
Can you take SciatiEase with Eliquis or another blood thinner?
Do not start SciatiEase with Eliquis (apixaban) or another blood thinner until the prescriber says yes. Feverfew, the first herb in the blend, may slow blood clotting (NCCIH, Feverfew).
The amount is not printed. Feverfew is listed first in a 50 mg blend, so it holds at most 50 mg per 4 capsules. That is likely small, but bleeding risk is worth a phone call.
The FDA warns that warfarin, aspirin, vitamin E and ginkgo can each thin the blood, and that stacking them may raise the risk of internal bleeding (FDA, Mixing Medications and Supplements). Never stop apixaban on your own; its label warns that stroke risk rises when it is stopped (MedlinePlus, Apixaban).
Bleeding signs on a blood thinner
- Unusual bruising or bleeding
- Bleeding gums or nosebleeds
- Red, pink or brown urine
- Black, tarry stools
From the MedlinePlus apixaban page (MedlinePlus, Apixaban).
Plan the pause
NCCIH says to stop feverfew at least 2 weeks before surgery (NCCIH, Feverfew). The FDA notes that providers may ask you to stop supplements two or three weeks before a procedure (FDA, Mixing Medications and Supplements). Tell the surgeon about every capsule you take.
Metformin and B1204
How do metformin and vitamin B12 interact?
Metformin can lower vitamin B12 absorption and blood levels over time. Acid reducers such as proton pump inhibitors and H2 blockers can do the same with B12 from food (NIH ODS, Vitamin B12).
Low B12 can cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, even without anemia (NIH ODS, Vitamin B12). That overlaps with the symptoms people blame on sciatica or neuropathy, which is why a blood test helps.
SciatiEase holds 1 mg of methyl B12 per 4 capsules, 41,667% of the Daily Value. No upper limit is set for B12. Still, a supplement is not a diagnosis: ask your doctor whether your B12 level should be checked first.
High folate can hide the anemia of B12 shortage while nerve damage continues (NIH ODS, Folate). SciatiEase pairs 500 mcg DFE of folate with B12, but a test is still the only way to know your level.
SciatiEase: from $49 a bottle120 capsules · 1, 3 or 6 bottles · free US shipping on 3 or 6 · 180-day guarantee
See packsDiabetes medicine and ALA05
Is alpha-lipoic acid safe with diabetes medicine?
Alpha-lipoic acid can be used with diabetes medicine only with care, because it may lower blood sugar and add to the drug's effect. Memorial Sloan Kettering lists low blood sugar among its side effects (MSKCC, Alpha-lipoic acid).
SciatiEase holds 250 mg of R-alpha lipoic acid per 4 capsules, or 125 mg at 2. Diabetic neuropathy trials used 600 to 1,800 mg a day, and a Cochrane review found probably little or no effect on symptoms at 6 months (Cochrane, Alpha-lipoic acid 2024).
If your doctor agrees, check your sugar more often in the first weeks. NIDDK says managing blood glucose is the key step for diabetic nerve pain (NIDDK, Peripheral Neuropathy).
Signs of low blood sugar to watch for
- Shakiness, sweating or a racing heart
- Sudden hunger or irritability
- Confusion or blurred vision
- Readings lower than your usual range
Treat a low the way your care team taught you, and report it.
Sleep aids and sedatives06
Can you take SciatiEase with sleep aids or sedatives?
Ask first before taking SciatiEase with sleep aids, anxiety medicine or other sedatives, because passionflower can add drowsiness. NCCIH lists drowsiness, dizziness and confusion as possible side effects (NCCIH, Passionflower).
NCCIH also says passionflower combined with anesthesia or surgical medicines might slow the nervous system too much. Tell your surgical team you take it.
If your doctor clears it, take the capsules with dinner rather than before driving, and skip alcohol while you learn how they affect you.
Spacing and timing07
When should you take SciatiEase around your prescriptions?
The official SciatiEase site suggests taking the capsules 30 minutes before or after prescription medicine. It also says to ask a doctor or pharmacist before combining them (SciatiEase official site).
Spacing keeps doses easy to track. It does not cancel an interaction such as drowsiness or blood sugar lowering, which last longer than half an hour.
The warning panel is not in the images we have. Follow the bottle you receive, and bring a full list of what you take to each visit (FDA, Mixing Medications and Supplements).
List everything
Prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and herbs, with doses.
Ask once, clearly
Show the label to your pharmacist and name the three herbs and R-ALA.
Space the doses
Take prescriptions on schedule, and the capsules 30 minutes apart.
Watch and report
Note drowsiness, bruising, low sugar or growing tingling, and call if any appear.
Do not skip, lower or stop a prescription because you started SciatiEase or any supplement. Changes belong to your prescriber. Report a suspected supplement reaction to the FDA Safety Reporting Portal (FDA, Q&A on Dietary Supplements).
The full list of side effects is on the SciatiEase side effects page, and the label is typed out on the supplement facts page.
FAQ08
SciatiEase questions people ask
Can you take SciatiEase with Eliquis?
Only if the doctor who prescribed Eliquis agrees. Feverfew in the herb blend may slow blood clotting (NCCIH, Feverfew), which can add to apixaban's effect. Keep taking Eliquis exactly as prescribed, and call your doctor for unusual bruising, nosebleeds or dark stools (MedlinePlus, Apixaban).
Can you take SciatiEase with other medications?
Often yes, but check with a pharmacist first. The ingredients to name are feverfew (blood thinners), passionflower (sedatives, gabapentin), R-alpha lipoic acid (diabetes medicine), folate (methotrexate, some seizure drugs) and carnitine (valproic acid). The official site suggests spacing doses 30 minutes apart (SciatiEase official site).
Can you take SciatiEase with pregabalin (Lyrica)?
Ask your doctor or pharmacist first. Dizziness was more common with pregabalin than placebo in the PRECISE trial (PRECISE trial, NEJM 2017), and passionflower in SciatiEase can add drowsiness (NCCIH, Passionflower). No study has tested the pair. Keep taking pregabalin as prescribed and avoid driving until you know how you feel.
Does metformin lower vitamin B12?
Yes. Metformin can reduce B12 absorption and lower blood levels, and low B12 can cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet (NIH ODS, Vitamin B12). Ask your doctor about a B12 blood test, especially if you have taken metformin for years.
Can you take alpha-lipoic acid with diabetes medicine?
Only with your doctor's approval and closer sugar checks. Alpha-lipoic acid may lower blood sugar and add to the effect of diabetes drugs (MSKCC, Alpha-lipoic acid). SciatiEase holds 250 mg of R-alpha lipoic acid per 4 capsules, or 125 mg at 2.
Should I stop nerve supplements before surgery?
Usually yes, but follow your surgeon's instructions. NCCIH says to stop feverfew at least 2 weeks before surgery (NCCIH, Feverfew), and passionflower may add to anesthesia effects (NCCIH, Passionflower). Tell the surgical team about every supplement you take, including SciatiEase.
Can you take SciatiEase with seizure medicine?
Ask your neurologist or pharmacist first. Folate can interact with phenytoin, carbamazepine and valproate (NIH ODS, Folate), and valproic acid, phenobarbital and similar drugs lower carnitine levels (NIH ODS, Carnitine). Keep taking seizure medicine exactly as prescribed.
Who wrote this09
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label, the official site, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a SciatiEase authorized U.S. retailer, not by the manufacturer. We are paid a commission when you buy through our order links.
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