Check Your Supplements Against Prednisone
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Supplements to avoid with prednisone are a short list — licorice root leads it — but the bigger story is what prednisone takes out of you. Longer courses of corticosteroids deplete bone calcium and can lower potassium, which is why this page covers both what to avoid and the supportive supplements doctors commonly add.
The clearest supplement interaction with prednisone is licorice root, which slows steroid breakdown and adds blood-pressure and potassium-loss effects on top of the drug’s own. On the supportive side: extended prednisone use accelerates bone loss, so clinicians often recommend calcium and vitamin D during longer courses, and potassium status may need monitoring. Get doses from your doctor, not the label.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. The interactions listed here are well-documented but not exhaustive — no list can cover every product or personal situation. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before combining any supplement with prescription medication, and never start or stop a medication or supplement based on what you read online.
Prednisone is a corticosteroid used for inflammation, autoimmune disease, asthma, and dozens of other conditions. Beyond its intended effects, it changes mineral handling: it reduces calcium absorption in the gut, increases calcium loss through the kidneys, and can increase potassium excretion. It can also raise blood pressure and blood sugar.
That profile shapes the supplement conversation in both directions — a small set of supplements make prednisone’s side effects worse, while a couple of others are commonly recommended precisely to offset what the drug depletes.
| Supplement | Risk | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Licorice root (glycyrrhizin) | Slows the breakdown of corticosteroids and independently raises blood pressure and depletes potassium — compounding prednisone’s own side effects. The FDA has warned about glycyrrhizin’s potassium-lowering effect. | Avoid licorice root supplements and heavy licorice intake during steroid therapy. DGL (deglycyrrhizinated) forms lack the problem compound — ask your pharmacist. |
| Potassium (self-prescribed) | Prednisone can lower potassium, but potassium supplementation alongside steroids is a bloodwork-guided decision — both low and high potassium are dangerous for heart rhythm. | Don’t self-dose. Ask your doctor whether your potassium should be checked, and follow a potassium-rich diet if they recommend one. |
| High-sodium supplement products (effervescent tablets, some electrolyte mixes) | Prednisone promotes salt and fluid retention and can raise blood pressure; MedlinePlus notes low-sodium diets are often advised during treatment. | Check labels on effervescent and electrolyte products; prefer low-sodium options while on steroids. |
Steroid-induced bone loss is one of the best-documented side effects of long-term corticosteroid therapy. Prednisone impairs calcium absorption and increases its excretion, and over months this translates into measurable bone density loss and fracture risk.
Because of this, calcium plus vitamin D is a standard supportive recommendation during extended prednisone courses — NIH’s fact sheets note corticosteroids as a medication class that interferes with calcium and vitamin D status. This is the opposite of an interaction to avoid: it is a supplement pairing your doctor may actively want you on. Confirm the dose and duration with them, especially if you are on prednisone for more than a few weeks.
A list like this covers the best-documented supplement interactions with prednisone, but it cannot cover every product on the shelf. Multi-ingredient formulas — greens powders, sleep blends, pre-workouts, “hormone support” capsules — often bury a risky ingredient halfway down the label where nobody looks.
Suppi solves this the practical way: scan the label, and the app cross-checks every ingredient against your medications and the rest of your supplement stack using a database built on 500+ peer-reviewed clinical studies. You can also start with our free supplement interaction checker overview to see how it works, then bring your full list to your doctor or pharmacist for the final word.
Sources used for this guide. These are stable, authoritative pages from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine, and the FDA.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. The interactions listed here are well-documented but not exhaustive — no list can cover every product or personal situation. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before combining any supplement with prescription medication, and never start or stop a medication or supplement based on what you read online.
Scan any supplement label and see interaction and depletion flags for steroid therapy in seconds. Free on iOS.
Download Free on iOSPrefer to read first? See how the supplement interaction checker works.