Olive Leaf Extract & Interactions With Prescription Medications

Olive leaf holds potential as an aid for treating high cholesterol, HIV and AIDS, viral infections and high blood pressure and for promoting urination. It also may have implications for diabetes. Though its anti-viral and antioxidant potential appear promising, no clinical trials have been performed as of 2011 to validate any use of this supplement, according to Drugs.com. Olive leaf may interact with certain types of medication. Always consult a doctor before trying a new supplement.

Diabetes Medicine

Olive leaf extract has hypoglycemic, or blood-sugar lowering, properties. If you take it along with prescription diabetes medication, it may magnify the effects of your medicine, raising your risk of blood-sugar levels that fall too low. Such medicines include acarbose, acetohexamide, chlorpropamide, glicalzide, glyburide, insulin, miglitol, nateglinide, rosiglitazone, tolazamide and tolbutamide.

Blood Pressure Medicine

Since olive leaf has potential as a blood pressure lowering agent, it may interact with medications for treating high blood pressure. Olive leaf has a theoretical risk of either enhancing or interfering with prescription blood-pressure-lowering drugs. If you take any type of medication to lower your blood pressure, including diuretics, beta-blockers, angiotensin antagonists, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, alpha-blockers, alpha-beta-blockers, vasodilators or nervous system inhibitors, consult your doctor before trying olive leaf because you will require close medical monitoring.

Thyroid Medicine

Olive leaf extract may affect your thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, notes Drugs.com. If you take thyroid medication such as desiccated thyroid to treat hypothyroidism, or low thyroid hormone, discuss using olive leaf with your physician before you try it.

Considerations

Olive leaf is not well studied in clinical trials. This raises the possibility that not all side effects and drug interactions are documented, according to Drugs.com. Allergic reactions to olive leaf are possible. Also, there is no scientific basis for recommendations on olive leaf extract dosage.