Guggulsterone Side Effects

Guggul or guggulsterone is resin collected from gum trees native to India and is used in herbal medicine to treat acne and to lower cholesterol levels. While many find guggulsterone to be effective, it poses a risk for side effects in some patients.

Side Effects

• Possible side effects of guggulsterone include upset stomach, headaches, nausea, vomiting, loose stools or diarrhea, belching, hiccups, itching and skin rashes.

Features

• The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database reports that adverse reactions to guggulsterone are most common in patients taking 6,000 mg of the supplement or more per day. This is considered a very high dosage of guggul.

Risks for Interactions

• Taking guggulsterone with estrogen or birth control pills increases the side effects of these drugs and is not recommended. When combined with blood thinners like Warfarin, guggulsterone increases your risk of developing hemorrhages or uncontrollable bleeding.

Warning

• Some patients develop a hypersensitivity to gugglsterone with continued use of the drug over weeks or months. Although such allergic reactions usually are mild and include only skin hives, they have the potential to cause shortness of breath, racing heartbeat and even anaphylactic shock in some cases.

Considerations

• If you have a history of thryoid dysfunction, endometriosis, uterine fibroids or cancer affecting your breasts, uterus or ovaries, you should not take guggulsterone due to potential complications related to estrogen levels in your body. Additionally, it is not safe for pregnant women to take guggulsterone.