Can You Take Vitamins With Antibiotics?

Certain antibiotics and vitamin supplements may not work well together. If you start taking an antibiotic medication, you may need to stop taking one or more of your supplements. Or you may need to change the times you take the supplements until your treatment is complete.

Talk with your healthcare provider, and check the labels on your medications and supplements, to learn whether you need to make any changes to your regimen.

Antibiotics and Vitamins

Not all antibiotics and dietary supplements interact the same way. Depending on what supplement you take and what antibiotic you’re prescribed, certain vitamins and minerals may alter the way your body absorbs the medication, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An antibiotic can also deplete certain nutrients when taken for an extended period of time, according to a research review.

When you’re prescribed antibiotics, tell your doctor if you take supplements or a multivitamin with minerals. That way, your doctor can advise you on whether to keep taking the supplements while on the antibiotics.

Tetracycline, Doxycycline, and Minocycline

Certain vitamins may reduce the ability of tetracycline to treat your infection, according to MedlinePlus. They may also reduce the effectiveness of doxycycline and minocycline, other antibiotics in the tetracycline class of antibiotics, according to StatPearls. Talk with your healthcare provider about taking any of these medications and vitamins together.

Minerals commonly taken in supplement form — such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, and iron — can interfere with tetracycline, making it less effective, according to MedlinePlus. Tetracycline may also decrease the effects of vitamin C, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.

With that said, there may be some upsides to taking certain vitamins if you’re taking tetracycline. For instance, taking niacinamide, a type of vitamin B3, along with tetracycline may help suppress inflammation in conditions like dermatitis herpetiformis, a rare but serious autoimmune skin-condition that causes uncomfortable rashes, according to a case study.

Amoxicillin

Amoxicillin, part of the penicillin class of antibiotics, is a common treatment for ear and sinus infections, according to Mayo Clinic. Augmentin is a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanate that may be prescribed to address infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to amoxicillin alone, according to Mayo Clinic. Most vitamin and supplement interactions are rare with this class of antibiotics.

Cephalosporins

The cephalosporin class of antibiotics may not only kill gut bacteria responsible for producing vitamin K, but also prevent the vitamin from working as it should in your body, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). Prolonged antibiotic use may potentially lead to a vitamin K deficiency. However, it’s important to talk with your doctor before supplementing with vitamin K while on these antibiotics.

Fluoroquinolones

The fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics is often used to help treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), among other infectious diseases, according to Ebsco. Vitamin supplements specifically don’t tend to interact with these antibiotics. But a number of mineral supplements — including calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc — can interfere with how the antibiotics are absorbed by your body.

It’s recommended that any of these supplements be taken at least two hours before or after taking fluoroquinolone to minimize these effects.

Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole

The trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) class of antibiotics fights bacterial infections by hindering the bacteria’s ability to use folate, an important B vitamin, according to Ebsco. As such, prolonged use may lead to folate deficiency, while supplementing with folate may interfere with the antibiotic’s effectiveness.

Also, these antibiotics tend to raise potassium levels in your body, so supplementing with potassium at the same time may lead to increased levels of potassium in your blood. Short-term supplementation along with antibiotic use generally doesn’t lead to dangerously high potassium levels unless you have other contributing health conditions.

Supplements That May Complement Antibiotics

Some vitamins and dietary supplements may be helpful to take with certain antibiotics. For example, taking probiotic supplements may help manage common side effects of antibiotic use, such as diarrhea, by helping to replenish good bacteria in the gut that antibiotics get rid of alongside bad bacteria, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

Always talk with your healthcare provider about whether you should add, remove, or otherwise adjust supplements in your wellness regimen before starting a course of antibiotics.