Drug & supplement interaction

Apple Polyphenols + Azithromycin

Azithromycin brand names: Zithromax, Zmax, Azasite.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Azithromycin and Apple Polyphenols in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Apple Polyphenols safety at a glance

Apple Polyphenols overall Use caution Likely safe in food amounts; concentrated supplements are less studied for long-term use.
Pregnancy Use caution Apples as food are fine, but concentrated extracts have not been studied in pregnancy, so avoid supplements unless your doctor approves.
Breastfeeding Use caution There is not enough information on concentrated extracts during breastfeeding, so caution is advised.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Azithromycin and Apple Polyphenols? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Azithromycin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Azithromycin is filed under 7 classifications — including macrolide antibiotics, qt interval-prolonging drugs, antibiotic drugs. Apple Polyphenols has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being insulin (moderate) — and none of Azithromycin’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Apple Polyphenols Does Interact With Other Medications

Apple Polyphenols has 13 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Azithromycin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 13 No known interaction 2,817 (incl. Azithromycin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Apple Polyphenols

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Apple Polyphenols. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Diarrhea reported in 4.9% of FDA reports for Azithromycin Additional detail

    Apple Polyphenols

    “Orally, taking 600 mg apple polyphenols was reported to cause diarrhea and loose stools in one clinical study.”

    Apple Polyphenols · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 94863. Nagasako-Akazome Y, Kanda T, Ohtake Y, Shimasaki H, Kobayashi T. Apple polyphenols influence cholesterol metabolism in healthy subjects with relatively high body mass index. J Oleo Sci. 2007;56(8):417-28. PubMed

    Azithromycin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Azithromycin, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Headache Additional detail

    Apple Polyphenols

    “Orally, apple polyphenols seem to be well tolerated. Some clinical studies have reported no adverse effects with apple polyphenols, while mild gastrointestinal effects, nasopharyngitis, and headache have been reported in other studies.”

    Apple Polyphenols · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    4 sources cited
    1. 94855. Akazome Y, Kametani N, Kanda T, et al. Evaluation of safety of excessive intake and efficacy of long-term intake of beverages containing apple polyphenols. J Oleo Sci. 2010;59(6):321-38. PubMed
    2. 94863. Nagasako-Akazome Y, Kanda T, Ohtake Y, Shimasaki H, Kobayashi T. Apple polyphenols influence cholesterol metabolism in healthy subjects with relatively high body mass index. J Oleo Sci. 2007;56(8):417-28. PubMed
    3. 94869. Tenore GC, Caruso D, Buonomo G, et al. A Healthy Balance of Plasma Cholesterol by a Novel Annurca Apple-Based Nutraceutical Formulation: Results of a Randomized Trial. J Med Food. 2017;20(3):288-300. PubMed
    4. 102020. Saarenhovi M, Salo P, Scheinin M, et al. The effect of an apple polyphenol extract rich in epicatechin and flavan-3-ol oligomers on brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatory function in volunteers with elevated blood pressure. Nutr. J 2017;16(1):73. PubMed

    “Orally, taking apple polyphenols may cause headache in some patients. In one clinical trial, around 26% of patients taking apple polyphenols 330 mg daily for 4 weeks reported headaches, although this adverse effect was also reported in nearly 24% of patients taking placebo.”

    Apple Polyphenols · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    1 source cited
    1. 102020. Saarenhovi M, Salo P, Scheinin M, et al. The effect of an apple polyphenol extract rich in epicatechin and flavan-3-ol oligomers on brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatory function in volunteers with elevated blood pressure. Nutr. J 2017;16(1):73. PubMed

    Azithromycin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Azithromycin. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Effects for Azithromycin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Apple Polyphenols come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 59,712 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Azithromycin that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

From our Q&A

Questions About Apple Polyphenols or Azithromycin

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Apple Polyphenols or Azithromycin, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Azithromycin

This page covers Apple Polyphenols only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Azithromycin page lists 92 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 8 major · 71 moderate · 13 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Azithromycin page

“A five-day Z-Pak for a sinus or chest infection seems too brief to fuss over, but azithromycin (Zithromax, Zmax) deserves genuine caution around supplements, and the eight major-rated entries on this list are the ones to understand first. Most of those involve the heart.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Azithromycin interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Apple Polyphenols
Top half

#564 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Azithromycin
Top 5%

#60 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Apple Polyphenols reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Apple Polyphenols

What is Apple Polyphenols?

Apple Polyphenols
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Weight management
  • Antioxidant support
  • Blood sugar support
  • Skin health (topical)

Apple polyphenols are antioxidant plant compounds taken from apples and marketed for heart, weight, and blood sugar health. Early research is interesting, but there is not enough reliable human evidence to confirm these benefits. They appear generally safe in food-like amounts, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Malus domestica · Rosaceae · Fruit, peel, and pomace (sometimes unripe apples) · Capsules, tablets, powders, and standardized extracts

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Apple Polyphenols is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Apple Polyphenols record says about it on its own.

Apple Polyphenols: dosing

There is no standardized, well-established dose for apple polyphenols. Products vary widely in how much polyphenol they contain.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the suggested amount.

From our Apple Polyphenols monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Apple Polyphenols monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Azithromycin

What Is Azithromycin Used For?

Brand names: Zithromax, Zmax, Azasite

  • Azithromycin is used to treat certain bacterial infections, such as bronchitis; pneumonia; sexually transmitted diseases (STD); and infections of the ears, lungs, sinuses, skin, throat, and reproductive organs. Azithromycin also is used to treat or prevent disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection [a type of lung infection that often affects people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)]. Azithromycin is in a class of medications called macrolide antibiotics. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria.

  • Antibiotics such as azithromycin will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using antibiotics when they are not needed increases your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Azithromycin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (59,712 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Dyspnea 4,651 reports
Nausea 3,461 reports
Pneumonia 3,225 reports
Cough 3,120 reports
Drug hypersensitivity 2,991 reports
See full Azithromycin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Apple Polyphenols

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Apple Polyphenols — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
13Moderate
0Minor
2,816No known interaction
13 Moderate 2,816 No interaction
Moderate

13 interactions

No interaction 2,816 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Apple Polyphenols against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,816 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Apple Polyphenols list.

See the full Apple Polyphenols interactions page
See every supplement checked against Azithromycin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Apple Polyphenols References

The 10 references that drive our Apple Polyphenols monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Akazome Y, Kametani N, Kanda T, et al. Evaluation of safety of excessive intake and efficacy of long-term intake of beverages containing apple polyphenols. J Oleo Sci. 2010;59(6):321-38. PubMed
  2. Auclair S, Chironi G, Milenkovic D, et al. The regular consumption of a polyphenol-rich apple does not influence endothelial function: a randomised double-blind trial in hypercholesterolemic adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010;64(10):1158-65. PubMed
  3. Deley G, Guillemet D, Allaert FA, Babault N. An Acute Dose of Specific Grape and Apple Polyphenols Improves Endurance Performance: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind versus Placebo Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2017;9(8). pii: E917. PubMed
  4. Kamimura A, Takahashi T, Watanabe Y. Investigation of topical application of procyanidin B-2 from apple to identify its potential use as a hair growing agent. Phytomedicine. 2000;7(6):529-36. PubMed
  5. Kishi K, Saito M, Saito T, et al. Clinical efficacy of apple polyphenol for treating cedar pollinosis. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2005;69(4):829-32. PubMed
  6. Nagasako-Akazome Y, Kanda T, Ohtake Y, Shimasaki H, Kobayashi T. Apple polyphenols influence cholesterol metabolism in healthy subjects with relatively high body mass index. J Oleo Sci. 2007;56(8):417-28. PubMed
  7. Takahashi T, Kamimura A, Kagoura M, et al. Investigation of the topical application of procyanidin oligomers from apples to identify their potential use as a hair-growing agent. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2005;4(4):245-9. PubMed
  8. Tenore GC, Caruso D, Buonomo G, et al. A Healthy Balance of Plasma Cholesterol by a Novel Annurca Apple-Based Nutraceutical Formulation: Results of a Randomized Trial. J Med Food. 2017;20(3):288-300. PubMed
  9. Saarenhovi M, Salo P, Scheinin M, et al. The effect of an apple polyphenol extract rich in epicatechin and flavan-3-ol oligomers on brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatory function in volunteers with elevated blood pressure. Nutr. J 2017;16(1):73. PubMed
  10. Prpa EJ, Corpe CP, Atkinson B, et al. Apple polyphenol-rich drinks dose-dependently decrease early-phase postprandial glucose concentrations following a high-carbohydrate meal: a randomized controlled trial in healthy adults and in vitro studies. J Nutr B PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Apple Polyphenols with Azithromycin?
We do not list a known interaction between Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
How was the Apple Polyphenols and Azithromycin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Azithromycin is filed under 7 classifications, and Apple Polyphenols has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Azithromycin's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Apple Polyphenols interact with any other medications?
Yes. Apple Polyphenols has 13 documented drug interactions in our database — Azithromycin is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Azithromycin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Azithromycin has documented interactions with 92 supplements in our database — Apple Polyphenols is not one of them. The Azithromycin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Apple Polyphenols monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Azithromycin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Azithromycin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Azithromycin, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 10 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Azithromycin and Apple Polyphenols?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.