Drug & supplement interaction

Biotin + Rifampin

Rifampin brand names: Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifadin Injection, Rofactor.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Biotin and Rifampin 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

Biotin and Rifampin

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 Rifampin and Biotin 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Biotin at all — not against Rifampin, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Biotin safety at a glance

Biotin overall Generally safe Biotin is generally considered safe and well tolerated, even at fairly high doses, because excess is removed in the urine.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately. Biotin has been safely used at the adequate intake (AI) dose of 30 mcg daily during pregnancy and 35 mcg daily during lactat... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately. Biotin has been safely used at the adequate intake (AI) dose of 30 mcg daily during pregnancy and 35 mcg daily during lactat... Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Rifampin and Biotin? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Biotin and Rifampin May Share a Side Effect

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 Additional detail

    Biotin

    “Orally, high-dose biotin has been rarely associated with mild diarrhea. Transient mild diarrhea was reported by 2 patients taking biotin 300 mg daily.”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 95662. Sedel F, Papeix C, Bellanger A, Touitou V, Lebrun-Frenay C, Galanaud D, et al. High doses of biotin in chronic progressive multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2015;4(2):159-69. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2015.01.005. PubMed

    Rifampin

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

Effects for Rifampin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Biotin come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Biotin in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally and appropriately. Biotin has been safely used at the adequate intake (AI) dose of 30 mcg daily during pregnancy and 35 mcg daily during lactation. It has also been used in supplemental doses of up to 300 mcg daily. A tolerable upper intake level (UL) has not been established.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

Worth knowing

No Interaction — But Rifampin May Lower Your Biotin Levels

These two do not interact. The relationship runs the other way: the licensed record lists Rifampin as associated with lower Biotin levels — rated “Insignificant Depletion”.

There is some concern that antibiotic drugs might reduce biotin levels, but this has not been demonstrated in clinical research. Interference with the normal gastrointestinal flora by antibiotics may reduce bacterial synthesis of biotin. Although some bacterially-synthesized biotin can be absorbed from the lower intestine, this appears to contribute less than 20% of a person's daily requirement for biotin. Therefore it's unlikely that antibiotics would contribute to biotin deficiency.

BIOTIN — Insignificant Depletion

See every medication linked to lower Biotin levels · See the full Rifampin nutrient report

Disclaimer: This checker finds which nutrients might be depleted by prescription or over-the-counter medications. Each nutrient depletion issue is rated based on clinical significance. Use your own professional judgment prior to making clinical decisions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

From our Q&A

Questions About Biotin or Rifampin

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Biotin or Rifampin, 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 Rifampin

This page covers Biotin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Rifampin page lists 222 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 9 major · 172 moderate · 41 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Rifampin page

“Rifampin (Rifadin) is the backbone of tuberculosis treatment, taken daily for months, which is plenty of time to pick up a juice habit or a probiotic without a second thought. With 222 supplement and food entries on file and 9 rated major, this list calls for real care, starting with the majors.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Rifampin interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Biotin as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 18,742 real supplement products containing Biotin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Biotin. Even though Biotin itself has no known interaction with Rifampin, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Biotin and Rifampin 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 Biotin
Top 1%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Rifampin
Top half

#1,182 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 Biotin reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Biotin and Rifampin 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 Biotin

What is Biotin?

Biotin
  • Hair growth and thinning hair
  • Brittle nails
  • Skin health
  • Biotin deficiency
  • Supporting metabolism

Biotin (vitamin B7) is a water-soluble vitamin your body needs to turn food into energy and to support healthy hair, skin, and nails. Most people get plenty from a normal diet, and true deficiency is rare. Supplements are widely sold for hair and nail health, but solid evidence for these benefits is limited in people who are not deficient, and high doses can interfere with certain lab tests.

Capsules, tablets, gummies, softgels, and as part of multivitamins or B-complex supplements

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

Biotin: dosing

There is no single standardized supplement dose proven to grow hair or strengthen nails. The amount your body needs each day is small and is usually met through a normal diet, so most people do not need a separate biotin supplement.Many over-the-counter products contain amounts that are far higher than the body's daily needs. If you have lab work scheduled, mention that you take biotin.

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

Read the full Biotin monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Rifampin

What Is Rifampin Used For?

Brand names: Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifadin Injection, Rofactor

Rifampin treats all forms of tuberculosis (TB). It is almost always used in combination with other antibiotics — your doctor will build a multi-drug regimen tailored to your infection. Treatment usually runs for at least 6 months total.

Rifampin is also used to clear Neisseria meningitidis bacteria from the nose and throat in people who carry the germ without being sick themselves. It is not used to treat active meningococcal disease. The intravenous (IV) forms — Rifadin IV, Rifadin IV NOVAPLUS, and the injectable form of Rifampin — are specifically indicated when a patient cannot take the drug by mouth.

See full Rifampin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Biotin

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Biotin list.

See the full Biotin interactions page
See every supplement checked against Rifampin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Biotin References

The 4 references that drive our Biotin 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. Debourdeau PM, Djezzar S, Estival JL, et al. Life-threatening eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion related to vitamins B5 and H. Ann Pharmacother 2001;35:424-6. DOI
  2. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline (2000). Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000. Available at: http://b
  3. Mock DM, Quirk JG, Mock NI. Marginal biotin deficiency during normal pregnancy. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75:295-9. PubMed
  4. Sedel F, Papeix C, Bellanger A, Touitou V, Lebrun-Frenay C, Galanaud D, et al. High doses of biotin in chronic progressive multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2015;4(2):159-69. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2015.01.005. 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 Biotin and Rifampin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Biotin with Rifampin?
We do not list a known interaction between Biotin and Rifampin. 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 Biotin and Rifampin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one 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.
Can Rifampin lower my Biotin levels?
Natural Medicines records Rifampin as a medicine that can deplete Biotin. That is the opposite direction to an interaction — it is a reason some people are told to take a supplement, not a reason to avoid one. Do not start one on the strength of this page; ask your pharmacist or doctor whether it applies to you.
Does Rifampin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Rifampin has documented interactions with 222 supplements in our database — Biotin is not one of them. The Rifampin 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

Biotin monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Rifampin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Rifampin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Rifampin, 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 4 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Rifampin and Biotin?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.