Drug & supplement interaction

Caffeic Acid + Cefadroxil

Cefadroxil brand names: Duricef, Ultracef, Cef-Tab.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Cefadroxil falls into 2 drug categories that Caffeic Acid can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, caffeic acid might increase the levels and clinical effects of OAT3 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Caffeic Acid and Cefadroxil

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Caffeic Acid interacts with whole categories of medication. Cefadroxil falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Caffeic Acid in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

ORGANIC ANION TRANSPORTER 3 (OAT3) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Cefadroxil

Cefadroxil falls under ORGANIC ANION TRANSPORTER 3 (OAT3) SUBSTRATES — the group Caffeic Acid interacts with.

Theoretically, caffeic acid might increase the levels and clinical effects of OAT3 substrates.
In vitro, caffeic acid inhibits OAT3. This drug transport protein is involved in renal tubular uptake of some drugs from the blood and then elimination in the urine. Inhibition of this transporters decreases renal elimination and increases drug levels in the body. Although caffeic acid inhibits OAT3 in vitro, the clinical significance of this in humans is not known.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist with cefadroxil and caffeic acid. Your kidneys clear cefadroxil out of your body partly through a little transporter called OAT3. In lab dish studies, caffeic acid appears to block that transporter. If that same thing happened in people, your body might hold onto cefadroxil a bit longer, nudging its levels up. With an antibiotic like this, that could mean a slightly higher chance of side effects such as upset stomach, diarrhea, or nausea.

The honest part: this is only seen in test tubes, not in actual patients, so we truly don't know if it matters in real life. A cup of coffee won't be the issue here, but a concentrated supplement is worth mentioning. Just check with your pharmacist or doctor before pairing them.

References
  1. Uwai Y, Ozeki Y, Isaka T, et al. Inhibitory effect of caffeic acid on human organic anion transporters hOAT1 and hOAT3: a novel candidate for food-drug interaction. Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 2011;26:486-93. PubMed
Moderate

ORGANIC ANION TRANSPORTER 1 (OAT1) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Cefadroxil also falls under ORGANIC ANION TRANSPORTER 1 (OAT1) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, caffeic acid might increase the levels and clinical effects of OAT1 substrates.
In vitro, caffeic acid inhibits OAT1. This drug transport protein is involved in renal tubular uptake of some drugs from the blood and then elimination in the urine. Inhibition of this transporter decreases renal elimination and increases drug levels in the body. Although caffeic acid inhibits OAT1 in vitro, the clinical significance of this in humans is not known.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the basic idea with cefadroxil and caffeic acid. Your kidneys clear cefadroxil out of your blood partly through a transporter called OAT1. In lab dish studies, caffeic acid can slow that transporter down. If that happened in real life, cefadroxil might leave your body a little more slowly and hang around at slightly higher levels. That could mean a bit more chance of side effects like upset stomach, loose stools, or nausea.

The important thing: this is only seen in test-tube and animal research, not in people, so we honestly don't know if it matters at normal doses. Food amounts of caffeic acid (coffee, fruits, veggies) are very unlikely to be an issue. If you're considering a concentrated supplement, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. Uwai Y, Ozeki Y, Isaka T, et al. Inhibitory effect of caffeic acid on human organic anion transporters hOAT1 and hOAT3: a novel candidate for food-drug interaction. Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 2011;26:486-93. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Caffeic Acid Also Interacts With Other Medications

Caffeic Acid has 176 moderate, 5 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Cefadroxil one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Caffeic Acid

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Cefadroxil

This page covers Caffeic Acid only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cefadroxil page lists 60 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Aristolochia (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 46 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Cefadroxil page

“Cefadroxil, a cephalosporin antibiotic usually taken as a short course for skin, throat, or urinary infections, has a supplement list that deserves genuine care, not a quick skim. Three of the 60 ingredients on file rate major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Cefadroxil interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 20 real supplement products containing Caffeic Acid, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Caffeic Acid. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Cefadroxil too, on top of Caffeic Acid — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Caffeic Acid and Cefadroxil 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 Caffeic Acid
Steady interest

#1,284 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Cefadroxil
Top half

#1,323 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.

Supplement

About Caffeic Acid

What is Caffeic Acid?

  • Antioxidant support
  • General anti-inflammatory use
  • Skin and sun protection (topical)
  • Immune support
  • Cancer-prevention interest (research stage)

Caffeic acid is a natural plant compound found in coffee, many fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and it is studied mainly for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Most evidence comes from laboratory and animal research, so its benefits in people are not yet proven. If you want to take it as a supplement, talk with your pharmacist or doctor first.

Read the full Caffeic Acid monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Cefadroxil

What Is Cefadroxil Used For?

Brand names: Duricef, Ultracef, Cef-Tab

Cefadroxil treats bacterial infections caused by susceptible (antibiotic-sensitive) germs. It is approved for urinary tract infections, skin and skin structure infections, and pharyngitis or tonsillitis caused by Group A strep (Streptococcus pyogenes).

It should only be used for infections proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria that respond to it. Taking it for viruses (like a cold or flu) will not work and contributes to antibiotic resistance.

See full Cefadroxil drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Caffeic Acid

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

0Major
176Moderate
5Minor
2,648No known interaction
Moderate

176 interactions

Showing 60 of 176 moderate interactions — see all 176 on the Caffeic Acid page.

Minor

5 interactions

No interaction 2,648 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Caffeic Acid and Cefadroxil Together: Common Questions

Can you take Caffeic Acid with Cefadroxil?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Caffeic Acid and Cefadroxil?
Cefadroxil belongs to more than one drug category, and Caffeic Acid interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Caffeic Acid and Cefadroxil interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

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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.