Drug & supplement interaction

Canthaxanthin + Amoxicillin

Amoxicillin brand names: Amoxil Capsules, Trimox, Wymox, Amix, Amoram, and others.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Canthaxanthin and Amoxicillin 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.

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Interaction report

Canthaxanthin and Amoxicillin

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 Amoxicillin and Canthaxanthin 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 Canthaxanthin at all — not against Amoxicillin, 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.

Canthaxanthin safety at a glance

Canthaxanthin overall Use caution Generally fine in small food-coloring amounts, but high-dose supplements have been linked to eye and other problems.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data; avoid supplemental doses during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety while breastfeeding is unknown, so avoid supplemental use.

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

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

What Canthaxanthin Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Amoxicillin. It is the side-effect record for Canthaxanthin on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Canthaxanthin, this list is the first place to look. 2 entries are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Anemia Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, large amounts of canthaxanthin can cause orange-brown coloration of the skin, brick-red coloration of stools, orange discoloration of plasma, discolored body secretions, diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, dry and itchy skin, urticaria, welts, gold and yellow crystalline deposits around the macula of the retina, and hepatitis.”

    Canthaxanthin · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anemia.

    6 sources cited
    1. 5632. Lober CW. Canthaxanthin- the "tanning" pill. J Am Acad Dermatol 1985;13:660. PubMed
    2. 5631. Jackson R. Quick suntan pills in Canada. J Am Acad Dermatol 1981;4:233. PubMed
    3. 5634. Rock GA, Decary F, Cole RS. Orange plasma from tanning capsules. Lancet 1981;1:1419-20. PubMed
    4. 5637. Herbert V. Canthaxanthin toxicity. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:573-4. DOI
    5. 5635. Bluhm R, Branch R, Johnston P, Stein R. Aplastic anemia associated with canthaxanthin ingested for 'tanning' purposes. JAMA 1990;264:1141-2. DOI
    6. 5636. Harnois C, Samson J, Malenfant M, Rousseau A. Canthaxanthin retinopathy. Anatomic and funtional reversibility. Arch Ophthalmol 1989;107:538-40. DOI
  • Hives / Liver problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    Recorded for Canthaxanthin in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Anemia above.

  • Itching / Stomach pain / Diarrhea / Nausea Additional detail

    Recorded for Canthaxanthin in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Anemia above.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Canthaxanthin — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We haven’t matched Amoxicillin to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Amoxicillin.

From our Q&A

Questions About Canthaxanthin or Amoxicillin

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

This page covers Canthaxanthin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Amoxicillin page lists 96 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Khat (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 6 major · 76 moderate · 14 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Amoxicillin page

“Amoxicillin, one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, has 96 supplement and herbal ingredients flagged against it, and six carry a major rating, which puts this list in the read-carefully category. The serious entries mostly add strain to organs the drug already touches.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Amoxicillin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1 real supplement products containing Canthaxanthin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Canthaxanthin. Even though Canthaxanthin itself has no known interaction with Amoxicillin, 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 Canthaxanthin and Amoxicillin 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 Canthaxanthin
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Amoxicillin
Top 5%

#35 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 Canthaxanthin reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified October 4, 2026. The Canthaxanthin and Amoxicillin records this page draws on were last updated October 6, 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 Canthaxanthin

What is Canthaxanthin?

  • Skin coloring or 'tanning pills'
  • Food and feed coloring (e.g., to color farmed fish/poultry)
  • Antioxidant supplement
  • Erythropoietic protoporphyria (light sensitivity, historical/medical use)

Canthaxanthin is a reddish-orange carotenoid pigment used mainly as a coloring agent and in 'tanning pills.' There is little good evidence it provides health benefits, and high doses have been linked to a serious eye problem called canthaxanthin retinopathy, so the tanning-pill use is widely discouraged.

Carotenoid pigment (synthetic or from sources like the mushroom Cantharellus cinnabarinus, certain algae, and crustaceans) · Oral tablets and capsules, often marketed as 'tanning pills'; also used as a food coloring additive

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

Canthaxanthin: dosing

There is no established, recommended supplement dose of canthaxanthin for any health condition, and the high doses once used for skin coloring are not considered safe. Given the known risks at high doses, most people are better off avoiding supplemental canthaxanthin entirely.

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

Read the full Canthaxanthin monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Amoxicillin

What Is Amoxicillin Used For?

Brand names: Amoxil Capsules, Trimox, Wymox, Amix, Amoram, Amoxident, Galenamox, Rimoxallin, Amoxil Injection

Amoxicillin treats infections caused by susceptible bacteria. It does not work on viruses. The label lists these uses:

  • Ear, nose and throat infections
  • Genitourinary tract (urinary and genital area) infections
  • Skin and skin structure infections
  • Lower respiratory tract (lung and airway) infections
  • Adults only: H. pylori infection with duodenal ulcer disease, combined with other medicines

Amoxicillin for Oral Suspension (Amoxil and other labels) also lists acute uncomplicated gonorrhea. It is not recommended as a first guess for gonorrhea because of high resistance rates.

See full Amoxicillin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Canthaxanthin

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Canthaxanthin — 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
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Canthaxanthin References

The 12 references that drive our Canthaxanthin 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. Jackson R. Quick suntan pills in Canada. J Am Acad Dermatol 1981;4:233. PubMed
  2. Lober CW. Canthaxanthin- the "tanning" pill. J Am Acad Dermatol 1985;13:660. PubMed
  3. Rock GA, Decary F, Cole RS. Orange plasma from tanning capsules. Lancet 1981;1:1419-20. PubMed
  4. Bluhm R, Branch R, Johnston P, Stein R. Aplastic anemia associated with canthaxanthin ingested for 'tanning' purposes. JAMA 1990;264:1141-2. DOI
  5. Harnois C, Samson J, Malenfant M, Rousseau A. Canthaxanthin retinopathy. Anatomic and funtional reversibility. Arch Ophthalmol 1989;107:538-40. DOI
  6. Herbert V. Canthaxanthin toxicity. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:573-4. DOI
  7. White GL Jr, Beesley R, Thiese SM, Murdock RT. Retinal crystals and oral tanning agents. Am Fam Physician 1988;37:125-6.
  8. Chang TS, Aylward W, Clarkson JG, Gass JD. Asymmetric canthaxanthin retinopathy. Am J Ophthalmol 1995;119:801-2. PubMed
  9. Leyon H, Ros AM, Nyberg S, Algvere P. Reversibility of canthaxanthin deposits within the retina. Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh) 1990;68:607-11. PubMed
  10. Espaillat A, Aiello LP, Arrigg PG, et al. Canthaxanthine retinopathy. Arch Ophthalmol 1999;117:412-3.. PubMed
  11. Bareford, D., Cumberbatch, M., and Derrick, Tovey L. Plasma discolouration due to sun-tanning aids. Vox Sang. 1984;46(3):180-182. DOI
  12. Gunson, H. H., Merry, A. H., Britton, G., and Stratton, F. Detection of carotenoids in blood donors taking Orobronze: a cautionary note. Clin.Lab Haematol. 1984;6(3):287-292. 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 Canthaxanthin and Amoxicillin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Canthaxanthin with Amoxicillin?
We do not list a known interaction between Canthaxanthin and Amoxicillin. 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.
Does Amoxicillin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Amoxicillin has documented interactions with 96 supplements in our database — Canthaxanthin is not one of them. The Amoxicillin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Amoxicillin and Canthaxanthin?

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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.