Drug & supplement interaction

Capers + Cephalexin

Cephalexin brand names: Keflex, Keftab, Cephalex, Lexin.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Capers and Cephalexin 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

Capers and Cephalexin

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 Cephalexin and Capers 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.

Capers safety at a glance

Capers overall Use caution Generally safe as a food, but concentrated supplements are not well studied.
Pregnancy Use caution Food amounts are likely fine, but avoid medicinal or concentrated doses due to lack of safety data.
Breastfeeding Use caution Food amounts are likely fine, but concentrated supplements lack safety data, so caution is advised.

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

Still wondering about combining Cephalexin and Capers? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Cephalexin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Cephalexin is filed under 7 classifications — including organic anion transporter 3 (oat3) substrates, organic anion transporter 1 (oat1) substrates, antibiotic drugs. Capers has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — and none of Cephalexin’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

Capers Does Interact With Other Medications

Capers has 86 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Cephalexin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Capers

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

What to actually watch for

What Capers Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Cephalexin. It is the side-effect record for Capers on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Capers, this list is the first place to look.

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    “Orally, capers seem to be well tolerated. No adverse effects have been reported in clinical research; however, a high-quality assessment of safety has not been conducted. Topically, capers can cause contact dermatitis.”

    Capers · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    2 sources cited
    1. 96124. Huseini HF, Hasani-Rnjbar S, Nayebi N, et al. Capparis spinosa L. (Caper) fruit extract in treatment of type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. 2013;21(5):447-52. PubMed
    2. 12742. Angelini G, Vena GA, Filotico R, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis from Capparis spinosa L. applied as wet compresses. Contact Dermatitis 1991;24:382-3.

    “Topically, capers can cause contact dermatitis.”

    Capers · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    1 source cited
    1. 12742. Angelini G, Vena GA, Filotico R, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis from Capparis spinosa L. applied as wet compresses. Contact Dermatitis 1991;24:382-3.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Capers — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Cephalexin’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Cephalexin column appears here.

From our Q&A

Questions About Capers or Cephalexin

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

This page covers Capers only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cephalexin page lists 61 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 · 47 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Cephalexin page

“Cephalexin (Keflex) is one of the most commonly prescribed oral antibiotics, usually for skin and urinary infections, and its supplement list warrants genuine care rather than a quick skim. Three of the 61 ingredients on file rate major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Cephalexin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 53 real supplement products containing Capers, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Capers. Even though Capers itself has no known interaction with Cephalexin, 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 Capers and Cephalexin 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 Capers
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Cephalexin
Top 5%

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

What is Capers?

  • Digestive support
  • Antioxidant source
  • Blood sugar support
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Skin and traditional tonic uses

Capers are the edible pickled flower buds of the Capparis spinosa shrub, used widely as food and in traditional medicine. They contain antioxidant plant compounds, but high-quality human studies on health benefits are limited, so the supplement claims remain largely unproven. As a food, capers are generally safe, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated extracts.

Capparis spinosa · Capparaceae · Flower buds, fruit, root bark, and leaves · Pickled or brined buds (food), capsules, extracts, dried powder

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

Capers: dosing

There is no established standard dose for capers as a supplement. As a food, people simply use them as a flavoring in small amounts.For capsules or extracts, follow the directions on the product label, since strengths vary widely between brands.

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

Read the full Capers monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Cephalexin

What Is Cephalexin Used For?

Brand names: Keflex, Keftab, Cephalex, Lexin

Cephalexin treats bacterial infections caused by susceptible strains of bacteria. It is used for respiratory tract infections, ear infections (otitis media), skin and skin structure infections, bone infections, and genitourinary tract infections — including acute prostatitis.

It works only against bacterial infections — not viruses like colds or flu. Your prescriber should use it only when a bacterial infection is confirmed or strongly suspected, to help prevent antibiotic resistance.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Cephalexin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Chronic kidney disease 2,157 reports
Renal failure 1,558 reports
Acute kidney injury 1,550 reports
Diarrhea 1,405 reports
Fatigue 1,303 reports
See full Cephalexin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Capers

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

0Major
86Moderate
0Minor
2,743No known interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the Capers page.

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Capers References

The 3 references that drive our Capers 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. Angelini G, Vena GA, Filotico R, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis from Capparis spinosa L. applied as wet compresses. Contact Dermatitis 1991;24:382-3.
  2. Huseini HF, Hasani-Rnjbar S, Nayebi N, et al. Capparis spinosa L. (Caper) fruit extract in treatment of type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. 2013;21(5):447-52. PubMed
  3. Vahid H, Bonakdaran S, Khorasani ZM, et al. Effect of Capparis spinosa extract on metabolic parameters in patients with type-2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2019;19(1):100-107. 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 Capers and Cephalexin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Capers with Cephalexin?
We do not list a known interaction between Capers and Cephalexin. 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.
How was the Capers and Cephalexin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Cephalexin is filed under 7 classifications, and Capers has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Cephalexin'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 Capers interact with any other medications?
Yes. Capers has 86 documented drug interactions in our database — Cephalexin 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 Cephalexin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Cephalexin has documented interactions with 61 supplements in our database — Capers is not one of them. The Cephalexin 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 Cephalexin and Capers?

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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.