Drug & supplement interaction

Honey + Doxycycline

Doxycycline brand names: Vibra-Tabs, Vibramycin, Doryx, Monodox, Doxycin, and others.

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 Honey and Doxycycline 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 label for Doxycycline states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Honey and Doxycycline

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 Doxycycline and Honey 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.

Honey safety at a glance

Honey overall Generally safe Generally safe as a food for adults and children over 1 year of age.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When consumed in food amounts. The concern about botulism pertains to children under 12 months of age and not to pregnant adults. There is insufficient reliable... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When consumed in food amounts. The concern about botulism pertains to children under 12 months of age and not to pregnant adults. There is insufficient reliable... 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 Doxycycline and Honey? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Doxycycline

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Doxycycline is filed under 9 classifications — including tetracycline antibiotics, antibiotic drugs, p-glycoprotein substrates. Honey has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being phenytoin (dilantin) (moderate), anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (minor) and cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates (minor) — and none of Doxycycline’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

Honey Does Interact With Other Medications

Honey has 5 moderate, 731 minor known drug interactions in our database — Doxycycline isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 5 Minor 731 No known interaction 2,094 (incl. Doxycycline)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Honey

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Honey and Doxycycline 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. 2 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A severe allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    Honey

    “Orally, honey can cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis (6,11,108531,108532). These reactions may be due to various components of the honey, including the honey itself, pollen, or bee secretions. When used topically, local allergic reactions have been reported in people with pre-existing atopy. Allergic contact dermatitis related to honey enriched with propolis has been reported.”

    Honey · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in atopic disease.

    6 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 11. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
    3. 108531. Jhawar N, Gonzalez-Estrada A. Honey-induced anaphylaxis in an adult. QJM 2022;115(5):325-326. PubMed
    4. 108532. Di Costanzo M, De Paulis N, Peveri S, Montagni M, Berni Canani R, Biasucci G. Anaphylaxis caused by artisanal honey in a child: a case report. J Med Case Rep 2021;15(1):235. PubMed
    5. 91370. Vezir E, Kaya A, Toyran M, Azkur D, Dibek Misirlioglu E, Kocabas CN. Anaphylaxis/angioedema caused by honey ingestion. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2014 Jan-Feb;35(1):71-4. PubMed
    6. 16356. Simon A, Traynor K, Santos K, et al. Medical honey for wound care - still the 'latest resort'? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2009;6:165-73. PubMed

    Doxycycline

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

  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    Honey

    Recorded for Honey in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under A severe allergic reaction above.

    Doxycycline

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

  • Anxiety or restlessness / Trouble sleeping Additional detail

    Honey

    “Orally, honey may cause nervousness, insomnia, and hyperactivity in children. Honey from the Black Sea coast of Turkey has been linked with a unique form of poisoning. Honey from this region sometimes contains excessive concentrations of grayanotoxins, which can cause dizziness, sweating, and weakness within a few minutes to several hours after consumption.”

    Honey · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in insomnia.

    6 sources cited
    1. 91366. Oduwole O, Meremikwu MM, Oyo-Ita A, Udoh EE. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Dec 23;12:CD007094. PubMed
    2. 97693. Oduwole O, Udoh EE, Oyo-Ita A, Meremikwu MM. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;4:CD007094. PubMed
    3. 12220. Ozhan H, Akdemir R, Yazici M, et al. Cardiac emergencies caused by honey ingestion: a single centre experience. Emerg Med J 2004;21:742-4. PubMed
    4. 55110. Gunduz, A., Turedi, S., Uzun, H., and Topbas, M. Mad honey poisoning. Am J Emerg.Med 2006;24(5):595-598.
    5. 55119. Koca, I. and Koca, A. F. Poisoning by mad honey: a brief review. Food Chem Toxicol 2007;45(8):1315-1318. PubMed
    6. 55296. von Malottki, K. and Wiechmann, H. W. [Acute life-threatening bradycardia: food poisoning by Turkish wild honey]. Dtsch.Med.Wochenschr. 7-26-1996;121(30):936-938.

    Doxycycline

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

  • Stomach pain Additional detail

    Honey

    Recorded for Honey in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under A severe allergic reaction above.

    Doxycycline

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

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Honey

    Recorded for Honey in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under A severe allergic reaction above.

    Doxycycline

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

  • Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Honey

    “Orally, honey may cause mild nausea, vomiting, and stomach ache. Honey from the Black Sea coast of Turkey has been linked with a unique form of poisoning. Honey from this region sometimes contains excessive concentrations of grayanotoxins. These toxins can cause increased salivation, nausea, and vomiting within a few minutes to several hours after consumption. Intranasally, honey may cause nausea.”

    Honey · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    6 sources cited
    1. 12220. Ozhan H, Akdemir R, Yazici M, et al. Cardiac emergencies caused by honey ingestion: a single centre experience. Emerg Med J 2004;21:742-4. PubMed
    2. 55119. Koca, I. and Koca, A. F. Poisoning by mad honey: a brief review. Food Chem Toxicol 2007;45(8):1315-1318. PubMed
    3. 55190. Shrestha, P., Vaidya, R., and Sherpa, K. Mad honey poisoning: a rare case report of seven cases. Nepal Med Coll J 2009;11(3):212-213.
    4. 55294. Sutlupinar, N., Mat, A., and Satganoglu, Y. Poisoning by toxic honey in Turkey. Arch.Toxicol. 1993;67(2):148-150. PubMed
    5. 97693. Oduwole O, Udoh EE, Oyo-Ita A, Meremikwu MM. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;4:CD007094. PubMed
    6. 55216. Thamboo, A., Thamboo, A., Philpott, C., Javer, A., and Clark, A. Single-blind study of manuka honey in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2011;40(3):238-243.

    Doxycycline

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

Reported for Honey but not commonly for Doxycycline: a heart attack, an irregular heartbeat, a slow heartbeat and low blood pressure.

Effects for Doxycycline come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Honey 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

Honey in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When consumed in food amounts. The concern about botulism pertains to children under 12 months of age and not to pregnant adults. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of honey when used for medicinal purposes when pregnant or breast-feeding.

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

How to take them

Some Doxycycline Products Have a Food Rule — Honey Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Doxycycline says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Honey included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Doxycycline on its own and move Honey to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Doxycycline products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Take one Doxycycline capsule (40 mg) once daily in the morning on an empty stomach, preferably at least one hour prior to or two hours after meals.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Doxycycline — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Overlapping uses

What Doxycycline Is Prescribed For, and What Honey Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Doxycycline is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Honey is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Doxycycline is prescribed for: Doxycycline belongs to the tetracycline family of antibiotics. It's prescribed for many types of bacterial infections, including respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and eye infections. It's also used to help prevent malaria and, in some cases, as a helper treatment for severe acne. In situations where penicillin-type antibiotics can't be used — due to allergy, for example — doxycycline can step in as an alternative.

Read the rest of what Doxycycline is prescribed for

It should only be used for infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.

Honey has been studied for:

  • Rosacea Natural Medicines rates the evidence for Honey: Possibly Effective Read what the research shows

    Honey for rosacea

    Topical honey seems to be beneficial for rosacea.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Doxycycline on your own; if you are taking Honey for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Honey or Doxycycline

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

This page covers Honey only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Doxycycline page lists 166 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), Oleander (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 7 major · 139 moderate · 20 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Doxycycline page

“St. John's wort is the supplement I would flag first for anyone on doxycycline (Vibramycin, Doryx), because it can speed the antibiotic out of the body and leave an infection undertreated.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Doxycycline interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 298 real supplement products containing Honey, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Honey. Even though Honey itself has no known interaction with Doxycycline, 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 Honey and Doxycycline 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 Honey
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Doxycycline
Top 5%

#39 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 Honey reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Honey and Doxycycline 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 Honey

What is Honey?

Honey
  • Cough and sore throat
  • Wound and burn care
  • Soothing minor skin irritation
  • Sweetener and home remedy
  • Digestive upset

Honey is a natural food with some real, modest evidence for easing coughs and helping certain wounds, especially when special medical-grade or Manuka honey is used. It is generally safe for most adults and children over 1 year, but should never be given to infants under 12 months because of the risk of botulism.

Honey produced by honeybees from flower nectar · Raw honey, processed honey, Manuka honey, medical-grade honey, lozenges, syrups, topical wound dressings

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

Honey: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for honey.

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

Read the full Honey monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Doxycycline

What Is Doxycycline Used For?

Brand names: Vibra-Tabs, Vibramycin, Doryx, Monodox, Doxycin, Doxy, Doxylin, Doxy-D, Periostat, Doxycycline Injection, Oracea, Xyrosa

Doxycycline belongs to the tetracycline family of antibiotics. It's prescribed for many types of bacterial infections, including respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and eye infections. It's also used to help prevent malaria and, in some cases, as a helper treatment for severe acne.

In situations where penicillin-type antibiotics can't be used — due to allergy, for example — doxycycline can step in as an alternative. It should only be used for infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.

See full Doxycycline drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Honey

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

0Major
5Moderate
731Minor
2,093No known interaction
5 Moderate 731 Minor 2,093 No interaction
Moderate

5 interactions

Minor

731 interactions

Showing 60 of 731 minor interactions — see all 731 on the Honey page.

No interaction 2,093 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,093 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Honey list.

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

Honey References

The 40 references that drive our Honey 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. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
  3. Bose B. Honey or sugar in treatment of infected wounds? Lancet 1982;1:963. PubMed
  4. Ozhan H, Akdemir R, Yazici M, et al. Cardiac emergencies caused by honey ingestion: a single centre experience. Emerg Med J 2004;21:742-4. PubMed
  5. Centers for Disease Control. Botulism in the Unites Sates, 1899-1996. Handbook for epidemiologists, clinicians, and laboratory workers, 1998. Available online: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/botulism.PDF.
  6. Simon A, Traynor K, Santos K, et al. Medical honey for wound care - still the 'latest resort'? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2009;6:165-73. PubMed
  7. Gethin G, Cowman S. Case series of use of Manuka honey in leg ulceration. Int Wound J 2005;2:10-15. PubMed
  8. Ingle R, Levin J, Polinder K. Wound healing with honey - a randomised controlled trial. S Afr Med J 2006;96:831-5.
  9. Johnson DW, van Eps C, Mudge DW, et al. Randomized, controlled trial of topical exit-site application of honey (Medihoney) versus mupirocin for the prevention of catheter-associated infections in hemodialysis patients. J Am Soc Nephrol 2005;16:1456-62. PubMed
  10. Sukriti and Garg, S. K. Influence of honey on the pharmacokinetics of phenytoin in rabbits. Ind J Pharmacol 2002;34(147).
  11. Jung, A. and Ottosson, J. [Infantile botulism caused by honey]. Ugeskr Laeger 2001;163(2):169.
  12. Gunduz, A., Turedi, S., Uzun, H., and Topbas, M. Mad honey poisoning. Am J Emerg.Med 2006;24(5):595-598.
  13. van der Vorst, M. M., Jamal, W., Rotimi, V. O., and Moosa, A. Infant botulism due to consumption of contaminated commercially prepared honey. First report from the Arabian Gulf States. Med Princ.Pract. 2006;15(6):456-458. PubMed
  14. Tushar, T., Vinod, T., Rajan, S., Shashindran, C., and Adithan, C. Effect of honey on CYP3A4, CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 enzyme activity in healthy human volunteers. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2007;100(4):269-272. PubMed
  15. Nilforoushzadeh, M. A., Jaffary, F., Moradi, S., Derakhshan, R., and Haftbaradaran, E. Effect of topical honey application along with intralesional injection of glucantime in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. BMC Complement Altern Med 2007;7:13. 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 Honey and Doxycycline Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Honey with Doxycycline?
We do not list a known interaction between Honey and Doxycycline. 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 Honey and Doxycycline have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 8 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.
Should I take Honey and Doxycycline at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Doxycycline says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Doxycycline on its own and move Honey to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Honey and Doxycycline used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Honey in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Doxycycline is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Honey and Doxycycline combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Doxycycline is filed under 9 classifications, and Honey has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Doxycycline'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 Honey interact with any other medications?
Yes. Honey has 736 documented drug interactions in our database — Doxycycline 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 Doxycycline interact with any supplements?
Yes. Doxycycline has documented interactions with 166 supplements in our database — Honey is not one of them. The Doxycycline 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

Honey monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Doxycycline drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Doxycycline supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Doxycycline, 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 40 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Doxycycline and Honey?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.