Drug & supplement interaction

Lactobacillus Johnsonii + Balsalazide Disodium

Balsalazide Disodium brand names: Colazal, Giazo.

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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium 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

Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium

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 Balsalazide Disodium and Lactobacillus Johnsonii 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.

Lactobacillus Johnsonii safety at a glance

Lactobacillus John... overall Use caution Generally well tolerated in healthy adults, but people who are seriously ill or immune-compromised should be cautious.
Pregnancy Use caution There is not enough reliable safety data, so use only with a doctor's guidance.
Breastfeeding Use caution Safety has not been well studied, so check with a healthcare provider before using.

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

Still wondering about combining Balsalazide Disodium and Lactobacillus Johnsonii? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Balsalazide Disodium

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Balsalazide Disodium is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Lactobacillus Johnsonii has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antibiotic drugs (moderate) — and none of Balsalazide Disodium’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

Lactobacillus Johnsonii Does Interact With Other Medications

Lactobacillus Johnsonii has 182 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Balsalazide Disodium isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 182 No known interaction 2,648 (incl. Balsalazide Disodium)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Lactobacillus Johnsonii

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on Additional detail

    Lactobacillus Johnsonii

    “Since Lactobacillus johnsonii preparations contain live and active microorganisms, there is some concern that they might cause pathogenic infection in some patients. Some lactobacilli species have been isolated in cases of bacteremia, sepsis, splenic abscess, endocarditis, necrotizing fasciitis, pancreatic necrosis, and meningoencephalitis.”

    Lactobacillus Johnsonii · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in sepsis.

    1 source cited
    1. 107543. Rossi F, Amadoro C, Gasperi M, Colavita G. Lactobacilli infection case reports in the last three years and safety implications. Nutrients. 2022;14(6):1178. PubMed

    Balsalazide Disodium

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

Effects for Balsalazide Disodium come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Lactobacillus Johnsonii come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 505 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Balsalazide Disodium that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Overlapping uses

What Balsalazide Disodium Is Prescribed For, and What Lactobacillus Johnsonii Has Been Studied For

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

Balsalazide Disodium is prescribed for: Balsalazide disodium capsules (sold as Balsalazide Disodium and Colazal) are used to treat mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis — a condition where the lining of the colon becomes inflamed and causes symptoms like diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and abdominal pain. This use is approved for adults and for children ages 5 through 17. The established treatment period is up to 8 weeks in children (ages 5–17) and up to 12 weeks in adults. Safety and effectiveness beyond those time frames have not been established in clinical trials.

Lactobacillus Johnsonii has been studied for:

  • Diarrhea studied, not established Lactobacillus Johnsonii has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Lactobacillus Johnsonii for diarrhea

    Although there has been interest in using oral Lactobacillus johnsonii for diarrhea prevention, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of L. johnsonii for this purpose.

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 Balsalazide Disodium on your own; if you are taking Lactobacillus Johnsonii for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Balsalazide Disodium

This page covers Lactobacillus Johnsonii only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Balsalazide Disodium page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Balsalazide Disodium page

“Balsalazide Disodium (Colazal, Giazo) only works if it reaches the colon intact, and the 17 supplement interactions on file all threaten that journey, so this list deserves real care. Every entry comes down to absorption of the oral dose.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Balsalazide Disodium interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 17 real supplement products containing Lactobacillus Johnsonii, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Lactobacillus Johnsonii. Even though Lactobacillus Johnsonii itself has no known interaction with Balsalazide Disodium, 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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium 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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii
Steady interest

#1,296 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Balsalazide Disodium
Steady interest

#1,596 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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium 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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii

What is Lactobacillus Johnsonii?

  • Digestive and gut health
  • Supporting healthy gut bacteria
  • Diarrhea prevention or relief
  • Immune support
  • Helping with stomach (H. pylori) discomfort

Lactobacillus johnsonii is a probiotic bacterium found naturally in the human gut and in some fermented foods, and it is used mainly for digestive and immune support. Human evidence for most specific health claims is still limited, so its benefits are uncertain. It is generally well tolerated in healthy people, but anyone with a weakened immune system, serious illness, or who is pregnant should talk to a pharmacist or doctor first.

Lactobacillus johnsonii · Lactobacillaceae · Whole live bacteria (probiotic culture) · Capsules, tablets, powders, and fermented foods or dairy products containing the live culture

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

Lactobacillus Johnsonii: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for Lactobacillus johnsonii. Probiotic amounts are usually measured in colony-forming units (CFUs), and products vary widely.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Lactobacillus Johnsonii monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Balsalazide

What Is Balsalazide Used For?

Brand names: Colazal, Giazo

Balsalazide disodium capsules (sold as Balsalazide Disodium and Colazal) are used to treat mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis — a condition where the lining of the colon becomes inflamed and causes symptoms like diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and abdominal pain. This use is approved for adults and for children ages 5 through 17.

The established treatment period is up to 8 weeks in children (ages 5–17) and up to 12 weeks in adults. Safety and effectiveness beyond those time frames have not been established in clinical trials.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Balsalazide Disodium

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (505 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Diarrhea 43 reports
Injection site pain 39 reports
Colitis ulcerative 32 reports
Fatigue 31 reports
Arthralgia 30 reports
See full Balsalazide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lactobacillus Johnsonii

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

0Major
182Moderate
0Minor
2,647No known interaction
182 Moderate 2,647 No interaction
Moderate

182 interactions

Showing 60 of 182 moderate interactions — see all 182 on the Lactobacillus Johnsonii page.

No interaction 2,647 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,647 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Lactobacillus Johnsonii list.

See the full Lactobacillus Johnsonii interactions page
See every supplement checked against Balsalazide Disodium, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Lactobacillus Johnsonii References

The 2 references that drive our Lactobacillus Johnsonii 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. Pierce A. The American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines. New York: The Stonesong Press, 1999:19.
  2. Rossi F, Amadoro C, Gasperi M, Colavita G. Lactobacilli infection case reports in the last three years and safety implications. Nutrients. 2022;14(6):1178. 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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Lactobacillus Johnsonii with Balsalazide Disodium?
We do not list a known interaction between Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium. 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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium 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.
Are Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium 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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Balsalazide Disodium is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Lactobacillus Johnsonii and Balsalazide Disodium combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Balsalazide Disodium is filed under 1 classification, and Lactobacillus Johnsonii has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Balsalazide Disodium'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 Lactobacillus Johnsonii interact with any other medications?
Yes. Lactobacillus Johnsonii has 182 documented drug interactions in our database — Balsalazide Disodium 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 Balsalazide Disodium interact with any supplements?
Yes. Balsalazide Disodium has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Lactobacillus Johnsonii is not one of them. The Balsalazide Disodium 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

Lactobacillus Johnsonii monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Balsalazide drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Balsalazide Disodium supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Balsalazide Disodium, 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 2 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Balsalazide Disodium and Lactobacillus Johnsonii?

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.