Drug & supplement interaction

Riboflavin + Ferric Citrate

Ferric Citrate brand name: Auryxia.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate 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 Ferric Citrate 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.

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Interaction report

Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate

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 Ferric Citrate and Riboflavin 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.

Riboflavin safety at a glance

Riboflavin overall Generally safe Riboflavin is considered very safe; excess is removed in the urine.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately in dietary amounts. A tolerable upper intake level (UL) has not been established. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally and appropriately in dietary amounts. A tolerable upper intake level (UL) has not been established. 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 Ferric Citrate and Riboflavin? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ferric Citrate

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

Riboflavin Does Interact With Other Medications

Riboflavin has 20 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ferric Citrate 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 Riboflavin

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate 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.

  • Diarrhea Additional detail

    Riboflavin

    “Orally, riboflavin has been associated with rare diarrhea and dose-related nausea. In one clinical study, one subject out of 28 reported having diarrhea two weeks after starting riboflavin 400 mg daily.”

    Riboflavin · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    2 sources cited
    1. 1398. Schoenen J, Jacquy J, Lenaerts M. Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trial. Neurology 1998;50:466-70. PubMed
    2. 71483. MacLennan, S. C., Wade, F. M., Forrest, K. M., Ratanayake, P. D., Fagan, E., and Antony, J. High-dose riboflavin for migraine prophylaxis in children: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Child Neurol. 2008;23(11):1300-1304.

    Ferric Citrate

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

  • Nausea Additional detail

    Riboflavin

    “Orally, riboflavin is generally well tolerated.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Dose-related nausea and urine discoloration.”

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

    Ferric Citrate

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

Reported for Riboflavin but not commonly for Ferric Citrate: passing urine more often.

Effects for Ferric Citrate come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Riboflavin 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

Riboflavin in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally and appropriately in dietary amounts. A tolerable upper intake level (UL) has not been established.

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 Ferric Citrate Products Have a Food Rule — Riboflavin Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Ferric Citrate says to take it with food. If you take Riboflavin on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Ferric Citrate with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Ferric Citrate 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.

( 2.2 ) 2.1 Dosage for Hyperphosphatemia in Chronic Kidney Disease on Dialysis The recommended starting dose is 2 tablets, swallowed whole, 3 times per day with meals.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Ferric Citrate — 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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ferric Citrate

This page covers Riboflavin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ferric Citrate 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 Ferric Citrate page

“Ferric citrate (Auryxia) does its work in the gut, binding dietary phosphate in kidney disease or supplying iron, and all 17 supplements on this list can interfere with how oral medicines get absorbed. That is worth real caution, starting with the single major-rated entry, activated charcoal, which adsorbs many drugs directly and can m…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ferric Citrate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 18,014 real supplement products containing Riboflavin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Riboflavin. Even though Riboflavin itself has no known interaction with Ferric Citrate, 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 Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate 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 Riboflavin
Top 1%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ferric Citrate
Steady interest

#2,380 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 Riboflavin reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate 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 Riboflavin

What is Riboflavin?

  • Riboflavin deficiency
  • Migraine prevention
  • General energy and metabolism support
  • Healthy skin and eyes

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is an essential nutrient your body needs to turn food into energy and to keep skin, eyes, and nerves healthy. It is generally very safe at typical doses, and the strongest evidence supports its use for treating deficiency, with some supportive (but not definitive) evidence for preventing migraines.

Vitamin (water-soluble B vitamin) · Tablets, capsules, softgels, multivitamins, B-complex products, fortified foods

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

Riboflavin: dosing

There is a recommended daily intake for riboflavin as a nutrient, and most people meet it through a normal diet. Do not assume that more is better.

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

Read the full Riboflavin monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ferric Citrate

What Is Ferric Citrate Used For?

Brand name: Auryxia

Ferric citrate tablets — sold as Auryxia and under the generic name Ferric Citrate — are approved for two related uses in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

For patients on dialysis, they work as a phosphate binder to control high phosphorus (hyperphosphatemia) levels in the blood. For patients with CKD who are not on dialysis, they serve as an iron replacement to treat iron deficiency anemia.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Ferric Citrate

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.

Diarrhea 307 reports
Serum ferritin increased 228 reports
Transferrin saturation increased 169 reports
Faeces discoloured 118 reports
Constipation 83 reports
See full Ferric Citrate drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Riboflavin

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

0Major
20Moderate
0Minor
2,809No known interaction
Moderate

20 interactions

No interaction 2,809 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Riboflavin References

The 5 references that drive our Riboflavin 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. Schoenen J, Jacquy J, Lenaerts M. Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trial. Neurology 1998;50:466-70. PubMed
  2. Yates AA, Schlicker SA, Suitor CW. Dietary reference intakes: The new basis for recommendations for calcium and related nutrients, B vitamins, and choline. J Am Diet Assoc 1998;98:699-706. PubMed
  3. Leeson LJ, Weidenheimer JF. Stability of tetracycline and riboflavin. J Pharm Sci. 1969;58(3):355-7. PubMed
  4. MacLennan, S. C., Wade, F. M., Forrest, K. M., Ratanayake, P. D., Fagan, E., and Antony, J. High-dose riboflavin for migraine prophylaxis in children: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Child Neurol. 2008;23(11):1300-1304.
  5. Dietary reference intakes (DRIs): estimated average requirements. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academics. https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fnic_uploads//recommended_intakes_individuals.pdf Accessed July 24, 2017.

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 Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Riboflavin with Ferric Citrate?
We do not list a known interaction between Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate. 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 Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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 Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Ferric Citrate says to take it with food. If you take Riboflavin on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Ferric Citrate with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Ferric Citrate products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Riboflavin and Ferric Citrate combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ferric Citrate is filed under 1 classification, and Riboflavin has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Ferric Citrate'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 Riboflavin interact with any other medications?
Yes. Riboflavin has 20 documented drug interactions in our database — Ferric Citrate 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 Ferric Citrate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ferric Citrate has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Riboflavin is not one of them. The Ferric Citrate 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 Ferric Citrate and Riboflavin?

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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.