Drug & supplement interaction

Vitamin A + Tigecycline

Tigecycline brand name: Tygacil.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Vitamin A has a moderate interaction with Tigecycline. Theoretically, taking tetracycline antibiotics with high doses of vitamin A can increase the risk of pseudotumor cerebri.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Vitamin A and Tigecycline

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

TETRACYCLINE ANTIBIOTICS

Why this applies to Tigecycline

Tigecycline falls under TETRACYCLINE ANTIBIOTICS — the group Vitamin A interacts with.

Theoretically, taking tetracycline antibiotics with high doses of vitamin A can increase the risk of pseudotumor cerebri.
Benign intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri) can occur with tetracyclines and with acute or chronic vitamin A toxicity. Case reports suggest that taking tetracyclines and vitamin A concurrently can increase the risk of this condition. Avoid high doses of vitamin A in people taking tetracyclines chronically.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist: both tigecycline (Tygacil, part of the tetracycline family) and vitamin A can, on their own, raise pressure inside the skull, a condition doctors call pseudotumor cerebri. Put them together, especially with high-dose vitamin A supplements, and there's a theoretical chance that risk adds up. The warning signs would be things like a bad headache that won't quit, blurry or double vision, or seeing brief gray-outs in your sight.

The good news is this is based on a few case reports, not strong studies, so it's more of a caution than a guarantee. Normal food and a regular multivitamin almost certainly won't be an issue. Tigecycline is also given in the hospital by IV for a short course, so you're usually not on it for long. Still, skip the big vitamin A megadoses while you're on it, and let your doctor or pharmacist know if you get a new, severe headache or vision changes.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Hathcock JN, Hattan DG, Jenkins MY, et al. Evaluation of vitamin A toxicity. Am J Clin Nutr 1990;52:183-202.. PubMed
  2. Walters BN, Gubbay SS. Tetracycline and benign intracranial hypertension: report of five cases. Br Med J 1981;282:19-20.. PubMed
  3. Pearson MG, Littlewood SM, Bowden AN. Tetracycline and benign intracranial hypertension (letter). Br Med J 1981;282:568-9.. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Vitamin A Also Interacts With Other Medications

Vitamin A has 9 major, 377 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Tigecycline one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 9 Moderate 377 No known interaction 2,444 (incl. Tigecycline)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Vitamin A

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Vitamin A or Tigecycline

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

This page covers Vitamin A only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tigecycline page lists 98 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Oleander (major), Para-aminobenzoic Acid (paba) (major), Acerola (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate) and Alpha-lipoic Acid (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 88 moderate · 8 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tigecycline page

“Tigecycline (Tygacil) is an intravenous antibiotic usually reserved for serious or resistant infections, and its supplement list deserves real attention. The two major-rated entries come first: oleander, a heart-toxic plant whose compounds may build to dangerous levels with certain antibiotics on board, and PABA, which can blunt the an…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Tigecycline interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 19,215 real supplement products containing Vitamin A, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Vitamin A. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Tigecycline too, on top of Vitamin A — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Vitamin A and Tigecycline 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 Vitamin A
Top 1%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tigecycline
Steady interest

#2,556 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.

Supplement

About Vitamin A

What is Vitamin A?

  • Eye and vision health
  • Skin health and acne
  • Immune support
  • Correcting vitamin A deficiency
  • Childhood growth and development

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient important for vision, skin, immune function, and growth. Most people get enough from a balanced diet, and supplements are mainly useful for correcting a true deficiency. Because vitamin A is fat-soluble and can build up to harmful levels, more is not better, and high doses are especially risky in pregnancy.

Read the full Vitamin A monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Tigecycline Injection

What Is Tigecycline Injection Used For?

Brand name: Tygacil

Tygacil (tigecycline for injection) is approved for adults 18 and older to treat three types of serious bacterial infections: complicated skin and skin structure infections, complicated intra-abdominal (stomach and intestinal) infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (pneumonia caught outside a hospital).

It is not approved for diabetic foot infections or for pneumonia caught in a hospital setting, including ventilator-associated pneumonia — clinical trials showed it did not work well enough for those uses and was associated with higher mortality in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia.

See full Tigecycline Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Vitamin A

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

9Major
377Moderate
0Minor
2,443No known interaction
9 Major 377 Moderate 2,443 No interaction
Major

9 interactions

Moderate

377 interactions

Showing 60 of 377 moderate interactions — see all 377 on the Vitamin A page.

No interaction 2,443 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,443 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Vitamin A list.

See the full Vitamin A interactions page
See every supplement checked against Tigecycline, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Vitamin A monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Tigecycline supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Tigecycline, ranked by severity Tigecycline Injection drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Vitamin A and Tigecycline Together: Common Questions

Can you take Vitamin A with Tigecycline?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Vitamin A and Tigecycline interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

Still Have a Question About Tigecycline and Vitamin A?

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.