Herb & supplement monograph

Manganese Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Manganese interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Manganese is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Manganese is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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Manganese Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Manganese drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and nearly all rest on theoretical or limited evidence rather than well-controlled human studies.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The best-supported concerns involve quinolone antibiotics and tetracycline antibiotics. Manganese is a mineral that can bind to these antibiotics in the gut, and similar minerals like calcium and iron have been shown to reduce how much antibiotic the body absorbs, which could make an infection treatment less effective. There is also a weaker signal with antipsychotic medications, based mainly on a single report of hallucinations and behavior changes in a patient with liver disease who took manganese with haloperidol, so researchers speculate the combination might raise the risk of manganese toxicity.

What the rest of the list means

Although the number of medications on the list looks large, it mostly reflects these few drug categories rather than dozens of separate problems. Most of the concerns are predicted from how manganese behaves as a mineral, not from proven harm in people, so many combinations may never cause a meaningful effect.

Check your medications against Manganese

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Manganese interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Manganese

83 medications have a known interaction with Manganese, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Manganese using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Manganese interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction 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.
Possible. 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
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Manganese combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Manganese affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Manganese is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 3 drug categories Manganese interacts with

Antipsychotic DrugsQuinolone AntibioticsTetracycline Antibiotics

Antipsychotic Drugs

Theoretically, the risk for manganese toxicity might increase when taken with antipsychotic drugs.
Hallucinations and behavioral changes have been reported in a patient with liver disease who was taking haloperidol and manganese. Researchers speculate that taking manganese along with haloperidol, phenothiazine-derivatives, or other antipsychotic medications might increase the risk of manganese toxicity in some patients.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Quinolone Antibiotics

Theoretically, manganese might reduce the absorption of quinolone antibiotics.
Manganese is a multivalent cation. Interactions resulting in reduced quinolone absorption have been reported between quinolones and other multivalent cations, such as calcium and iron.

Likelihood Probable Evidence D

Tetracycline Antibiotics

Theoretically, manganese might reduce the absorption of tetracycline antibiotics.
Manganese is a multivalent cation. Interactions resulting in reduced tetracycline absorption have been reported between tetracyclines and other multivalent cations, such as calcium and iron.

Likelihood Probable Evidence D

Monograph

Manganese: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Manganese is an essential trace mineral your body needs in small amounts for bone formation, metabolism, and antioxidant defense, and most people get enough from a normal diet. Supplements may help if you have a genuine deficiency, but too much can be harmful—especially to the nervous system—so do not take high doses without guidance from a pharmacist or doctor.

Part used: Mineral (dietary trace element)
Common forms: Tablets, capsules, gummies, liquid drops, part of multivitamin/mineral and bone-health products

People commonly use it for

Bone health support
Antioxidant and enzyme support
Filling dietary gaps
Metabolism support
Wound healing

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Safe in normal dietary amounts, but high-dose supplements can be harmful.

PregnancyUse caution

Amounts in foods and prenatal vitamins are appropriate, but avoid extra high-dose supplements unless advised.

BreastfeedingLikely Safe

When used orally and appropriately. Manganese is safe when used in doses below the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 11 mg daily during pregnancy o...

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Manganese is an essential trace mineral, meaning your body needs it in very small amounts to stay healthy. It is not the same as magnesium, even though the names look alike. Your body cannot make manganese, so you must get it from food.

Manganese is found naturally in many foods, including whole grains, nuts, seeds, leafy green vegetables, legumes, and tea. Because it is so widespread in the diet, most people who eat a varied diet get plenty of it.

People take manganese supplements—often as part of a multivitamin or a bone-health formula—to support bones, metabolism, and the body's natural antioxidant defenses. Standalone high-dose manganese supplements are usually not necessary for most people.

How it works

Manganese works mainly as a helper for enzymes. Several enzymes need manganese to do their jobs, including ones involved in metabolism, bone and cartilage formation, and the breakdown of certain nutrients.

One important example is an antioxidant enzyme called manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), which helps protect cells from damage caused by unstable molecules. Manganese also supports the formation of connective tissue and helps the body process carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Because manganese supports these basic functions, having enough is important. However, this does not mean that taking more than your body needs gives extra benefits—and very high amounts can actually be harmful.

Effectiveness

Does Manganese work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 9 uses evaluated

1 Effective 8 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

Effective Manganese deficiency