Can You Drink Milk With Amoxicillin?
In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses whether or not milk is safe to drink with amoxicillin.
I have found that milk helps settle my stomach a lot of the time. I was prescribed amoxicillin and I think milk will help reduce any stomach side effects. Can I drink milk with amoxicillin?
Nov 01, 2022- Milk and other dairy products are safe to take with amoxicillin and do not interact with this antibiotic.
- Some other antibiotics like doxycycline, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones should not be taken with dairy because calcium can reduce how well they work in your body.
- If you take an antibiotic that does interact with dairy, you should wait at least 2 hours before or 4 hours after taking the antibiotic before consuming milk or dairy products.
Answer
Milk, as well as other dairy products, are perfectly safe to consume with amoxicillin. There are no interactions to be concerned about.
This is not the case, however, with all antibiotics as there are several that you should not combine with milk/dairy.
Antibiotics - Dairy Interaction
As mentioned, while amoxicillin is safe with milk and other dairy products, there are antibiotics that you need to avoid the combination with. This includes:
- Doxycycline
- Tetracycline
- Levofloxacin
- Ciprofloxacin
- Minocycline
The interaction between these antibiotics and milk is due to the fact that the calcium in dairy products can bind to the antibiotic, reducing absorption, which could make the antibiotic less effective.
In fact, studies show that combining tetracycline antibiotics with calcium-containing products can reduce the absorption of the antibiotic by more than 50%.
If you are taking an antibiotic that interacts with dairy, you should separate their administration by at least a few hours. Recommendations vary on exactly how long to separate them, but generally, it is reported that you should not take dairy products at least 2 hours before, or 4 hours after, your antibiotics.
Final Words
So, while you can feel safe combining amoxicillin with milk, just be aware this is not a blanket recommendation for all antibiotics.
Additional Information
If you are looking for additional information on amoxicillin, you can find more information on our drug detail pages:
References & sources
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Amoxicillin
- A common antibiotic medication used to treat bacterial infections.
- Antibiotics
- Medicines that kill or stop the growth of bacteria to treat infections.
- Doxycycline
- An antibiotic that should not be taken with dairy products because calcium reduces how well your body absorbs it.
- Tetracycline
- A type of antibiotic that binds with calcium in dairy, making it less effective at treating infections.
- Levofloxacin
- An antibiotic that should be separated from dairy consumption to maintain its effectiveness.
- Ciprofloxacin
- An antibiotic that interacts with milk and dairy products, reducing how well your body can use it.
- Absorption
- The process by which your body takes in and uses a medication.
- Calcium
- A mineral found in dairy products that can prevent certain antibiotics from being properly absorbed by your body.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
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