Doxycycline oral tablet is a generic prescription drug that’s used to treat certain bacterial infections. This drug can interact with some medications and supplements. For example, doxycycline can interact with certain antacids and iron supplements.
Doxycycline is used in adults and certain children to:
- treat certain bacterial infections
- treat severe acne
- prevent malaria
Doxycycline’s active ingredient is doxycycline. The oral tablet comes in these brand-name versions:
- Avidoxy
- Doryx
- Doryx MPC
- TargaDOX
An interaction can occur because one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions also can occur if you have certain health conditions.
Keep reading to learn about doxycycline’s possible interactions. For a detailed overview of this drug, check out this in-depth doxycycline article.
Before you start taking doxycycline, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether doxycycline interacts with herbs, vitamins, or supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with doxycycline?” section.)
If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
The table below lists drugs that may interact with doxycycline. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with doxycycline. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section.
| Drug group or drug name | Drug examples | What can happen |
|---|---|---|
| antacids | • aluminum hydroxide • calcium carbonate • others | can make doxycycline less effective |
| barbiturates | • butalbital • phenobarbital | can make doxycycline less effective |
| bile acid sequestrants | • cholestyramine • colestipol (Colestid) | can make doxycycline less effective |
| oral birth control drugs | •desogestrel/ethinyl estradiol •levonorgestrel/ ethinyl estradiol • others | may make oral birth control drugs less effective |
| penicillin antibiotics | • amoxicillin (Amoxil) • penicillin G | can make penicillin antibiotics less effective |
| retinoids | • acitretin • isotretinoin • others | can raise the risk of a serious side effect called intracranial hypertension (increased pressure inside the skull) |
| bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto Bismol) | — | can make doxycycline less effective |
| carbamazepine (Tegretol) | — | can make doxycycline less effective |
| phenytoin (Dilantin) | — | can make doxycycline less effective |
| warfarin | — | can raise the risk of bleeding from warfarin |
Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take doxycycline. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe doxycycline for you. These are known as contraindications. Doxycycline’s contraindication is as follows:
If you’ve had an allergic reaction: If you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to any tetracycline antibiotic, your doctor likely won’t prescribe doxycycline for you. This is because doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic, and taking it could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.
Before you start taking doxycycline, talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether doxycycline is safe for you to take.
Doxycycline is not known to interact with alcohol. But, a 2020 review examined the effects of alcohol consumed during treatment with antibiotics. It showed that heavy or chronic use of alcohol may decrease the effects of doxycycline. Also, both alcohol and doxycycline can harm the liver. So, it may be best to avoid drinking alcohol during doxycycline treatment.
Keep in mind that doxycycline is used to treat certain bacterial infections. And alcohol may interfere with your recovery from infection and increase the risk of side effects. These side effects include nausea and upset stomach.
If you have questions about consuming alcohol while taking doxycycline, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with doxycycline.
Interaction with antacids
Doxycycline can interact with antacids, which are taken to treat heartburn and acid reflux. Examples of antacid medications include:
- aluminum hydroxide
- calcium carbonate
- magnesium hydroxide
What could happen
Taking antacids with doxycycline can reduce the amount of doxycycline that your body absorbs. This can make doxycycline less effective.
What you can do
If you need an antacid while taking doxycycline, you should its doses from doxycycline by 2 to 3 hours. This means you should take the antacid at least 2 hours before or after your doxycycline dose. You could also ask your doctor or pharmacist about antacid alternatives you could take during doxycycline treatment.
If you have questions about taking antacids during doxycycline treatment, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Interaction with oral birth control medications
Doxycycline may interact with oral birth control medications, which are taken to help prevent pregnancy. Examples of oral birth control medications include:
- desogestrel/ethinyl estradiol
- levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol
- norethindrone acetate/ethinyl estradiol
What could happen
Taking oral birth control medications during doxycycline treatment may make the oral birth control medications less effective. Some research suggests this isn’t true for all antibiotics (doxycycline is an antibiotic). But doxycycline belongs to a group of drugs called tetracycline antibiotics. And this group of antibiotics may affect how well oral birth control medications work to prevent pregnancy.
What you can do
It’s wise to use a backup birth control method during treatment with doxycycline.
If you have concerns about taking oral birth control medications during doxycycline treatment, talk with your doctor. They also can recommend other birth control methods.
Interaction with retinoids
Doxycycline can interact with retinoids, which are used to treat certain skin conditions. Examples of retinoid medications are:
- acitretin
- isotretinoin
- tretinoin
What could happen
Taking retinoids during doxycycline treatment can raise the risk of a serious side effect called intracranial hypertension. This is increased pressure inside the skull. It can cause symptoms similar to a brain tumor, including vision problems and headache. Intracranial hypertension can lead to permanent vision loss.
What you can do
Due to the increased risk of intracranial hypertension, doctors usually don’t prescribe doxycycline and retinoid drugs together. If you’re taking doxycycline and have symptoms of this side effect, tell your doctor right away.
Doxycycline may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See below for details. Note that this information does not include all other interactions possible with doxycycline.
Does doxycycline interact with supplements?
Before you start taking doxycycline, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs, vitamins, or supplements you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.
If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Doxycycline and herbs
Doxycycline and doxycycline hyclate oral tablets currently have no reports of interacting with herbs. But this doesn’t mean that interactions with herbs won’t be recognized in the future.
For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products during doxycycline treatment.
Doxycycline interactions with vitamins and minerals
Doxycycline can interact with vitamin and mineral supplements including:
Taking these supplements during doxycycline treatment can reduce the amount of doxycycline your body absorbs. This can make doxycycline less effective.
If you need a vitamin or mineral supplement during doxycycline treatment, you should separate their doses from doxycycline by 2 hours. This means you should take the supplement at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after your doxycycline dose.
Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about taking vitamin or mineral supplements during doxycycline treatment.
Does doxycycline interact with food?
It’s important to note that you should not eat dairy food at least 2 hours before and 2 hours after taking doxycycline. If you take doxycycline with dairy food, the interaction could decrease the level of the drug in your body. This may make doxycycline less effective.
Milk doesn’t seem to affect the level of doxycycline in your body. So your doctor may tell you it’s acceptable to take doxycycline with milk if the drug upsets your stomach.
Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about what foods to avoid during doxycycline treatment.
Does doxycycline interact with vaccines?
You should not receive certain live vaccines during your doxycycline treatment. (Live vaccines contain weakened versions of the bacteria or virus that they’re meant to protect against.) This is because getting certain live vaccines during doxycycline treatment may make the vaccine less effective. This includes the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and cholera vaccines.
If you need to receive a vaccine during doxycycline treatment, talk with your doctor first to make sure it’s safe.
Does doxycycline interact with lab tests?
Doxycycline and doxycycline hyclate oral tablets currently have no reports of interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests done during your treatment with doxycycline, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.
Does doxycycline interact with cannabis or CBD?Doxycycline and doxycycline hyclate oral tablets currently have no reports of interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). But as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis with doxycycline.
Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.
Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with doxycycline. Before taking doxycycline, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether doxycycline is right for you.
Health conditions or other factors that might interact with doxycycline include:
Kidney problems or liver problems: If you have kidney problems or liver problems, your doctor may need to check the function of these organs. This will help them learn how well they’re functioning if you are taking doxycycline long term. Talk with your doctor to learn more about taking doxycycline if you have liver or kidney problems.
Past intracranial hypertension: Intracranial hypertension (increased pressure inside the skull) is a serious side effect that’s possible with doxycycline. If you’ve had this problem before, you may have a higher risk of getting it again during doxycycline treatment. Talk with your doctor to learn more about this risk if you’ve ever had intracranial hypertension.
Sun exposure: Doxycycline can make your skin more sensitive than usual to sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) light. This includes indoor tanning lights. Small amounts of sun or UV light exposure can lead to an increased risk of sunburn, rash, or itchiness. If you’re likely to be in the sun during doxycycline treatment, apply sunscreen daily and cover exposed skin.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus): Doxycycline may worsen lupus and cause flare-ups. Lupus is a disease that affects the immune system. If you have lupus, talk with your doctor about taking doxycycline. They can give you more information about this possible interaction.
Pregnancy: It’s not known whether doxycycline is safe to take during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before taking doxycycline.
Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to take doxycycline while breastfeeding. The drug passes into breast milk, but it isn’t known whether the drug may cause side effects in a child who’s breastfed. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor about your options.
Children: Doxycycline can permanently discolor teeth when they’re forming and developing. This includes during the last half of pregnancy in a fetus, in infants, and in children up to ages 8 years. Due to this risk, doxycycline isn’t recommended for use in children ages 8 years or younger. Some doctors still might recommend the drug in this age group for severe or life threatening infection. Talk with your child’s doctor to learn more.
Allergic reaction: If you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to any tetracycline antibiotic, your doctor likely won’t prescribe doxycycline. (Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic.) This is because taking doxycycline could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better choices for you.
Find answers to some frequently asked questions about doxycycline and possible interactions.
What are doxycycline’s interactions with ibuprofen?
Doxycycline doesn’t have any known interaction with ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is prescribed or recommended to treat pain in adults and certain children.
It’s not uncommon for doctors to prescribe ibuprofen together with doxycycline. Your doctor may suggest taking ibuprofen if you’re having pain with an infection.
If you have questions about taking doxycycline with ibuprofen, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Is it safe to take melatonin if I’m also taking doxycycline?
Yes, it should be safe to take melatonin with doxycycline. These drugs don’t have any known interaction.
Melatonin is a supplement taken for sleep. You should always talk with your doctor before taking supplements during doxycycline treatment. You should also make sure your doctor knows about any supplements you take whenever they prescribe a new drug.
For other questions concerning melatonin during doxycycline treatment, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with doxycycline. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:
- whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis
- other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs (they also can help you fill out a medication list)
- what to do if you start taking a new drug during your doxycycline treatment
It’s also important to understand doxycycline’s
If you have difficulty reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.
Taking doxycycline exactly as prescribed also can help prevent interactions.
Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.