In general, what should we not take at the same time we take our antibiotics?

Vitamin C or any diuretics. Avoid, caffeine, juices and alcohol. Especially beer. You don’t want to piss the medication away. Oh, and probably probiotics.

I was told not to have grapefruit or direct sunlight with anti-biotics.

@Pandora and @RedDeerGuy1
Do pharmacists tell people those things when they hand them the antibiotics, and is it on the instructions?

@flo Mine came with a sticker on the pill bottle.

@flo the detailed directions I get with my scripts say; what not to eat or drink, when to take before or after eating, take at certain time of day and what other meds and OTC drugs to avoid.

I don’t really know. I know in the past doctors and pharmacists use to tell me to avoid these things and it makes sense that anything that makes you pee is going to get rid of the medication faster, and since antibiotics is made to get rid of bacteria, it’s probably best to avoid things that have bacteria in it. Antibiotics gets rid of good bacteria as well. So even if it does no harm to the medication, it probably will be useless to take with the medication. I know when I take vitamin C, I piss all day long. There are some foods that will do the same, but usually in small amounts, it won’t make you pee so much. But do drink plenty of water. Keeping hydrated helps your body when you are sick or well.

There is no “in general” with antibiotics. Some with food. Some on empty stomach. Others do not consume milk products and on and on. **It depends on the drug, the doctor, and what other drugs you may be taking as well as your diet and sensitivities/allergies. And time between doses can be important too.

You need to read the specific recommendations for the specific antibiotic you are taking.

Some you can’t have dairy with.

Some you have to drink a lot of water with.

Some it’s recommended to eat with.

Some must be taken in an empty stomach.

Some you can’t go in the sun while taking them.

You can’t generalize about any drug, you need to know the rules for the one drug you are taking and not make assumptions.

@JLeslie is right about the range of antibiotics and how they are different. It depends on the antibiotic a great deal. There are too many on the market to generalise. You can make recommendations about what to eat and drink if you’re fighting an infection, but it would also depends on where the infection is and what type it is. You don’t want to inject things that lower your immune system, like truckloads of alcohol. You don’t want to vomit the tablet up. You want to take the ENTIRE bottle or course of them, even if you are feeling better and don’t think you need the last few days and think, ‘I’ll just keep these handy if I need them again’.. NO NO NO… don’t do that. Those three things are the only general things I can think of.

And of course no alcohol at all.

Well, some drugs more important than others regarding the no alcohol. Like Flagyl and Sulfa drugs like Bactrim you definitely should avoid alcohol.

It’s worth saying you shouldn’t have alcohol with Tylenol, so if Tylenol is part of your drug regimen for what ails you then steer clear of the drink.

Ok, thanks all. By the way by in general I meant what would apply to everyone, what is the minimum precaution even if a person has no health problems, is healthy as a horse.

Also, alcohol should not be taken around any medication right? It’s not just antibiotics.
So, make sure you finish the whole thing even if you feel perfect at some point is all I knew.

Thanks all you gave me plenty that I didn’t know.

This is an excellent question to ask your pharmacist.