Food and medication
Antacids and medication
The aluminium, magnesium or calcium in antacids can bind to some medicines in the gut so less is absorbed. Keep them a few hours apart.
3 medicines on our checker are affected. Tap a medicine for every food and drink that matters with it.
Take care antacids with these medicines
- Levothyroxine · thyroxine, synthroid, eltroxin
Antacids bind levothyroxine. Keep them 4 hours from your dose.
- Nitrofurantoin
Antacids with magnesium trisilicate can cut how much nitrofurantoin you absorb, so ask a pharmacist how to space them.
Where this comes from
“Antacids containing magnesium trisilicate, when administered concomitantly with nitrofurantoin, reduce both the rate and extent of absorption.”
US FDA drug label - Tetracycline antibiotics · doxycycline, lymecycline, tetracycline
Antacids bind the antibiotic so less is absorbed. Keep them 2 to 3 hours from your dose.
Foods and drinks that count as antacids
- Antacids
- Gaviscon
- Rennie
- Milk of magnesia
- Setlers
Common questions
- Which medicines does antacids affect?
- 3 medicines on our checker: Levothyroxine (take care), Nitrofurantoin (take care), Tetracycline antibiotics (take care).
- Which foods count as antacids?
- Antacids, Gaviscon, Rennie, Milk of magnesia, Setlers.
General information from NHS medicine pages and drug labels, not medical advice. Always follow your prescriber, pharmacist or the leaflet with your medicine. How we check.