“Taking different antibiotics simultaneously?”
For chronic sinusitis, I was prescribed a combination of Alphaclav Duo Forte (875/125) for five days, and Doxylin (100) for fourteen days, to be taken simultaneously (2 tablets a day from each).
I forgot to ask my doctor the following questions:
1) Can I take the tablets during the same meal? Or should I wait 2-3 hours between the tablets, for better absorption/less interaction? Will taking them together reduce the effectiveness of either one?
2) How many hours before/after the antibiotics should I take probiotics?
3) What supplements/foods/herbs can I take to fight biofilms/persistence? (This is a very strong/persistent infection that's been ongoing for many years). And, also, how many hours before/after antibiotics should I take them? Might they cause interactions?
I forgot to ask my doctor the following questions:
1) Can I take the tablets during the same meal? Or should I wait 2-3 hours between the tablets, for better absorption/less interaction? Will taking them together reduce the effectiveness of either one?
2) How many hours before/after the antibiotics should I take probiotics?
3) What supplements/foods/herbs can I take to fight biofilms/persistence? (This is a very strong/persistent infection that's been ongoing for many years). And, also, how many hours before/after antibiotics should I take them? Might they cause interactions?
Male | 24 years old
Complaint duration: Symptoms ongoing for many years. (pressure in middle of head, worse when tilting, nasal congestion, post-nasal drip...)
Medications: None.
1 Answer
InfectiousDiseaseSpecialistPharmaceuticalMedicine
Thanks for your question. The two meds do not interact, but the Doxycycline should not be taken less than 2 hours after eating anything dairy or anything with Calcium or Magnesium, and wait two hours after taking it before consuming those things. Doxycycline can also cause a skin rash after sun exposure in up to 25% of people. Probiotics are a bit of a problem when taking antibiotics that can destroy the bacteria in them, so I would take them late at night, 2 hours or more after your last dose. Most probiotics are not particularly effective, but you can try Kefir or a brand with Bifidobacterium.
