Drug interactions
Calcium carbonate + Cefuroxime
Severity: Moderate
Calcium carbonate and Cefuroxime: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Cefuroxime axetil absorption falls when gastric pH is raised, which may reduce antibiotic exposure. Clinical failure is possible but not common with spaced dosing.
What this interaction means in plain words
Calcium carbonate and Cefuroxime can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Calcium carbonate belongs to Gastrointestinal Tract; Cefuroxime belongs to Anti Bacterial.
Why it happens
Elevated gastric pH reduces absorption of cefuroxime axetil.
What to do
Give cefuroxime axetil with food and separate from calcium carbonate by about 2 hours.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Calcium carbonate
Other interactions of Cefuroxime
- Aluminum hydroxide + Cefuroxime Moderate
- Amikacin + Cefuroxime Moderate
- Bcg vaccine live + Cefuroxime Moderate
- Calcium + Cefuroxime Moderate
- Cefuroxime + Cholera vaccine Moderate
- Cefuroxime + Cimetidine Moderate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Calcium carbonate with Cefuroxime?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Calcium carbonate and Cefuroxime can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Cefuroxime axetil absorption falls when gastric pH is raised, which may reduce antibiotic exposure. Clinical failure is possible but not common with spaced dosing.
How serious is the interaction between Calcium carbonate and Cefuroxime?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Give cefuroxime axetil with food and separate from calcium carbonate by about 2 hours.
What other medicines interact with Calcium carbonate?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Calcium carbonate with, for example, Acalabrutinib, Alendronate, Amlodipine-hydrochlorothiazide-valsartan. The full list is on the Calcium carbonate page.
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