Drug interactions
Sodium picosulfate / magnesium oxide / anhydrous citric acid + Tetracycline
Severity: Moderate
Sodium picosulfate / magnesium oxide / anhydrous citric acid and Tetracycline: 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
Magnesium in the bowel preparation chelates oral tetracycline and reduces its absorption. Antibiotics may also reduce the bowel-cleansing efficacy of sodium picosulfate, which needs colonic bacteria for activation.
What this interaction means in plain words
Sodium picosulfate / magnesium oxide / anhydrous citric acid and Tetracycline 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.
Why it happens
Chelation of tetracycline by magnesium cations in the gut, and antibiotic suppression of colonic flora needed to activate picosulfate.
What to do
Give oral tetracycline at least 2 hours before and not less than 6 hours after the bowel preparation. Consider whether antibiotic therapy can be timed outside the preparation window to protect cleansing quality.
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 Tetracycline
- Acitretin + Tetracycline Contraindicated
- Methoxyflurane + Tetracycline Contraindicated
- Isotretinoin + Tetracycline Major
- Palovarotene + Tetracycline Major
- Strontium ranelate + Tetracycline Major
- Tetracycline + Tretinoin Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Sodium picosulfate / magnesium oxide / anhydrous citric acid with Tetracycline?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Sodium picosulfate / magnesium oxide / anhydrous citric acid and Tetracycline 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. Magnesium in the bowel preparation chelates oral tetracycline and reduces its absorption. Antibiotics may also reduce the bowel-cleansing efficacy of sodium picosulfate, which needs colonic bacteria for activation.
How serious is the interaction between Sodium picosulfate / magnesium oxide / anhydrous citric acid and Tetracycline?
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 oral tetracycline at least 2 hours before and not less than 6 hours after the bowel preparation. Consider whether antibiotic therapy can be timed outside the preparation window to protect cleansing quality.
What other medicines interact with Tetracycline?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Tetracycline with, for example, Acitretin, Methoxyflurane, Isotretinoin. The full list is on the Tetracycline page.
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