Can i drink coffee an hour after taking doxycycline

Dosage

Dose for infections and skin conditions

Your dose of doxycycline depends on why you are taking it. The usual dose is 100mg to 200mg, taken once or twice a day.

You might take a lower dose, such as 40mg once a day or 20mg twice a day, for rosacea or gum infections.

Children younger than 12 years old may need to take a lower dose than adults. The dose depends on your child's age and weight. If you're taking doxycycline more than once a day, try to space your doses evenly throughout the day.

Dose for malaria

You'll usually take 100mg once a day in the morning.

Important: Important

Carry on taking doxycycline until you've completed the course, even if you feel better. If you stop your treatment early, the infection could come back, or you may no longer be protected against malaria.

How to take it

If you're taking a lower dose of 40mg of doxycycline a day for rosacea or gum infections, take it at least 1 hour before food.

If you're taking a higher dose of 100mg or more for other types of infection, you can take it with or without food. But you're less likely to feel sick if you have it with food.

Do not take your medicine together with dairy products. This is because dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt can stop your body from absorbing doxycycline. You can have dairy products a few hours before or after your dose.

It's important to take doxycycline while you're in an upright position. You can be sitting, standing or walking. This will stop the medicine irritating your food pipe or stomach. Avoid lying down for at least 30 minutes after taking doxycycline.

If you take it twice a day, this could be first thing in the morning, and in the evening – before you go to bed. Try to avoid lying down for at least 30 minutes after taking doxycycline. This helps to prevent any irritation.

If you're taking doxycycline for malaria, start your treatment 1 or 2 days before going to an area with malaria. Stop taking it 4 weeks after leaving the area. Check with your doctor or pharmacist that doxycycline is the best medicine to prevent malaria in the country you are travelling to.

How to take capsules or standard tablets

Swallow your doxycycline whole with at least 150ml of water. Not swallowing them with enough water can cause swelling and irritation in your throat (oesophagitis).

How to take dispersible tablets

Dissolve the tablet in a small amount of water. Let the tablet break up fully then swallow the drink.

If you forget to take it

If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless it's nearly time for your next dose. If that happens, just leave out the dose you missed and take your next dose at the usual time.

Never take 2 doses at the same time. Never take an extra dose to make up for a forgotten one.

If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember to take your medicines.

If you take too much

Taking 1 extra dose of doxycycline is unlikely to harm you. But speak to your pharmacist or doctor if you're worried, or you have taken more than 1 extra dose.

Can i drink coffee an hour after taking doxycycline

Coffee and antibiotics could make you extra jittery.

Image Credit: PJjaruwan/iStock/GettyImages

Certain medications may not mix well with other substances, like caffeine. In fact, mixing coffee and antibiotics can lead to side effects or influence how well your medicine works.

So, can you drink coffee with antibiotics? Here's everything you need to know about combining caffeine and antibiotics.

Tip

If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, your morning cup of coffee or energy drink could influence its effectiveness. In some cases, it can increase the potency; in others, it may decrease the potency. Or it may not affect the antibiotic at all. In other cases, the antibiotic may increase the side effects of the caffeine.

Antibiotics Affecting Caffeine

Antibiotics are a type of medicine used to treat bacterial infections, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). But some of these medications can influence how caffeine affects your body.

For instance, certain antibiotics can actually stop your body from efficiently breaking down caffeine, which may enhance the potency of caffeine's effects.

According to the NLM, mixing caffeine and antibiotics may lead to symptoms like jitters, racing heart and trouble sleeping.

Tip

When in doubt, talk to your doctor. They'll let you know if you can drink coffee while taking antibiotics, if it would be better reduce your caffeine intake or if you should take your meds at a different time than your daily dose of caffeine.

Most Common Antibiotics

If you're considering taking coffee and antibiotics, here are some meds that can interact with the stimulant (though this list is by no means exhaustive):

1. Fluoroquinolones

Fluoroquinolones are antibiotics used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, and they're best taken without caffeine because they can intensify caffeine's side effects, per the National Health Service.

This includes different types of fluoroquinolones like ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and gemifloxacin.

Warning

Taking ciprofloxacin puts you at risk for tendon problems and potentially lasting nerve damage, per the NLM. Only take it if your doctor prescribes it and follow their instructions to the letter — including avoiding caffeine — to minimize your chance of side effects.

3. Tetracyclines

Tetracyclines are a class of antibiotics used to treat different infections, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections and acne, according to the NLM. Common tetracycline antibiotics include doxycycline, minocycline and demeclocycline.

Though the research is sparse, an older June 2008 study in the ​Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research​ found that caffeine may decrease the antibacterial effect of tetracycline.

However, newer research is needed to better establish if caffeine and tetracycline interact.

As always, it's safest to ask your doctor about whether you can take doxycycline and coffee, for instance. They can tell you if it's best to skip caffeine until your prescription is over, or if it's OK to have your daily cup of coffee.

Can You Drink Coffee While Taking Nitrofurantoin?

Nitrofurantoin is a type of antibiotic used to treat urinary tract infections, according to the NLM.

If you're wondering whether you can drink coffee while taking nitrofurantoin, there's no evidence to suggest that the antibiotic interacts poorly with caffeine. That said, talk to your doctor about whether you can drink coffee while you're taking any medication to make sure it's safe.

Caffeine Affecting Antibiotics

If you drink a lot of coffee, tea, energy drinks or take caffeine pills, talk to your doctor about how your intake can affect your antibiotics' effectiveness.

That's because caffeine can potentially mess with the way your medication works.

Indeed, a July 2017 study in ​Acta Biochimica Polonica​ found that caffeine can affect antibiotic potency. In some cases, caffeine may increase the potency of antibiotics, which could potentially cause harmful side effects.

The study authors recommend avoiding large doses of caffeine — like the amount found in energy drinks — while taking antibiotics to minimize your risk for health problems.

Your best bet? If you're prescribed antibiotics, talk to your doctor about whether or not you should temporarily limit or quit caffeine to make sure you're taking your meds safely.

Can I drink coffee after doxycycline?

Because the tetracycline medications are highly acidic to begin with, tell your patients not to take the pills with acidic beverages, such as orange juice, apple juice, coffee, etc.

Can I drink coffee two hours after taking antibiotics?

Coffee contains chemicals called tannins. Tannins can bind to phenothiazines and decrease how much medicine the body absorbs. To avoid this interaction, avoid coffee one hour before and two hours after taking these medications.

Can I take doxycycline with coffee and cream?

It's usually safe to consume dairy products 2 hours before or after you take doxycycline.

What should you not do after taking doxycycline?

What foods interfere with doxycycline? Both dairy products and iron-rich foods can interfere with doxycycline if taken at the same time. Avoid eating these foods within two hours of your doxycycline dose. Some foods you should avoid taking with doxycycline include milk, butter, cheese, eggs, kale, and spinach.