Quick answer

Ask your pharmacist or doctor before combining. NIH and drug labels document 5 supplement entries for antibiotics: zinc, multivitamins, electrolyte mixes, probiotics and vitamin K. The best documented are minerals that bind quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics. The mineral entries do not name amoxicillin.^1,2,3,4

Key facts

NIH says zinc, calcium and magnesium supplements interact with quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics, so less of the antibiotic is absorbed.^1,5,6
The ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin labels name multivitamins among the products that can keep the antibiotic from working correctly.^2,7
The tetracycline label says antacids with aluminum, calcium or magnesium impair its absorption, and so do preparations with iron, zinc or sodium bicarbonate.⁸
NIH says antibiotic and antifungal medicines might make some probiotics less effective.³
NIH says vitamin K supplements are usually not needed unless antibiotic use is prolonged and intake is poor.⁴

What are antibiotics for, and why do supplements come up?

Antibiotics are medicines for infections caused by bacteria. MedlinePlus describes amoxicillin as a penicillin-like antibiotic that stops bacteria from growing, and adds that antibiotics will not work for colds, flu or other viral illness. This page uses that medicine page as the example for the whole class.⁹

Supplements meet antibiotics in the gut, in two ways. Minerals can grab certain antibiotics before the body absorbs them, and antibiotics act on the bacteria that live in the gut, which is why probiotics and vitamin K come up.^10,11

Which antibiotics do mineral supplements interfere with?

Two families carry the firmest wording: quinolones such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, and tetracyclines such as doxycycline and tetracycline. Their labels name the minerals, and NIH's sheets for zinc, calcium and magnesium name the families.^1,5,6

Ask your pharmacist how far apart to take them

Quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, and tetracycline antibiotics such as tetracycline, can bind zinc in the gut, so less of both may be absorbed when they are taken close together. NIH advises taking them apart, and the ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and tetracycline labels list zinc among the products that reduce absorption.^{8,12,13,14,15,16}

On the medicine's label

Multivitamins matter because they bundle these minerals in one tablet. The ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin patient information names a multivitamin as an example, so the Supplement Facts panel is worth bringing to the pharmacy.^2,7

Ask your pharmacist how far apart to take them

Two groups of antibiotics, quinolones such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin and tetracyclines such as doxycycline, can bind to calcium, magnesium, iron or zinc, so less of the antibiotic is absorbed. The ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin labels name multivitamins among the products that can keep the antibiotic from working correctly, and NIH says zinc, calcium and magnesium supplements interact with these antibiotics.^1,2,5,6,7,17

On the medicine's label

Electrolyte mixes are the item people forget. Many contain magnesium, and both the ciprofloxacin label and the doxycycline label name magnesium products.^18,19

Ask your pharmacist how far apart to take them

Magnesium, found in many electrolyte mixes, can bind tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics in the gut so less of the antibiotic is absorbed. The ciprofloxacin label tells patients to space the antibiotic away from supplements that contain magnesium, and the doxycycline label says antacids containing magnesium impair its absorption.^18,19,20,21

On the medicine's label

Amoxicillin and other penicillin-type antibiotics are not named in these mineral entries. The sources checked do not address them for these minerals. That is not a finding either way, so ask your pharmacist.

Do probiotics and vitamin K belong on an antibiotic list?

These two work differently. Neither is about the antibiotic being absorbed. Both are about what an antibiotic does to bacteria in the gut.

For probiotics, NIH says antibiotic and antifungal medicines might make some of them less effective. The amoxicillin label makes a wider point: antibacterial treatment changes the normal bacteria of the colon, and watery or bloody stools can start two or more months after the last dose and call for a doctor.^3,22

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Antibiotics can kill helpful bacteria in the digestive tract, and NIH says antibiotic and antifungal medicines might make some probiotics less effective. Ask your pharmacist how to time a probiotic around your medicine, and keep taking the antibiotic exactly as prescribed.^3,11,22,23

Expected from how the two work, not shown in studies

For vitamin K, NIH ties the concern to antibiotic use that lasts longer than a few weeks, and names cephalosporins as a family that might also block vitamin K's action.⁴

Your doctor may want to check on you

Antibiotics can kill the gut bacteria that make vitamin K. Courses longer than a few weeks may lower the amount available to the body, and cephalosporin antibiotics such as cefoperazone might also block vitamin K's action. NIH says vitamin K supplements are usually not needed unless antibiotic use is prolonged and intake is poor.^4,10

Expected from how the two work, not shown in studies

How are these entries tagged: 'on the label', 'in studies' or 'expected'?

Three entries are on the label: zinc, multivitamins and electrolytes. All three carry the tag separate doses. The other two, probiotics and vitamin K, are tagged expected, because they follow from how antibiotics work and not from a line on a label. None rests on studies alone.

This page lists no hours between doses. The label of your own antibiotic and your pharmacist set the schedule.

What should you ask your pharmacist when you start an antibiotic?

Which family is my antibiotic in: a quinolone, a tetracycline, a penicillin type or another kind?
Does my multivitamin, electrolyte mix or mineral supplement carry calcium, iron, magnesium or zinc?
How should I space them from the antibiotic, and does the answer change with food?
I take a probiotic. How should I time it around this antibiotic?
What should I watch for in the weeks after the course ends?

Keep taking the antibiotic exactly as prescribed while you ask. The probiotics entry above says the same.

Questions people ask

What vitamins should I not take with antibiotics?

The sources name multivitamins that contain calcium, magnesium, iron or zinc. Vitamin K is named too, but the concern there is a lower supply after long courses, so it is a different kind of entry. Whether any applies depends on your antibiotic, so ask your pharmacist before you add or stop one.^2,4

Is it ok to take supplements while taking antibiotics?

It depends on the supplement and on the antibiotic. Minerals are documented with quinolones and tetracyclines, and for other supplements the sources checked do not address it. That is not a finding either way, so ask your pharmacist.^1,6

What supplements should I avoid with amoxicillin?

The mineral entries on this page name quinolones and tetracyclines, not amoxicillin. The sources checked do not address them together. That is not a finding either way, so ask your pharmacist.^2,8

Do multivitamins interfere with antibiotics?

The ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin labels name multivitamins among products that can keep those antibiotics from working correctly. Ask your pharmacist about the exact multivitamin you use.^2,7

Can I take a probiotic with an antibiotic?

NIH says antibiotic and antifungal medicines might make some probiotics less effective. Ask your pharmacist how to time a probiotic around your medicine.³

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.