• Question: what do have to take tetracycline tablets one hour before a meal, or wait until two hours afterwards?

    Asked by Rebekka_16 to Marikka, Matt, Rob on 20 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Robert Hampson

      Robert Hampson answered on 20 Nov 2014:

      Tetracycline is a large molecule which can strongly bind calcium, aluminium, zinc, and iron. If you take them at the same time as food, these metals can often deactivate the antibiotic.

      Also, if tetracycline is eaten with calcium it can be incorporated in skin and bone turning them a funny gray colour. Also, some of the other metals cause the tetracyclines to be carried to the skin which makes the skin very very sensitive to light.

      Generally tetracycline isn’t used very often these days, there are too many side effects.

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