- Approximately 50% of prescription drugs are taken incorrectly (1). One overlooked reason for growing antibiotic drug resistance is improper drug adminstration. Some drugs can fail if you take them with dairy, antacids, or multivitamins (2-4). (Refer to the prescription’s patient package insert.)
Metal chelation (from dietary sources, as above) impacts oral absorption of tetracyclines and bisphosphonates, among other medicines.(5-7)
References: (1) Int. J. Clin. Pharm. 2023, 45, 1359. doi: 10.1007/s11096-023-01626-5; (2) Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 2014, 29, 414-8. doi: 10.2133/dmpk-14-rg-001; (3) J. Chemother. 1995, 7, 126-32. doi: 10.1179/joc.1995.7.2.126; (4) Pharmaceutics, 2021, 13, 594; (5) Antibiotics, 2023, 12, 1152. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12071152; (6) Foods 2021, 10, 720. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods1004720; (7) ADMET & DMPK, 2020, 8 (2), 129-138.
2. Broad spectrum antibiotics are life saving medicines. They can also cause gastrointestinal dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is an imbalance of the intestinal microbe mix, typically made up of many species of bacteria along with fungi and viruses. When one or a few take over the mixture, the resulting condition is dysbiosis. Some of the species are even pathogenic, e.g. C. diff., which makes a toxin that can severely injure the colon. At the very least, dysbiosis can result in food intolerance, a common temporary condition following an antibiotic prescription. Dysbiosis is associated with gastrointestinal conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as well as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, which are conditions that impair proper digestion. The antibiotics most associated with dysbiosis include: clindamycin, ciprofloxacin and augmentin.(1-3)
References: (1) Ther Adv Infect Dis, 2023, 10, 1-18. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-327845.; (2) Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 2025, 15, 1608025. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1608025 (3) Gut, 2023, 72, 663-670. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-327845.