Drug Interactions between cholecalciferol / iron polysaccharide and tetracycline

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Administration with food, particularly dairy products, significantly reduces tetracycline absorption. The calcium content of these foods forms nonabsorbable chelates with tetracycline.

MANAGEMENT: Tetracycline should be administered one hour before or two hours after meals.

MONITOR: Additive effects and possible toxicity (e.g., hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, and/or hyperphosphatemia) may occur when patients using vitamin D and/or vitamin D analogs ingest a diet high in vitamin D, calcium, and/or phosphorus. The biologically active forms of vitamin D stimulate intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus. This may be helpful in patients with hypocalcemia and/or hypophosphatemia. However, sudden increases in calcium or phosphorus consumption due to dietary changes could precipitate hypercalcemia and/or hyperphosphatemia. Patients with certain disease states, such as impaired renal function, may be more susceptible to toxic side effects like ectopic calcification. On the other hand, if dietary calcium is inadequate for the body's needs, the active form of vitamin D will stimulate osteoclasts to pull calcium from the bones. This may be detrimental in a patient with reduced bone density.

MANAGEMENT: Given the narrow therapeutic index of vitamin D and vitamin D analogs, the amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D present in the patient's diet may need to be taken into consideration. Specific dietary guidance should be discussed with the patient and regular lab work should be monitored as indicated. Calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D levels should be kept within the desired ranges, which may differ depending on the patient's condition. Patients should also be counseled on the signs and symptoms of hypervitaminosis D, hypercalcemia, and/or hyperphosphatemia.

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Concomitant use of some oral medications may reduce the bioavailability of orally administered iron, and vice versa.

Food taken in conjunction with oral iron supplements may reduce the bioavailability of the iron. However, in many patients intolerable gastrointestinal side effects occur necessitating administration with food.

MANAGEMENT: Ideally, iron products should be taken on an empty stomach (i.e., at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals), but if this is not possible, administer with meals and monitor the patient more closely for a subtherapeutic effect. Some studies suggest administration of iron with ascorbic acid may enhance bioavailability. In addition, administration of oral iron products and some oral medications should be separated whenever the bioavailability of either agent may be decreased. Consult the product labeling for specific separation times and monitor clinical responses as appropriate.

GENERALLY AVOID: The bioavailability of oral tetracyclines and iron salts may be significantly decreased during concurrent administration. Therapeutic failure may result. The proposed mechanism is chelation of tetracyclines by the iron cation, forming an insoluble complex that is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In ten healthy volunteers, simultaneous oral administration of ferrous sulfate 200 mg and single doses of various tetracyclines (200 mg to 500 mg) resulted in reductions in the serum levels of methacycline and doxycycline by 80% to 90%, oxytetracycline by 50% to 60%, and tetracycline by 40% to 50%. In another study, 300 mg of ferrous sulfate reduced the absorption of tetracycline by 81% and that of minocycline by 77%. Conversely, the absorption of iron has been shown to be decreased by up to 78% in healthy subjects and up to 65% in patients with iron depletion when ferrous sulfate 250 mg was administered with tetracycline 500 mg. Available data suggest that administration of iron 3 hours before or 2 hours after a tetracycline largely prevents the interaction with most tetracyclines except doxycycline. Due to extensive enterohepatic cycling, iron binding may occur with doxycycline even when it is given parenterally. It has also been shown that when iron is administered up to 11 hours after doxycycline, serum concentrations of doxycycline may still be reduced by 20% to 45%.

MANAGEMENT: Coadministration of a tetracycline with any iron-containing product should be avoided if possible. Otherwise, patients should be advised to stagger the times of administration by at least three to four hours, although separating the doses may not prevent the interaction with doxycycline.