Q. I suffer from digestive upset when taking antibiotics, and I’d like to counter that with the probiotic bacteria in yogurt. Does taking antibiotics with yogurt affect absorption of antibiotics?
A. It depends to a certain extent on the antibiotic, but many should not be taken within a few hours of yogurt or other calcium-rich foods. That includes antibiotics in the tetracycline family (for example, demeclocycline, oxytetracycline or tetracycline) and drugs such as ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, but not ofloxacin. Fruit juice fortified with calcium can also interfere with antibiotic absorption.
