COURSE TITLE: PHARMACOLOGY

COURSE CODE: MLT207

INDEX NUMBER: PS/MLB/15/0089
DATE: 24/09/2016
ASSIGNMENT:
Write about the interaction between tetracycline and
dairy products.

INTERACTION BETWEEN TETRACYCLINES AND DAIRY

PRODUCTS
Tetracyclines are medicines that kill bacteria, which are onecelled disease-causing microorganisms that commonly multiply
by cell division. They are also used to treat infections caused by
such subcategories of bacteria as rickettsia and spirochetes.
Tetracyclines are classified as antibiotics which are chemical
substances produced from microorganisms that are able to kill
other microorganisms without being toxic to the person, animal or
plant being treated with. Some tetracyclines are derived directly
from a bacterium known as Streptomyces coelicolor; others are
made in the laboratory from chloretetracyclines or
oxytetracyclines. Tetracyclines are called broad-spectrum
antibiotics because they can be used to treat a wide variety of
infections. Physicians may prescribe to treat Lyme disease, rocky
mountain spotted fever, urinary tract infection and other
infections caused by bacteria. Tetracyclines have broad spectrum
of antibiotic action. Originally, they possessed some level of
bacteriostatic activity against almost all medically aerobic and
anaerobic bacterial genera; both Gram-positive and Gramnegative with a few exceptions which display intrinsic resistance.
However, acquired resistance has proliferated in many pathogenic
organisms and greatly eroded the formerly vast versatility of this
group of antibiotics. The use of the tetracycline antibiotics group
is problematic. Among the numerous side effects is that, they can
be activated by calcium ions, so are not to be taken with milk,
yogurt and other dairy products. This essay basically, seeks to
deliberate much on the interaction between tetracyclines and
dairy products when both are taken concurrently or before or after
the other is taken.
Dairy products such as milk along with many other foods
can interfere with antibiotics, as well as other drugs. In order for
oral antibiotics to be effective, they must be absorbed from the
gastrointestinal tract, make their way into the blood stream, and
be delivered to the infected area. Many factors influence the

bodys ability to accomplish this feat, including the relative acidity

of the stomach, the presence of fats or other nutrients in the
stomach, and whether certain elements such as calcium are
present. The classic family of antibiotics that cannot be taken with
milk and other dairy products are tetracyclines, because the
calcium in them binds the antibiotics and prevent gut absorption.
Tetracycline and similar drugs are calcium chelators. When one
eats tetracycline and calcium concurrently, some of the
tetracycline binds(chelates) to the calcium in the stomach. When
it is bound like that, the body cant use it.
Absorption of tetracycline class drugs takes place mainly in
the stomach and upper small intestines. Calcium, as well as food
and dairy products containing high concentrations of calcium,
may decrease the absorption of tetracyclines due to chelate
formation in the gut. This binding of drug to the mineral may also
lead to growth retardation and pigmented teeth. Furthermore,
tetracycline increases urinary calcium excretion. Thus, with
prolonged use, can adversely affect bone formation and
contribute to calcium depletion. The interaction between
tetracycline and calcium rich foods such as milk products exerts
adverse effect on bone and teeth that are well documented and
widely recognized. Tetracyclines form stable calcium complex in
any bone-forming tissue. Unwanted pigmentation and other
problems with tooth development due to tetracycline are well
known to dentists and the general public. The tetracyclines also
tend to localize in tumors, necrotic or ischemic tissue, liver and
spleen form tetracycline-calcium orthophosphate complexes at
sites of new bone formation. Tetracyclines are potent inhibitors of
osteoclast function; Vernillo and Rifkin describe the processes by
which tetracyclines can affect several parameters of osteoclast
function and consequently inhibit bone resorption. Among such
affected parameters is the alteration of intracellular calcium
concentration and interacting with putative calcium receptors.
Bottom line, tetracyclines are not to be used concurrently
with dairy products since they are calcium chelators and interact

badly in the body. It is advisable to always inquire from credible

health personnel as to how a particular drug would interact with
other drugs, food and the system at large.

REFERENCES:
1. http://www.drugs.com/cdi/tetracycline.html
2. http://www.gdatf.org/about/about-graves-disease/patienteducation/food-and-drug-interactions/
3. http://www.everydayhealth.com/internal-medicinespecialist/why-milk-and-antibiotics-dont-mix.aspx
4. http://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/tetracycline#interacti
ons