Doxycycline & prenatal vitamins - any pharmacists?

[buttonmoon78]

I'm currently taking prenatal vitamins which include iron. I've also been given some doxycycline for an infection and just reading the labels it says not to take with iron preparations.

My most fertile days are now until Sunday to I really don't want to 'waste' this month but can I take the vitamins or not? If not, should I be taking another form of folic acid for the next 7 days whilst I'm on the antibiotics?

Or am I being wholly neurotic?! I thought that by the time I'd got to TTC#4 all neuroses would have vanished

I don't quite understand why you are worried about TTC whilst not taking vitamins for a week (which is going to do you no harm whatsoever) - do you really want to try to conceive while on antibiotics for an infection????? As for folic acid, I would take it separately, anyway, then you don't have to worry about the iron.

ps folic acid tablets cost next to nothing, unlike the ridiculously overpriced pre-natal vitamins you are taking.

The warning is because the Doxycycline will react with the iron (and other things) in the pre-natal vitamin and cause it (the antibiotic) to be less well absorbed.
You can take them but just not at the same time of day - allow at least 2-3 hours between each (or take one in the morning and one at night).

Vitamins are not the issue, nor the cost, it's the iron (I have a tendancy to be mildly anaemic at the best of times) and the folic acid which concerns me. Nor does conceiving whilst on antibiotics bother me - it's a sinus infection.

I agree re the overpriced bit though - I would never have bought them except they were on offer at Sainsbury's so worked out cheaper than getting folic acid & iron seperately!

Thanks MoragB - I will be spreading them throughout the day on your advice.

I guess we're all paranoid about different things! I would be paranoid about taking antibiotics while trying to conceive, however much my GP tried to reassure me it couldn't affect the viability of a potential pregnancy, but would have no problem whatsoever with the idea of not taking iron and folic acid for a week if I'd been taking them regularly prior to then and started taking them again, afterwards. But then I've never been anaemic!...

Good luck in TTC. I think however many children you have, there are always certain things that can cause you excessive concern. I have a particular paranoia about medicines.