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A 29-year-old female asked:

Hi, i was put on 2 antibiotics (flagyl 3x/day & cipro (ciprofloxacin) 2x/day) for possible bacterial overgrowth. do i take it with meals or empty stomach & dose times?

1 doctor answer1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Hunter Handsfield
Infectious Disease 55 years experience
Doesn't matter: Absorption of these antibiotics is not significantly affected by food. And for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, its equally important for the antibiotics to remain inside the intestine. So it shouldn't make any difference whether you take them with or without meals. However, to be safe it would be best to check with doctor treating you in case s/he has a preference.
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Last updated Oct 12, 2015

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