Is Calcium Safe with Bictegravir?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Do not take calcium-containing supplements simultaneously with Bictegravir unless taken with food. When taking Bictegravir WITH a meal, calcium supplements can generally be co-administered. When fasting, separate by at least 2 hours. This is a labeled precaution in the Biktarvy prescribing information.
Why this interaction occurs
Calcium ions chelate with the diketo acid moiety in Bictegravir's integrase-binding pharmacophore, reducing its gastrointestinal absorption. Taking Bictegravir with food substantially mitigates this interaction by slowing gastric transit and altering the chelation environment, which is why food co-administration is the recommended management strategy.
Evidence
Evidence level: strong.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 2,633 reports mentioning Bictegravir. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Bictegravir + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Calcium interactions → · All Bictegravir interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.