Is Calcium Safe with Dolutegravir?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Do NOT take calcium supplements simultaneously with Dolutegravir. If taken without food, separate by at least 2 hours before or 6 hours after. If Dolutegravir is taken WITH food, calcium supplements can be taken at the same time as the meal.
Why this interaction occurs
Calcium ions form chelation complexes with the diketo acid pharmacophore of Dolutegravir, significantly reducing its oral bioavailability by up to 39%. This can lead to subtherapeutic plasma levels and risk of treatment failure or resistance development.
Evidence
Evidence level: strong.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 9,613 reports mentioning Dolutegravir. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Dolutegravir + 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 Dolutegravir interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.