Is Lactobacillus acidophilus Safe with Cyclosporine?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Use probiotic supplementation with extreme caution in patients on cyclosporine. Consult a transplant physician or infectious disease specialist before initiating any probiotic. If approved, monitor closely for signs of systemic infection including fever, chills, or bacteremia.
Why this interaction occurs
Cyclosporine-induced immunosuppression impairs normal host defenses, increasing the risk of bacterial translocation from the gut into the bloodstream. Case reports document Lactobacillus bacteremia and sepsis in severely immunocompromised patients (transplant recipients, those with AIDS) receiving live bacterial probiotics. The FDA has issued warnings regarding probiotic use in immunocompromised populations.
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 58,058 reports mentioning Cyclosporine. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Cyclosporine + 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 Lactobacillus acidophilus interactions → · All Cyclosporine interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.