Tetracycline and Cholestyramine Interaction

Drug interaction information between Tetracycline and Cholestyramine.

Tetracycline and Cholestyramine have a documented minor interaction in FDA labeling.

FDA drug labeling documents a minor-severity interaction between Tetracycline and Cholestyramine. This page displays the available source-record category and label text. The category is not an individual risk estimate or medication-combination direction.

Drug A

Tetracycline

Tetracycline Antibiotic

Drug B

Cholestyramine

Bile Acid Sequestrant

How They Interact

Cholestyramine can stick to tetracycline in your stomach, which prevents the antibiotic from being absorbed into your body. This could make the antibiotic less effective.

FDA Label Information

Drug Interactions Cholestyramine resin may delay or reduce the absorption of concomitant oral medication such as phenylbutazone, warfarin, thiazide diuretics (acidic) or propranolol (basic), as well as tetracycline, penicillin G, phenobarbital, thyroid and thyroxine preparations, estrogens and progestins and digitalis.

Cholestyramine Also Interacts With

View all Cholestyramine interactions →

Frequently Asked Questions

What SPL severity band is on file for Tetracycline + Cholestyramine?

Compiled FDA labeling labels this pair minor. That is a source-record field, not an individual medication-combination decision.

Which drug in this pair has the larger labeled-interaction portfolio?

Cholestyramine has 34 labeled pairs on file vs Tetracycline's 12. In the minor band specifically: Tetracycline has 8 (also Zinc Sulfate, Atovaquone/Proguanil, Colestipol, Dicloxacillin); Cholestyramine has 31 (also Propranolol, Warfarin, Phenobarbital, Amiodarone).

What mechanism field is on file for Tetracycline and Cholestyramine?

Cholestyramine can stick to tetracycline in your stomach, which prevents the antibiotic from being absorbed into your body. This could make the antibiotic less effective.

Tetracycline carries more major-labeled pairs than Cholestyramine

SPL source-record counts only. This page's band is minor · classes on file: Tetracycline (Tetracycline Antibiotic); Cholestyramine (Bile Acid Sequestrant).

Tetracycline has 1 major-labeled pair vs Cholestyramine's 0. This page itself is in the minor band, not the major band.

Tetracycline

1 major · 3 moderate · 8 minor · 12 total

Cholestyramine

0 major · 3 moderate · 31 minor · 34 total

Sources: FDA Drug Labels (SPL) via openFDA (2026). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This registry does not provide individual medication-combination directions.