06/26/2009 0 Comments Contact Our News Editors

Many pharmacists recommend cranberry juice consumption in conjunction with low-dose oral antibiotics for prophylaxis for recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). So, is this a good idea, since there have been reports of pharmacokinetic interactions between cranberry juice and β-lactams? According to researchers from the University of Washington,

the use of cranberry juice at usual quantities as prophylaxis for UTIs is not likely to alter the pharmacokinetics of oral antibiotics.

Because multiple membrane transporters are involved in the intestinal absorption and renal excretion of β-lactam antibiotics, the researchers evaluated the potential risk of pharmacokinetic interactions between cranberry juice and the β-lactams amoxicillin and cefaclor.