Zinc Bisglycinate and medications.
Zinc Bisglycinate is classified as a foundation supplement in the Distil database, evidence Grade A. The page below lists every medication we have explicitly assessed it against.
Zinc is a cofactor for immune function, wound healing, skin, sperm quality, and dopamine and testosterone pathways, and the bisglycinate form is gentler and better absorbed than oxide. One honest point on testosterone: zinc restores normal function where a deficiency exists rather than boosting levels in people who are already replete, so it is a correction, not an enhancer. The usual dose is 15 to 25mg of elemental zinc taken with food, since an empty stomach tends to cause nausea. Vegetarians and vegans often need a little more because phytates in plant foods reduce absorption. The interactions are mostly about timing and balance. Separate zinc by two hours from iron supplements and antibiotics, which compete for uptake. At chronic doses above 40mg it can deplete copper, so a small amount of copper is worth adding for long-term high dosing. ACE inhibitors deplete zinc, so supplementing alongside them is reasonable. In established kidney disease, only take it under GP supervision.
Below are the 3 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed for Zinc Bisglycinate: 3 amber. The pairs cluster around 1 mechanism: Mineral chelation (absorption). Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not listed here is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by medication, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued medication into our next curation pass.
Documented interactions
Mineral chelation (absorption)
Zinc can bind to ciprofloxacin in the gut and reduce how much antibiotic you absorb, which may let an infection persist. Take ciprofloxacin at least two hours before, or six hours after, any zinc supplement.
Zinc can bind to doxycycline in the gut and reduce how much antibiotic you absorb, which may let an infection persist. Take doxycycline at least two hours before, or six hours after, any zinc supplement.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Zinc can bind to levothyroxine in the gut and reduce how much you absorb. Separating doses by four hours usually avoids it.
What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope. Use the checker below to surface any medication, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.
For adults over 18.
This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP, pharmacist, or specialist before making them, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.
How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.
Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.
Read the full methodologySomething missing?
If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us. We go through what people flag every week and add what's missing.