Interaction checker → Calcium + Iron

Worth knowing about

Can you take Calcium and Iron together?

Calcium blocks iron absorption

What happens

Calcium competes with iron for the same intestinal transporter (DMT1), cutting non-heme iron uptake by up to half.

How far apart?

Leaving at least 2 hours between them avoids most of the effect.

What to do about it

Separate them by at least 2 hours. Iron in the morning on an empty stomach, calcium with dinner.

This is general information compiled from published pharmacology, not advice about your situation. Your dose, your other medication and your bloodwork all matter, and a pharmacist can see those in a way this page cannot.

Check your whole stack at once

Stackwise checks every pair in what you take, against your medication list, and moves things in your schedule when two of them need spacing apart.

Get the app

Related