What kind of interaction is it?

Caution: an interaction that may reduce efficacy or raise side-effect risk and warrants monitoring.

Is this interaction backed by published research?

Yes. NutriStack lists 2 citation rows for the Vancomycin + Vitamin C pair, each linking to PubMed by PMID where available. Full sourcing methodology at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/interactions.

Supplement × Prescription·a caution·Insufficient evidence

Vancomycin + Vitamin C

Q: Can I take Vancomycin and Vitamin C together?

Possibly, but with caution. Vancomycin and Vitamin C have a documented caution-tier interaction. High-dose intravenous or oral vitamin C is being studied and used in some critical-care protocols. Because intravenous vancomycin is cleared renally and can be nephrotoxic, very high doses of vitamin C (which is metabolized partly to oxalate and can stress the kidneys, especially in renal impairment) warrant caution when used alongside nephrotoxic antibiotics. Standard dietary or supplemental doses pose no meaningful concern.

Q: How does this affect a NutriStack Stack Score?

-5 to your Stack Score per scored caution row.

Caution Insufficient evidence

High-dose intravenous or oral vitamin C is being studied and used in some critical-care protocols. Because intravenous vancomycin is cleared renally and can be nephrotoxic, very high doses of vitamin C (which is metabolized partly to oxalate and can stress the kidneys, especially in renal impairment) warrant caution when used alongside nephrotoxic antibiotics. Standard dietary or supplemental doses pose no meaningful concern.

Supplement × Prescription

Open the interaction checker → Read the methodology

From the database

What the row says.

Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, and the recommendation.

Substances

Vancomycin and Vitamin C

Pair type

Caution

Evidence

Insufficient

Source citations

Scope

Supplement × Prescription

Last verified

June 4, 2026

CautionInsufficient evidence

What is happening. High-dose intravenous or oral vitamin C is being studied and used in some critical-care protocols. Because intravenous vancomycin is cleared renally and can be nephrotoxic, very high doses of vitamin C (which is metabolized partly to oxalate and can stress the kidneys, especially in renal impairment) warrant caution when used alongside nephrotoxic antibiotics. Standard dietary or supplemental doses pose no meaningful concern.

Mechanism. Vitamin C is partly metabolized to oxalate, and very high doses can increase oxalate load and theoretically contribute to renal stress; combined with vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity in susceptible patients, this could be additive. No direct chemical interaction occurs.

Recommendation. Routine vitamin C supplementation at typical doses (up to about 1000 mg/day) is compatible with vancomycin. Avoid sustained gram-level (megadose) vitamin C in patients receiving IV vancomycin who have or are at risk for kidney injury, given the theoretical additive renal/oxalate burden. Maintain hydration and renal monitoring.

Stack Score

How it moves the number.

Effect on the composite score

If both Vancomycin and Vitamin C are in the same stack, this pair applies −5 to your Stack Score (per scored caution row).

The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are at /methodology/stack-score.

Sources

Sources, by evidence tier.

Every claim on this page is cited. PMIDs link straight to PubMed.

Reference material

1Lamarche J, et al. Vitamin C-Induced Oxalate Nephropathy. International Journal of Nephrology. 2011.Needs sourceNo link
2Filippone EJ, et al. The Nephrotoxicity of Vancomycin. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2017.Needs sourceNo link

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