Do Your Meals Mess With Your Meds?
Do Your Meals Mess With Your Meds?
It is well known that medications may interact unfavorably with other prescriptions, but did you know that some of those meds may interact with what you eat and drink? Last week I wrote about the Nutritional Robbers of medications. This week I am sharing facts about foods that interfere with healthy and safe absorption of medications.
Certain foods and beverages may exaggerate or diminish the effect of your prescribed medications causing unexpected and sometimes serious side effects. Check out this short-list for guidelines to consider when you are on medications:
• Anti-depressants and Mood Modifiers: caffeine in foods and beverages (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate) may increase symptoms of jitteriness, anxiety, insomnia or tremors. Alcohol minimizes the effectiveness of the medication.
• Blood pressure meds and fluid retention meds: Don’t mix bananas, oranges, green leafy veggies or salt substitutes which are high potassium foods that help provide electrical signals to heart-muscle cells. Eating these foods while on these meds could elevate your potassium levels to dangerous levels. Alcohol and animal protein interact adversely with these medications.
• Breathing meds (Bronchodilators): Meds that open airways to relieve reduced airflow or shortness of breath are adversely affected by caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate). The potential for increased heart rate, anxiety, chest pain or tremors is higher when these foods are consumed when on these meds. Grilled meats, high-carb foods, alcohol and sugary foods create risky adverse side affects with these drugs.
• Blood thinners: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale and spinach contain vitamin K and can reduce the medication’s ability to properly thin the blood. In severe cases, an excess of these foods could trigger a heart attack or stroke.
• Cholesterol Reducers (statins): Avoid consuming grapefruit (the fruit and its juice), citrus juices (tangerine, orange, lemon or lime) and pomegranate (fruit and its juice). Statin drugs interact with these foods causing damage to your liver. Alcohol doesn’t mix with these meds. Interestingly, oyster mushrooms have a mild, natural statin effect, so use caution.
• Diabetes Medications: All foods have an impact on blood sugar levels. Some, however, create greater problems/risks when you are taking a diabetes prescription medication. Use caution when adding potatoes, starches and candy bars to your diet. Alcohol should be avoided, as it lowers blood sugar levels, creating dangerous side effects. Aloe Vera juice is also cautioned against, since it lowers blood sugar levels.
• Hormone Replacement Therapy Meds/Oral Contraceptives: Caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate) interferes with the effectiveness of these medications and may intensify symptoms of anxiety, irritability, hyper-sensitivity even to nausea and tremors. Citrus (fruits and juices) can elevate estradiol levels.
• Thyroid medications: Soy foods, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, turnips, dairy products and high-fiber foods (oatmeal, bran cereals, walnuts). All these foods adversely affect your body’s natural production of thyroid hormone and may throw your medications off. The high- fiber foods cause the medication to move through the body faster than it normally would, minimizing its absorption and effect.
Nature provides many solutions to most prescription and over-the-counter medications. When possible, and with your care provider or pharmacist’s advice, you may by-pass these interactions between your meals and your meds with a natural choice. Consumer Reports and the FDA website provide detailed information on the interactions of foods and drugs, drug-to-drug interactions and other nutrient robbers.
A few thoughts to consider––and ask about––to prevent adverse interactions:
• Is this drug safe when taken with other drugs?
• What foods/beverages should I avoid while taking this medication?
• Are there interactions I should know about?
• What is the purpose of this drug? How does it work in my body?
We live in the information age and thankfully, most information is a key press away. It is not necessary to suffer side effects or to be nutritionally deficient when the need arises to take a medication. Next week, I’ll share some of the natural remedies that may serve you and save you from unpleasant––or dangerous––side effects.