Food and Drug Interaction

When food and drinks interact with medication, the particular medication may not work sufficiently, or the drug can become too powerful as our body has trouble handling it properly.

Here are some common examples, as discussed on 2CC Canberra with Luke Bona:

• Grapefruit juice interacts with several drugs and may affect the way our body metabolizes medication. Drugs that may interact with grapefruit juice include: some statins, antihistamines, thyroid medications, blood pressure medication, birth control pills, cough suppressants, and medications that block stomach acids.
• Blood-clotting medications can interact with leafy green vegetables, affecting the blood’s clotting ability.
• Natural black liquorice may interact with certain blood pressure medications and blood-thinning medications.
• Salt substitutes can interact with ACE inhibitors and digoxin.
• Tyramine, which is found in foods such as aged meats, and cheeses, hot dogs and chocolate, can interact with some medications used to treat depression, and Parkinson’s disease
• And the most interactive ‘liquid” is alcohol. Your pharmacist will attach a warning label to any medicines affected by alcohol. Never, ever, ignore that warning.