To get the best result of your medication, try to avoid certain beverages that may affect the absorption of active ingredients and thus reduce its effectiveness to relieve your health problems. Here is the list of what you should not drink while taking your medicines:
- Grapefruit Juice.
Grapefruit Juice can affect the effectiveness of more than 50 kinds of medications, including statins (prescription drugs used to reduce elevated cholesterol levels), warfarins (drugs to treat and prevent blood clots), and some blood pressure medications. Grapefruit juice causes some medications to dissolve and be absorbed more quickly. It exaggerates the drug’s effect, as if you were taking a higher dose. In turn, blood pressure medication might lower your blood pressure too far. However if you drink a little grapefruit juice separately from taking medication, it might not cause any adverse effects.
2. Milk
Calcium found in dairy products may inhibit absorption of iron supplements and some antibiotics like Cipro and quinolone (Levaquin). As the result, you will get less of the active compound circulating in your bloodstream, reducing the effectiveness of the medication. If you drink milk, wait at least for four hours before taking your medication.
- Coffee and Other Caffeinated Drinks.
The breakdown of caffeine in the body may interfere with certain drugs. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. So if you are taking caffeinated drink with another stimulant drug at the same time, the effects on your nervous system can be exaggerated. Caffeine affects asthma medicines, anti-anxiety drugs, oral contraceptives that contain estrogen, the ulcer drug cimetidine and drugs that regulate heart rhythm, such as quinidine and propranolol. Caffeine may also inhibit the absorption of calcium, iron, and vitamins. Any iron supplements should be taken at least an hour before or two hours after drinking coffee or other sources of caffeine.
- Green Tea.
Green tea contains vitamin K which can make warfarin, a blood thinning medication, ineffective. You also cannot mix green tea and aspirin since they both prevent platelets from clotting and may increase your risk of bleeding. Green tea also contains caffeine. Taking green tea along with stimulant drugs might cause increased heart rate and high blood pressure.
5. Wine
Wine contains alcohol that can harm the liver. Drinking wine along with medications that can harm the liver (such as: acetaminophen, amiodarone, carbamazepine, isoniazid, methotrexate, methyldopa, and many others) can increase the risk of liver damage. Drinking wine and taking chlorpropamide (Diabinese) – that is used to control high blood sugar- might cause a headache, vomiting, and flushing. Taking a glass of wine along with antidepressant drugs may cause hypertension, increased heart rate, headache, and stroke. Aspirin should not be icncorporated with wine because it might increase the chance of ulcers and bleeding in the stomach.
- Sports Drinks
Sports drinks contains Potassium that can be harmful when combined with certain drugs for heart tretaments or hypertension. High concentration of potassium can also be found in bananas.
- Pomegranate Juice
Pomegranate juice is high in antioxidants that good for your health. But it also contains substances that may interfere with prescription drugs when combined with some medications, including statins, blood pressure medications, anticoagulants and anticonvulsants (that treat and prevent epileptic seizures). If pomegranate juice is combined with blood pressure medication, it can lower your blood pressure even further and cause dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue and fainting.
To optimize your medication and minimize any unwanted effects, it is better drink a lot of water when taking medicines. Ths can improve absorption of active ingredients and minimize the risk of upsetting your stomach.
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