TYPES OF FOOD
This section will look at the most common foods that will interfere with drugs effectiveness.
As you know, there are numerous foods available in Australia, and they all look very delicious and tasty. However, if you are unlucky, then you might feel illnesses and you may need to take any particular medicine. If you take the medicine while you are eating foods by mistake, it can cause adverse reactions and make you suffer from symptoms. In order to prevent this, we would like to introduce foods that may interact with drugs.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K such as broccoli, kale, spinach and leafy green will interfere with Warfarin (Coumadin) function in preventing blood clots. It prevents the anticlotting role of Walfarin and therefore, it is suggested that someone is not consuming vitamin K excessively when undergoing this medication.
Alcohol
It’s not something new that alcohol will interfere with different kind of medications. It can either increase the toxicity effect (insulin, acetaminophen, and aspirin) or decrease the effectiveness (anaesthetics and antibiotics). Since a small number can interfere with medication, avoid alcohol while undergoing medication.
High Fiber Foods
Dietary fibre, specifically insoluble fibre such as wheat bran, corn, bean and oats will slow down the absorption of digoxin and lessen its effectiveness. To prevent this, elders should take digoxin at least one hour before or two hours after eating a meal.
Herbs
Herb use can also affect digoxin. For example, ginseng can elevate blood levels of digoxin by as much as 75%.Therefore, It’s important for someone to know the digoxin toxicity symptoms such weakness, confusion, dizziness, and nausea.
Grapefruit
Drinking grapefruit juice or eating fresh grapefruit can increase the number of statins in the blood. A high number of them can cause side effect such as muscle and live damage.
Dairy Product
Dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, and cheese can delay or prevent the absorption of antibiotics such as tetracyclines and ciprofloxacin (Cipro). This happens because calcium binds to the antibiotics in the stomach, forming an insoluble compound. It is recommended to take antibiotic one hour before/ two hours after a meal.
Iodine-Rich Foods
Iodine-rich foods such as seafood, seaweed, egg and meat will increase the need of Antithyroid drugs. Antithyroid drugs are compounds that interfere with the body’s production of thyroid hormones. The higher the antithyroid dose, the greater the side effects such as rashes, hives, and liver disease.
Tyramine-Containing Foods
Foods containing tyramines, such as some red wines, malt beer, smoked fish, aged cheeses, and dried fruits, can cause a hypertensive crisis or severe elevation in blood pressure when taken with antidepressants.
