Foods and drinks you should never pair with medicine – Times of India

Do you take your medication with a glass of fruit juice or milk without thinking twice? It may not be the right choice for you if your medication ends up interacting with the food item you are having it with.
When this kind of interaction happens, the effects of the medicine may increase or decrease, or may lead to undesirable side effects which may range from mild to severe. It’s important to take in account how your food would interact with your medicine before combining them.
Some commonly used herbs, fruits as well as alcohol may cause failure of the therapy up a point of to serious alterations of the patient’s health.
Here are some of the foods and drinks you should avoid pairing with medication:

1. Fruit juices

One of the worst drink to have with medicine is perhaps grape juice as it can react adversely with almost all types of drugs. According to Oman Medical Journal, grape juice modifies the body’s way of metabolizing the medication, affecting the liver’s ability to work the drug through a person’s system. Grapefruit juice, statins and calcium channel blockers are a potentially dangerous mix, and can affect heart rate and blood pressure causing symptoms like headaches and dizziness.

2. Broccoli, spinach and kale

Warfarin is a medicine to prevent blood clots but it doesn’t work well when certain vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, parsley, spinach, that are high in vitamin K are eaten in large quantities or sudden changes are made in the amounts eaten of these vegetables. Doing so can interfere with the effectiveness and safety of warfarin therapy.

3. Cranberry juice

Cranberry juice can interact with warfarin, potentially leading to elevated INR levels (a measure of blood clotting) without causing bleeding, especially in elderly patients. Studies suggest that compounds in cranberry juice may interfere with the enzyme (CYP2C9) responsible for breaking down warfarin, affecting its effectiveness. However, it’s unclear if cranberry juice alone causes this increase. Additionally, consuming leafy green vegetables with warfarin can reduce its blood-thinning effects, increasing the risk of blood clots.

4. Cheese and red wine

Foods high in tyramine like aged cheese, red wine, ripe bananas, and salami can trigger dangerous spikes in blood pressure, known as the “cheese reaction,” in patients taking MAOIs (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors), used to treat depression. This happens because MAOIs block the enzyme that breaks down tyramine, allowing it to reach the bloodstream and cause hypertensive crises. Newer transdermal MAOI formulations, however, may reduce these risks while still being effective for treatment-resistant depression.

5. Coffee

Coffee, a caffeine-rich beverage, can significantly interact with bronchodilators like theophylline. Since both coffee and theophylline contain xanthine, consuming large amounts of coffee while on theophylline increases the risk of drug toxicity, leading to side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headache, and irritability. Additionally, both substances stimulate the central nervous system, potentially amplifying their effects. Patients are also advised to avoid other caffeine-containing foods and drinks, as well as grapefruit juice, which increases theophylline’s bioavailability, further heightening the risk of adverse effects. Monitoring theophylline levels is crucial for patients who consume coffee regularly.