People acquire new prescriptions for drugs every day. Though their doctor is happy to write out a script for them, these people and their doctors commonly fail to bring up concerns about drugs and foods that interact with those drugs. It is unlikely that such food and drug interactions will turn you into an addict in need of rehab, but that does not mean that these interactions are necessarily benign either. Many of these interactions can be quite dangerous.
For example, if you are a person who happens to take medications that alter your brain chemistry to manage depression, for example, it may not be a good idea to drink St. John’s Wart tea or take this herb in any other preparation either. The potential interactions that can occur in situations like this are sometimes life threatening, since a common side effect of taking St John’s Wart with these types of medications is serotonin syndrome.
However, though this may be an extreme type of food and drug interaction, it is by far not the only situation where certain foods and certain drugs just do not play well together. It’s also a different case if you are actually addicted to drugs and not just taking medication for health conditions. Instead of reading about drug and food interactions, you should look for drug rehab centers on search engines to help you with your addiction problem.
Grapefruit Juice
When you think of grapefruit juice, it is easy to imagine this citrus fruit juice as being a healthy part of a balanced breakfast. Yet, grapefruit juice is one of those items that people consume every day that simply does not interact well with certain medications, such as medications that handle infections, reduce cholesterol, help to manage heart problems, and blood pressure medication. Even if you happen to consume grapefruit juice long before or after you take such medications, the dangerous interactions still persist.
The reason is because certain chemicals that are found within grapefruit juice have a tendency to mess with enzymes in the human digestive system that help to break down these medications. If these medications break down too quickly or too slowly, this can radically impact how effective they are. Consequently, it is best to avoid foods that cause such interactions to ensure that the medications you are taking do what they are supposed to do, rather than something you do not want them to do.
Other Food Drug Interactions To Watch Out For
Tyramine, a naturally occurring amino acid in many foods, has the potential to cause high blood pressure. Unfortunately, certain medications will prevent this amino acid from breaking down, such as maois drugs used with patients who are dealing with depression. Black licorice, made from glycyrrhiza, has a tendency to not mix well with blood pressure medications, rendering them less effective.
It also breaks down Coumadin, which in turn leads to a situation where the body’s clotting mechanism increases. Another common drug interaction that is a problem is when you eat green leafy vegetables high in vitamin K while taking blood thinners, which inhibits the drugs ability to prevent clotting. Usually, this last one is a problem when a person radically changes how much green leafy vegetables they intake. It is best to eat a moderate amount consistently to avoid this type of harmful interaction.