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Dangerous Food and Drug Interactions
 Dangerous food,
over-the-counter drug and prescription medication interactions:
Frequently people
combine dangerous food and drugs and put their health and sometimes
their lives at risk. In most cases they are not aware of the problem
that some medications and foods cannot be mixed, since many of these
same medications and foods seem harmless when taken alone. Below are
some of the more common hazardous food and drug interactions which
will be followed on the next page by dangerous prescription drug an
over-the-counter drug interactions and what you can do to protect
yourself and your family from harm.
Food and drug
interactions:
Your pharmacist
may have cautioned you about taking certain antibiotics with dairy
products, as this combination may reduce the effectiveness of these
medications. However, there are many pharmacists and doctors who are
actually unaware of some unusual drug/food interactions. The
following foods may cause problems with some medications.
Grapefruit and
grapefruit juice
contains substances that interact in a powerful way with medications
and sometimes may cause devastating side effects. An example may be
blood pressure medications such as Procardia and Adalat (Nifedipine)
and Plendil (felodipine), which are dangerous when combined with
grapefruit, resulting in higher levels of the blood pressure
medications. Some of the negative symptoms may include facial
flushing, nausea, dizziness, confusion, palpitations or irregular
heartbeat.
Green, leafy
vegetables,
such as broccoli,
brussel sprouts and cabbage have been known to reduce the
effectiveness of the blood thinner Coumadin (warfarin), which is a
very commonly prescribed blood thinner that is used to prevent blood
clots. These foods are rich in vitamin K, which helps the blood to
clot. Coumadin is believed to work by counteracting vitamin K's
ability to clot. Consuming small amounts of vitamin K-rich foods
probably will not pose a problem. But if you usually do not eat these
foods and then decide to consume quite a few at a Chinese restaurant
for example, you may reduce the drug's effectiveness and put yourself
at risk for blood clot or stroke.
Oatmeal and other
high fiber foods
are believed to
interfere with the absorption of Lanoxin (digoxin), a drug that is
frequently prescribed to control an irregular heart rhythm, which can
then lead to blood clots and stroke. You should take Lanoxin two or
three hours before or after eating high-fiber foods.
Salt substitutes
are
frequently used by people who have high blood pressure. However, they
also contain high amounts of potassium. If these salt substitutes
were to be consumed with potassium-sparing diuretics such as Aldactone
(Spironolactone) - which is usually prescribed for high blood pressure
or congestive heart failure, your potassium levels may skyrocket,
which then may increase your risk of cardiac arrest.
Licorice and
Lanoxin
or diuretics such
as Lasix (furosemide) can lead to very low levels of potassium which
may lead to an irregular heart rhythm and possibly cardiac arrest.
One piece of licorice will probably not hurt, but regular handfuls of
licorice could be fatal.
Information from
The World's Greatest Treasury of Health Secrets
Additional Information and
webpage by Paul Susic MA Licensed
Psychologist Ph.D. Candidate
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