Can food interact with my medication?
Some foods can interact with medication making them less effective or causing side effects. This is because it changes how much medication your body absorbs or affects how it breaks down.
Here are a few common medication and food combinations known to have interactions:
- Warfarin (Coumadin) and leafy greens. Vitamin K-rich foods like kale or spinach can change how Warfarin works. It’s important to keep your vitamin K-rich food intake the same each day.
- Phenelzine (Nardil) or Selegiline (Eldapryl) (monoamine oxidase inhibitors, MAOIs) and tyramine. Tyramine is an amino acid (natural chemical) in food. It helps control blood pressure but eating too much while on MAOIs can make it dangerously high. Fermented foods like tofu, sauerkraut, and aged cheese have a lot of tyramine. Avoid these foods while on MAOIs.
- Statins and grapefruit. This can increase your statin levels and make it harder for your body to break down some cholesterol medication. Some medications to avoid with grapefruit include simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and pravastatin (Pravachol)
And some medications must be taken on an empty stomach to work properly like:
- Levothyroxine (Synthroid) for thyroid conditions.
- Alendronate (Fosamax) and ibandronate (Boniva) for osteoporosis.
Always ask your healthcare team about your medication if you are unsure about possible interactions. They can help you understand what you should avoid ─ keeping your medication safe and effective.
If you are an ExactCare patient and have questions about your medication, give us a call at 1-877-355-7225. Our pharmacists are here to help!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3191675/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/fooddrug-interactions
https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/5-dangerous-food-drug-interactions
