When Foods Affect Medications
|
Careful With That GrapefruitOne of the most common examples of a problematic food when it comes to medications is grapefruit. Grapefruit contains substances that block the action of an enzyme called CYP3A4 involved in the breakdown of certain drugs in the small intestine. Eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice along with one of these drugs can cause more of the drug to enter the bloodstream. The result can be equivalent to a drug overdose. Drugs affected include some immunosuppressive drugs such cyclosporine (Sandimmune and Neoral) used to treat lupus and prevent organ transplant rejection; some statin drugs used for high blood pressure including simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor) and prevastatin (Pravachol) ; and some anti-arrhythmia drugs such as amidarone (Cordarone and Nexterone).
|
|
Avoiding, Not AbstainingThere are many foods with the potential to interact with medications. The information you receive with your prescription will tell you if there are certain foods you should avoid while taking it. And what if your favorite food happens to be on the list? Take heart. Avoiding foods while taking medications doesn’t necessarily mean avoiding the foods altogether. Waiting until 3 hours after your last dose of medication – and at least three hours before your next one – is usually sufficient, but ask your pharmacist.
|