When starting to take a new medication it is very important to avoid interactions with other medications you are taking, as they can cause serious side effects or cancel the effect of both. Therefore, it is very important to inform the doctor of all the medications you are taking and always follow his / her guidelines, in addition to reading all the precautions in the package insert.
However, there are also foods that can affect the way certain medications work, preventing them from having the expected effect, worsening any of their side effects, or leading to a new side effect.
Some dietary precautions when using the most common medications include:
| Medication | Category / Disease | What to do: | Why: |
| Albuterol or Theophylline | Bronchodilators (asthma) | Avoid taking with coffee or foods with caffeine, such as chocolate, soft drinks or energy drinks. | Caffeine can increase your risk of developing side effects. |
| Captopril, Enalapril, Lisinopril or Ramipril | Anti-hypertensive drugs ACE (high blood pressure) | Avoid eating a diet rich in potassium, avoiding foods such as avocado, orange juice or bananas. | Most ACE inhibitors decrease the amount of sodium in the body, creating an imbalance between sodium and potassium. |
| Digoxin | Heart problems | Take 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after. | Meals that are very high in fiber can reduce the availability of this medicine, decreasing its effect. |
| Atorvastatin, Simvastatin, Pravastatin or Rosuvastatin | Statins (high cholesterol) | Avoid taking it with grapefruit juice. | Grapefruit juice appears to increase the risk of side effects from statins. |
| Levothyroxine | Take on an empty stomach, 30 to 60 minutes before eating. | The presence of food in the stomach affects the absorption of levothyroxine. | |
| Doxycycline, Minocycline or Tetracycline | Tetracyclines (type of antibiotic) | Take 1 hour before eating or 2 hours after. If it is necessary to eat, avoid dairy products such as milk or cheese. | Food can interfere with the absorption of this type of antibiotic, reducing its effect. |
| Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Sertraline or Paroxetine | MAO antidepressants (depression) | Avoid foods or foods that contain tyramine. | Elevated tyramine levels can cause an excessive rise in blood pressure. |
| Sodium alendronate, cholecalciferol, sodium ibandronate or sodium risedronate | Bisphosphonates (osteoporosis) | Take on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before eating. | The presence of food in the gastrointestinal tract can prevent the absorption of these drugs. |
| Zolpidem or Eszopiclona | Sedatives (insomnia) | Avoid taking it right after a meal. | Taking these drugs on an empty stomach increases the speed of their effect. |
| Iron | Iron deficiency and anemia | Take on an empty stomach and with 1 glass of water with approximately 220 ml. If it is necessary to eat, avoid grains, eggs, tea, coffee and milk. | The presence of food in the stomach can reduce iron absorption by up to 50%. |
There are several types of interactions between food and medicine, however, most seem to be related to the presence of minerals such as:
- Iron, such as liver, veal or parsley; Calcium, such as milk, spinach or broccoli; Magnesium, such as bananas, almonds or oats; Zinc, such as oysters, turkey or pumpkin seeds.
Thus, it is best to always avoid foods rich in these minerals for at least 1 hour before taking the medicine, and up to 2 hours after. In case of supplementing with any of these minerals, you should keep only the supplements indicated by the doctor, such as iron, for example and take it 2 hours before any other medication or, 6 hours after.
In addition, meals with many fibers or fats can also delay the functioning of many types of medication and, therefore, this type of food should be avoided especially when using a medication that needs to have a quick effect as a painkiller or a antibiotic, for example.
How stomach pH affects medicines
There are also medications that are dependent on the pH of the stomach to function properly. A good example is antifungals, such as ketoconazole, which work best when there is an acidic pH in the stomach. In this case, it may be recommended to choose to take the medicine after a meal with acidic ingredients, such as egg, cheese or fish. In addition, it is still recommended to avoid using antacid drugs, for example.
Likewise, probiotics also work best when there is a slightly more acidic environment in the stomach. Therefore, a good tip is to take the probiotic after a small meal, such as a morning snack, preferably containing foods that promote moderate acidity, such as milk or yogurt.
See a more complete list of the main acidic foods.
