Although not harmful to health, Antibiotics are medicines that should not be taken with milk, because calcium present in milk decreases its effect on the body.
Fruit juices are also not always advised as they can interfere with their action, increasing their absorption speed, which decreases their time of action. Therefore, water is the most suitable liquid to take any medicine, because it is neutral and does not interact with the composition of the medicine, ensuring its effectiveness.
In addition, certain foods should not be consumed at the same time as medicines, so it is recommended to eat 2 hours before or 1 hour after taking the medicine.
Remedies that should not be taken during meals
Here are some examples of foods that interact with the action of some medicines in the following table:
| Class | Medicines | Guidance |
| Anticoagulants |
| Do not take with vitamin K foods, such as lettuce, carrots, spinach and broccoli |
| Antidepressants |
| Do not take with foods high in fiber, such as cereals, papaya, fig, kiwi |
| Anti-inflammatory |
| Do not take with foods high in fiber, such as cereals, papaya, fig, kiwi |
| Antibiotics |
| Do not take with food that contains calcium, iron or magnesium like milk, meat or nuts |
| Cardiotonics |
| Do not take with foods high in fiber, such as cereals, papaya, fig, kiwi |
Remedies that should be taken with juice or other foods
Certain medications may be taken with water, but may have more effect when taken with grapefruit juice because it increases the rate of absorption of the medicine and therefore has a faster effect, however, this is not always desired. The same can happen with fatty foods, such as yellow cheese. See the table for some examples:
Class | Medicines | Guidance |
| Anxiolytics |
| Grapefruit may increase action, use under medical advice |
| Antidepressants |
| Grapefruit may increase action, use under medical advice |
| Antifungals |
| Take with greasy foods such as 1 slice of yellow cheese |
| Anthelmintic |
| Take with greasy foods such as 1 slice of yellow cheese |
| Antihypertensive |
|
Take with greasy foods such as 1 slice of yellow cheese |
| Antihypertensive |
| Grapefruit may increase action, use under medical advice |
| Anti-inflammatory |
| Any food should be consumed 30 minutes before to protect the walls of the stomach |
| Hipolipidemics |
| Grapefruit may increase action, use under medical advice |
To ensure the effectiveness of the medicine the most appropriate is to ask the doctor how to take the medicine. If it can be with liquids, and if it is better to take before meals or after, for example. A good tip is to note these guidelines in the box of the remedy to remind you whenever you have to take and in case of doubt consult the package insert.
Medications that should not be taken together
Another important care is to not mix too many drugs because drug interaction may compromise results. Some examples of medicines that should not be consumed together are:
- Corticoids such as Decadron and Meticorden, and anti-inflammatories like Voltaren, Cataflan and Feldene
- Antacids, such as Pepsamar and Mylanta plus, and antibiotics like Tetramox
- Diet pills, such as Sibutramine, and antidepressants such as Deprax, Fluoxetine, Prozac, Vazy
- Inhibitor of appetite, such as Inhibex and anxiolytics like, Dualid, Valium, Lorax and Lexotan
To avoid this type of disorder, no medication should be taken without medical advice.
See too:
- Antibiotic cuts contraceptive effect?
What to do if you forget to take the antibiotic
