When starting a new medication it is very important to avoid interactions with other drugs that are being taken, as they can cause serious side effects or cancel out the effect of both. Therefore, it is very important to inform the doctor of all medicines you are taking and always follow your guidelines, as well as read all the care in the package insert.
However, there are also foods that can affect the way certain medicines work, preventing them from having the expected effect, worsening some of their side effects or leading to the emergence of a new side effect.
Some dietary precautions when using the most common medications include:
| Medication | Category / Disease | What to do: | Because: |
| Abulterol or Theophylline | Bronchodilators (asthma) | Avoid taking along with coffee or caffeinated foods such as chocolate, soda or energy drinks. | Caffeine may increase the risk of developing side effects. |
| Captopril, Enalopril, Lisinorpil or Ramipril | Antihypertensive drugs ACE inhibitors (high blood pressure) | Avoid making a potassium-rich diet by avoiding foods like avocado, orange juice or banana. | 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 meal or 2 hours after. | High fiber meals can reduce the availability of this medicine, reducing its effect. |
| Atorvastatin, Simvastatin, Pravastatin or Rosuvastatin | Statins (high cholesterol) | Avoid taking along with grapefruit juice. | Grapefruit juice seems to increase the risk of side effects of statins. |
| Levothyroxine | Take it fast, 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 you need to eat, avoid dairy products such as milk or cheese. | Foods can interfere with the absorption of this type of antibiotic, decreasing its effect. |
| Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Sertraline or Paroxetine | Antidepressants MAOI (Depression) | Avoid foods or foods that contain tyramine. | Elevated levels of tyramine can cause an exaggerated rise in blood pressure. |
| Alendronate sodium, Cholecalciferol, Ibandronate sodium or Risedronate sodium | Bisphosphonates (osteoporosis) | Take fasted for at least 30 minutes before eating. | The presence of aliemnts in the gastrointestinal tract may prevent the absorption of these drugs. |
| Zolpidem or Eszopiclone | Sedatives (insomnia) | Avoid taking it shortly after a meal. | Taking these medications with the empty stomach increases the speed of its effect. |
| Iron | Iron deficiency and anemia | Take on an empty stomach and with 1 glass of water with about 220 ml. If you need to eat, avoid grains, eggs, tea, coffee and milk. | The presence of food in the stomach can reduce the absorption of iron 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 banana, almonds or oats;
- Zinc, such as oysters, turkey or pumpkin seeds.
That way, 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. If you are taking a supplement 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 medications and therefore one should avoid this type of food especially when using a medicine that needs to have a quick effect like a painkiller or a antibiotic, for example.
How the pH of the stomach affects the remedies
There are still medications that are dependent on the pH of the stomach to function properly. A good example are antifungals, such as Cetaconazole, which work best when there is acidic pH in the stomach. In this case, it may be recommended to choose to take the medicine after a meal with acidic salts, such as egg, cheese or fish. In addition, it is also recommended to avoid using antacid medicines, for example.
Likewise, probiotics also work best when there is a slightly more acidic environment in the stomach. So a good tip is to take the probiotic after a small meal, such as the morning snack, preferably containing foods that promote moderate acidity, such as milk or yogurt.
See a more complete list of the main acidic foods.
