MASTERING MEDICATIONS FOR A HEALTHY HEART: FOOD AND DRUG INTERACTIONS
Every drug has been developed to achieve a specific goal. But just as an opponent can block a shot in sports, other drugs and certain foods can interact with your cardiac medications. I’ll provide a few examples in just a moment, but it would be impractical if not impossible to list every potential combination. That underlines the importance of telling your cardiologist about all the other drugs you take regularly or even once in a while. Also make it a point to talk with both your doctor and your pharmacist about potential drug and food interactions.
Cholestyramine and colestipol, drugs given to reduce cholesterol, may interfere with the absorption of other drugs. That’s why it’s best to take those other drugs four to six hours after the cholesterol drugs.
Niacin, in all its forms, can increase the body’s production of uric acid and decrease the body’s ability to metabolise glucose. These characteristics could be important for gout patients and diabetes patients, respectively.
Just think of all the drugs in the pharmacy, and consider the combinations. It’s mind-boggling! So do remember to talk about those interactions.
And don’t forget to discuss foods. Your doctor might temporarily prescribe an antidepressant during your initial recovery. If those medications are in the class known as MAO inhibitors, they can interact with a kitchen full of foods including herring, cheese, sausages, wine and soy sauce. Taken together, the combination of those foods and drugs can lead to headache, fever and blood pressure increases.
Beta-blockers work best when taken with foods, maximising their effectiveness. The effectiveness of other antihypertensives and vasodilators, on the other hand, can be impeded by salty foods. And blood-thinners can work too well when taken with boiled or fried onions!
Digitalis preparations are among the oldest cardiac medications. But high-fibre foods may decrease the drugs’ effectiveness. Obviously, since you’ll want to increase the amount of fibre-rich foods in your diet in order to control cholesterol levels, this dilemma calls for a doctor-patient discussion.
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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol
