With most prescribed medications, it’s recommended that you eat before or after ingesting the medicine. Otherwise, you might be in for a world of nausea and stomach pains. But before you go ahead and bite into your next meal, make sure you know which foods to never mix with your medication.
Grapefruits Being Not So Great
The grapefruit is a staple of many people’s breakfast, but you should skip out on it if you’re required to take any blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, HIV, or organ transplant medications in the morning. Compounds in this fruit have the ability to block the enzymes that break down this medication within the intestines, leaving you with high levels of your prescribed drug within your bloodstream.
Dairy & Antibiotics
Calcium helps build strong bones, so it’s important to incorporate a healthy amount of dairy products into your diet. However, if you’re currently sick and are taking antibiotics you should be monitoring your dairy intake. Since calcium can interfere with the effectiveness of antibiotics, do not consume any dairy products within an hour or two of taking your prescription.
Cancel the Crushing
Swallowing pills isn’t a favorite for many people, especially when the prescribed pills are larger than what you consider “normal sized.” Many people will crush up their pills and add them to smoothies, applesauce, pudding, etc. Before you go ahead and do this, ask your doctor if this is okay to do for your specific medication. Crushing up pills can cause too much of the drug to be in your system at once or alter the way it’s supposed to work.
Before you go ahead and eat something with your medication, make sure the food won’t have an adverse effect on your body. For other useful tips and information, visit our blog! If you’re interested in learning more, or visiting The Arbors Assisted Living community, schedule a tour by contacting one of our five convenient locations:
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