Foods To Avoid With Medical Treatments And With Certain Medications
Health Treatments can be complicated. If you’re a person who is taking medication or undergoing Medical Treatments for any given condition—mental or physical—then it’s important to know what you can and cannot consume. Keep reading to learn more about some foods to avoid if you’re undergoing medical treatments or taking certain medications:
1. Licorice
Starting off strong with licorice, this tasty treat might be best to avoid if you’re taking certain medications. Since licorice root has the ability to affect your body’s potassium levels, if you’re taking a medication that also affects potassium—some diuretics, for instance—then your electrolytes may become imbalanced.
2. Alcohol
This one probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but alcohol can interfere with a variety of medications. Antibiotics, sedatives, and pain relievers are all included in the medications that alcohol consumption can impact. Thus, it’s incredibly important to speak to your doctor or other healthcare provider before consuming any alcohol while you’re actively taking medication.
3. Grapefruit
Although oddly specific, grapefruit can actually interact with multiple medications. This includes grapefruit juice as well—both grapefruit and the juice of the fruit can affect how certain medications are metabolized in the liver. In turn, you may find that there are either decreased or increased levels of the medication you’re taking in your bloodstream.
4. Dairy products
While dairy products are delicious and range vastly from butter to milk, some antibiotics don’t interact well with them. Ciprofloxacin and tetracycline, for example, have the potential to bind to the minerals that are part of dairy products, which in turn reduces their absorption. Due to this, it’s recommended that these antibiotics are taken a few hours before or after the consumption of dairy.
5. Foods rich in tyramine
The amino acid tyramine helps to regulate blood pressure. Some medications can interact with tyramine—for example, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) which are used to treat depression—and thus result in a sudden increase in the body’s blood pressure. Foods rich in tyramine include some fermented foods, aged cheeses, and cured meats.
6. Caffeine
Certain medications can increase your sensitivity to caffeine; alternatively, caffeine can increase your sensitivity to certain medications. Stimulants or antidepressants, for instance, can interfere with caffeine and lead to insomnia, jitteriness, or other increased side effects.