The following article is a guest post written by MacKenzie Spears.
You may have never even thought about it, but there are potential risks to consuming food with certain medications and/or over the counter drugs. Some of these food/drug interactions are mild and will result in minor irritation, while others can have severe consequences, including, but not limited to death.
Our friends at Blink Health recently shared a really cool infographic with us explaining some common food/drug interactions that we are now sharing with you below. In each of the infographics it should be pointed out that everyone reacts to food a little bit differently and many of the body’s responses to foods while taking these drugs can display alternative symptoms (for more information please click on the hyperlinks).
However, on some level it should also be noted that each food you consume influences your body’s absorption of the drugs you are taking and may either 1) intensify the drugs’ response or 2) decrease the drug’s ability to work within the body. When these food/drug interactions work together to mimic a higher dose, this combination exaggerates the drug’s effect, essentially doubling down on the dose and causing unintended consequences. When the latter occurs, the drugs will not be as effective.
There are also instances when the food you consumed with the drug serves to block how the medicine is broken down and too much of the medicine remains in the blood stream. Instead of the drug being broken down or excreted in the urine, it circulates the body several times and with each passing has an effect on your body. To prevent these unintended consequences we are sharing a list of eight common food and drug interactions that you might want to be aware of. If you’d like additional information on any of these food/drug interactions just click on any one of the pictures. I have hyperlinked each picture to more in-depth articles. Enjoy!
