In your daily life, are you often careless? For instance, drinking carbonated right after taking cold medicine? Or using tea water instead of boiled water to swallow your pills? Besides these well-known medication taboos, there are many others you might not be aware of. Today, we're here to tell you about six major dietary restrictions when taking medication. The following foods and drugs should absolutely not be taken at the same time!
One: Grapefruit + Anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, or prescription sleeping pills
Grapefruit juice contains a chemical that inhibits digestive system and liver enzymes. However, when mixed with prescription anti-anxiety drugs like Valium and Xanax, antidepressants like Zoloft, or the sleeping pill Lunesta, it can interfere with the metabolic process and cause strong side effects, including dizziness, fatigue, confusion, diarrhea, and/or constipation.
If you accidentally drink grapefruit juice (regardless of the variety, depending on your body type or metabolic capacity) after taking one of the above medications and feel severely unwell, you can only quietly wait for your body to digest the juice.
Two: St. John's Wort + Birth control pills
Some studies support the claim that St. John's Wort can reduce mild to moderate depression and ease mood swings. However, if you are using birth control pills, patches, or an IUD and also take St. John's Wort, it could affect your entire life—by causing pregnancy. The chemicals in St. John's Wort can alter how the body metabolizes birth control pills, thereby reducing hormone levels in the blood to the point where ovulation is not suppressed. If you are taking St. John's Wort, you can switch to a non-hormonal contraceptive method, or consult your doctor about taking a prescription antidepressant.
Three: Alcohol + Acetaminophen
If you frequently drink more than three alcoholic drinks a day and then take over-the-counter acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol, which contains active ingredients for pain relief, colds, and flu), it can cause a toxic effect on the liver. Although it's difficult to determine the ultimate consequences of this toxicity, excessive drinking and acetaminophen use can interfere with liver function and damage liver cells. Due to differences in individual metabolic capacity, experts cannot estimate how much acetaminophen would damage the liver, or how long after stopping drinking it would no longer be dangerous. Therefore, if you need to take acetaminophen, it's best to minimize your alcohol intake as much as possible.
Four: Yeast infection medication + Anti-anxiety drugs
The product name for yeast infection medication is Diflucan. Taking one pill can quickly relieve vaginal itching caused by a yeast infection. However, within a week of taking this medication, do not take any anti-anxiety drugs at the same time. Diflucan can alter how liver enzymes metabolize sedatives, so even taking a single dose of Valium or Xanax can cause prolonged drowsiness.
Five: Coffee + Energy drinks
To stay alert, a cup of coffee or an energy drink can provide a safe mental boost. However, drinking both of these beverages within two to three hours can make you go from alert to agitated, leading to anxiety, a rapid heartbeat, stomach discomfort, dizziness, and vomiting. This is not only because energy drinks generally have a higher caffeine content than coffee, but also because they are often rich in sugar and herbs like guarana, both of which accelerate the body's functions. If you accidentally drink both of these beverages and experience side effects, you can drink plenty of water or eat protein, or other healthy foods like whole grains. Within one to two hours, the discomfort should be significantly reduced.
Six: Birth control pills + Antibiotics
Twenty years ago, research found that the widely used antibiotic tetracycline (used to treat sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections, acne, and other conditions) could create a mechanism in the body that weakens the effectiveness of birth control pills, leading to pregnancy. More recent studies have failed to replicate this interference, but they also could not find proof to disprove the above claim. Experts advise erring on the side of caution. If you are on birth control pills and a doctor prescribes any antibiotic, such as tetracycline, you should use a backup contraceptive method for seven days after taking the antibiotic. There are different brand and generic names for prescription antibiotics, so you can ask your doctor for details.