Saturday, January 4, 2014

Foods/Medication/Supplements: Which Combinations to Avoid


I happened to read an article from Consumer Reports about foods that should be avoided when taking certain medications and was quite surprised to see that walnuts should not be taken with the one medication I've been prescribed. My medical provider had never mentioned it to me and it wasn’t on my prescription bottle.

According to this article,  it wasn’t just grapefruit that people on statin medications should avoid. Pomegranate was also listed as a food that shouldn’t be eaten while on cholesterol lowering drugs. Interestingly there are many more drugs that grapefruit interferes with, such as Halcion given for insomnia, some antihistamines and even meds for lowering blood pressure.

In order to know what foods or supplements may interfere with your medication, talk to your medical provider as well as your pharmacist. Another good source of information is a condition specific organization, such as the American Diabetic Association. Below are a list of on-line resources:

Food/Drug and Drug/Nutrient Interactions: What You Should Know About Your Medications from the University of Florida IFAS Extension This site includes a very simple to use chart which outlines what to avoid when taking a particular medication. 

Avoid Food-Drug Interactions: A Guide from the National Consumers League US Food and Drug Administration 


Heart Cardiovascular Disease: Medication Interactions: Food, Supplements and Other Drugs


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