Food and medication – combinations to be avoided

[26 November 2008 - 12h00]

It’s a well-known fact that when certain foods are combined with various types of medication it can alter the way they act. The French Health Products Safety Agency (the AFSSaPS) stresses the importance of always reading the information accompanying your medication so as to avoid such harmful interaction.

Grapefruit juice, for example, is likely to increase the body’s absorption of two types of medication considerably:
when consumed at the same time as the anti-cholesterol drug simvastatin, it can increase absorption fifteen fold and cause serious muscular problems;
when consumed at the same time as immunosuppressants – which are used to protect against transplant rejection
it can also damage the kidneys.

The AFSSaPS therefore advises against drinking grapefruit juice within two hours of taking these medicines, and to limit consumption to under a quarter of a litre (less than half a pint) per day. However, it’s worth noting that apple juice and orange juice are not known to have any negative interactions.

Cabbage, broccoli, spinach, avocado, parsley, lettuce and offal – all foodstuffs rich in vitamin K – tend to reduce the effectiveness of oral anticoagulants. It is therefore recommended not to eat more than one portion of these vegetables per day.

As for alcohol, it should never be consumed at the same time as medication that can reduce alertness, such as anxiolitics, codeine or tramadol-based analgesics, cough medicines containing codeine, neuroleptics and certain anti-depressants and anti-allergy drugs that have been around for many years. Taken together with such medicines, alcohol can cause drowsiness and impair reflex reaction.

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