Beverages you need to be careful with Drug Interaction

Beverages you need to be careful with Drug Interaction (2)

Beverages you need to be careful with Drug Interaction (2)

There is a legitimate reason why we are told to “take medicines with water.” Beverages excluding water often contain the nutrients, which easily interact with medicines, such as vitamins, minerals, fat, or caffeine. Even mineral water could decrease the medical effectiveness.

 In this article, we will continue the drug interaction with beverages: banana juice, green leaf squeezed juice (Aojiru), and milk.

Banana juice + Parkinson’s disease medicine = Medicine does not work and makes worse

Banana juice or any other kind of homemade juice that uses banana makes Parkinson's disease medicine ineffective. The cause of this interaction has not been traced yet, but the possibility of polyphenol oxidase contained in banana affecting the medicine is pointed out.

To give an example, when taking Parkinson’s disease medicine: Levodopa (Product name: Madopar), with banana juice, the absorption rate of medicine drops. Especially when using fresh bananas, the medical efficacy drops down as much as half of the assumed efficacy under normal condition.

Banana juice may also weaken the efficacy of analgesic antipyretic or cold medicines for children. When taking an acetaminophen (Product name: Paracetamol) with banana juice or mashed banana, for example, active ingredients disappears partially and the efficacy If your kid is having a hard time taking a medicine as is, consult a pharmacist on how to drink.

Aojiru (green leaf squeezed juice) + antithrombotic / antibiotics = reduces the efficacy of medicine

Aojiru is the best solution for all of us today who are having difficulties in taking adequate amount of vegetables, and many people drink everyday for their health. However, aojiru contains a lot of vitamins and minerals enough to cover up the necessary amount of vegetable just with one drink, and it is also rich in dietary fiber and interferes with the absorption of medicine. The typical example is the combination with warfarin potassium (antithrombotic). *Refer the article, Foods you need to be careful with Drug Interaction (2).

Vitamin K contained a lot in aojiru is incompatible with warfarin potassium and makes the thrombus medicine ineffective. This interaction may cause the risk of creating thrombus and lead to myocardial infarction or cerebral stroke. Not only aojiru, we want to pay attention to other fresh vegetable juice as well. The vegetables with deep green color such as spinach are usually with high content of vitamin K.

In next, there are types of antibiotics that do not get along with aojiru. New fluoroquinolone antibiotic and tetracycline antibiotic easily combines with minerals contained plentifully in aojiru and get disturbed its absorption of medical components. Then, the reduced medical efficacy may let the infection last longer and make the condition worse.

Example(s) of new fluoroquinolone antibiotics: Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride hydrate (Product name: Cipro), etc.

Example(s) of tetracycline antibiotics: Minocycline hydrochloride (Product name: Borymycin), etc.

Vegetable(s) used for Aojiru

Most of main materials used for aojiru contain rich amount of vitamins and minerals nearly as health foods. Including antithrombotic, there are risks to affect the efficacy of variety medicines.

Barley grass: Barley grass is the young leaf of the barley plant before it comes into bearing. Barley grass provides a significant amount of dietary fiber, and it disturbs the absorption of medicines. In some reports, it lowers cholesterol level and possibly is incompatible with antihyperlipidemics.

Kale: Kale contains vitamin C, β‐carotene, dietary fiber, and calcium, and disturbs the absorption of medicines. The report says it lowers the blood sugar level and possibly is incompatible with antidiabetics.

Ashitaba (Angelica keiskei): Ashitaba’s vitamin K content is the highest among the green and yellow vegetables (vegetables categorized as high in beta-carotene in Japan). It is safer to avoid while taking warfarin potassium.

Chlorella: Chlorella is very rich in vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin K and magnesium. Magnesium combines with medical components and makes many medicines ineffective.

Green tea: Green tea leaf contains vitamin K, minerals, and caffeine. When steeped with hot water, the vitamin K content is as close to zero, but the content becomes significant when processed to aojiru as raw material.

Milk + antibiotics / osteoporosis medications = reduces the efficacy of medicine

Milk is the most typical food known for high content of calcium. For that reason, you should not take the medicines that easily react with calcium. As the medicine bonds solidly with calcium, creates “chelate” and loses the efficacy. *Refer the article, “How food and beverage interfere with your medications (1).”  Other than milk, antibiotics and osteoporosis medicines react and create chelate with digestive antacid, which contains aluminum.

When the antibiotics (tetracycline hydrochloride) is taken with milk, the medical agents combine with calcium and magnesium, and end up working ineffectively. Some reports say the efficacy drops to below half just with the milk of half of the tablespoons.

Example(s) of medicine that easily bonds with calcium

Antibiotics: Tetracycline hydrochloride (Product name: Tetracap), Doxycycline hydrochloride hydrate (Product name: Doxyline), Norfloxacin (Product name: Bexinor), Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride hydrate (Product name: Cipro), Roxithromycin (Product name: Uplores), Cefuroxime axetil (Product name: Zinnat), etc.

Osteoporosis medicines: Alendronate sodium hydrate (Product name: Fosamax), Sodium risedronate hydrate (Product name: Actonel), Ibandronate sodium hydrate (Product name: Bonviva), etc.

Summary

In this article, we discussed about the compatibility of juice (banana juice, aojiru, and milk) with the certain medicines. We hope you now have the idea that, not only the foods, but there are incompatible combinations of medicine and beverages.

Due to the strong trend in consumption of health foods, especially, aojiru is widely available in the market now. Its high content of minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibers does not get along with many medicines, and it is highly recommended to drink at the different timing of your medicine intake. If you take warfarin potassium, it is better to stay away from aojiru.

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