By Emily Josh Health Reporter, Dailymail.Com
Updated on July 26, 2024 at 14:57 and July 26, 2024 at 14:58
Waking up, taking your medication, and making a cup of coffee are essential parts of most Americans’ morning routine.
But taking certain medications with your morning coffee can cause dire side effects and serious complications, like high blood pressure and uncontrolled bleeding.
Pharmacists told DailyMail.com they have identified a list of commonly taken medicines that may interact with coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants have many side effects, some of which can make it hard to drink your morning coffee.
Dr. Jennifer Bourgeois, Pharmacist and Health Professional Single Caretold DailyMail.com: “Caffeine can interact with these medications and cause blood pressure to dangerously increase.”
Older classes of antidepressants, such as tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), prevent your body from properly metabolizing caffeine.
Caffeine is normally excreted in urine by the kidneys.
However, these drugs interfere with this process, causing caffeine to remain in your body longer.
Over time, this can lead to a persistently high heart rate and high blood pressure.
Dr Havi Ngo Hamilton, clinical consultant BuzzRx is a pharmacist at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. Drugs such as fluvoxamine, pHenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate) were the worst in this regard.
The CDC estimates that one in 10 Americans age 12 and older takes an antidepressant, amounting to about 37 million people.
There are no known interactions between caffeine and newer SSRIs such as Zoloft, Lexapro, or Prozac.
Over-the-counter cold and allergy medications
It’s estimated that nearly three in four U.S. adults use over-the-counter cold or allergy medications to treat symptoms.
Many of these contain pseudoephedrine, a stimulant that narrows the blood vessels in the nasal passages to reduce swelling and congestion.
But in doing so, pseudoephedrine stimulates the brain cells responsible for the “fight or flight” response that keeps us safe when threatened.
Dr Ngo-Hamilton said drinking coffee on top of this could make these symptoms worse, making you feel irritable and anxious.
She points to popular over-the-counter medications such as Sudafed and Mucinex that contain pseudoephedrine.
Dr. Ngo-Hamilton recommends taking these medications two hours before or four hours after drinking coffee.
Antidiabetic drugs
One in 10 Americans take insulin to manage their diabetes, and while insulin doesn’t directly interact with caffeine, it can sometimes mix badly with your morning coffee.
“Drinking coffee can raise your blood sugar, especially if it contains cream and sugar,” says Dr Ngo-Hamilton.
“It will cause your blood sugar to spike and make the medication less effective.”
In fact, caffeinated drinks can increase insulin and blood sugar levels. the study From the American Diabetes Association.
In addition to insulin, Dr. Ngo-Hamilton points to the blood sugar-lowering drug metformin, which was taken by more than 20 million Americans in 2021, according to the most recent data available.
Dr. Ngo-Hamilton recommends tracking your blood sugar levels to determine whether you should drink coffee while taking your medication.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are prescribed for a variety of infections, with the CDC estimating that more than 230 million prescriptions will be written in 2022 alone.
This antibiotic inhibits the metabolism of caffeine, leading to increased levels of caffeine in the blood.
Dr. Bourgeois specifically pointed to ciprofloxacin (also known as Cipro), which is typically used to treat bacterial infections such as urinary tract and bladder infections, infectious diarrhea and sinus infections.
Like cold and allergy medications, “the antibiotic may inhibit the metabolism of caffeine, leading to increased levels of caffeine in the blood,” she said.
As with over-the-counter medications, taking this medication with coffee may cause palpitations or nervousness.
Blood thinners
According to a survey by the National Blood Thrombosis League, 8 million Americans take blood thinners used to prevent blood clots.
Warfarin is the oldest and most common, accounting for about a quarter of all blood thinner prescriptions in the U.S., or about 2 million, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr Ngo-Hamilton said caffeine could inhibit the breakdown of anticoagulants, causing them to remain in the body for longer.
But this is particularly dangerous because taking too much of the drug can cause excessive bleeding even from minor cuts like paper cuts.
When it comes to warfarin specifically, Dr Ngo-Hamilton recommends waiting “at least six to eight hours” after taking it before drinking coffee, as there is a “very significant drug interaction” between warfarin and caffeine.
But newer blood thinners like Eliwis shouldn’t cause these interactions, even though warfarin is more common, she noted.
Blood pressure medication
The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy estimates that 117 million prescriptions for beta-blockers have been written to 26 million Americans.
They aim to lower blood pressure and block the effects of the hormone epinephrine, or adrenaline, which improves blood flow and slows your heart rate.
“Beta blockers work by slowing down your heart rate so it doesn’t have to work as hard,” Dr. Ngo-Hamilton said.
“But when you drink coffee or any caffeinated beverage, it increases your heart rate and ultimately your blood pressure. This is not a direct drug interaction, but it sort of counteracts the effects of the beta-blockers.”
She recommends taking these medications two hours before or four hours after drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages.
Thyroid medications
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Levothyroxine, used to treat hypothyroidism, is one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States, with 23 million prescriptions filled annually.
However, Dr Ngo-Hamilton warned that taking these medicines with any type of food or water, including coffee, may reduce the amount of drug absorbed by the body.
And one more thing 2020 in review Caffeine has been shown to reduce this absorption rate by up to 50 percent.
Dr. William Franklin, Founder and Medical Director Victory Medical A Texas doctor told DailyMail.com that people taking levothyroxine should “take it on an empty stomach with water and wait 30 to 60 minutes before consuming caffeine.”
Alzheimer’s medication
Experts estimate that one in 10 U.S. adults over the age of 65 has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.
Medications that treat the symptoms of this disorder are called cholinesterase inhibitors, which prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, a chemical that helps with memory formation and thinking.
But when these drugs are taken with coffee, the blood-brain barrier tightens, making it harder for the drugs to reach the brain, “which ultimately makes them less effective,” says Dr. Ngo-Hamilton.
She pointed to donepezil and rivastigmine as the most likely culprits causing this effect.
She also noted that people taking these medications should take them two hours before or four hours after drinking coffee.
Osteoporosis medication
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle over time, leading to fractures even from minor stresses like coughing.
The CDC estimates that 10 million Americans over the age of 50 have the disease and take drugs such as risendronate and ibandronate to slow bone destruction.
However, like thyroid medications, taking these medications with coffee may prevent them from being properly absorbed by your body, making them less effective.
As with thyroid medication, Dr. Ngo-Hamilton recommends waiting about two hours before drinking coffee or eating a meal.
Asthma medications
Many of the 25 million Americans who have asthma rely on bronchodilators, a type of prescription drug that relaxes and opens the airways.
However, mixing bronchodilators such as aminophylline or theophylline with coffee can worsen the medication’s side effects, such as irritability and restlessness.
“If you’re taking medication for the first time, see how it works before you start drinking coffee, as it may make the side effects worse,” says Dr Ngo-Hamilton.
If you still want to drink coffee, they recommend taking these medications four hours before or four hours after drinking coffee.
ADHD Medication
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According to CDC data, just under one in 10 Americans under the age of 17 has been diagnosed with ADHD, and approximately 41 million prescriptions are written for the condition.
These medications regulate neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine, helping to improve focus, attention, and impulse control.
However, taking medications like Adderall or Ritalin with coffee can make the medication less effective and increase hyperactivity.
“ADHD medications and caffeine are both stimulants, and when used together they can intensify the effects of each other, potentially leading to overstimulation,” Dr. Bourgeois said.
Antipsychotics
According to the Cleveland Clinic, approximately 4 million Americans take some type of antipsychotic medication.
Some of the most common examples include clozapine, risperidone, and olanzapine, which are typically prescribed for serious health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
These work by regulating neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, reducing symptoms such as hallucinations.
But Dr Ngo-Hamilton warns that coffee can reduce how much of the drug is absorbed by the body – and if a person is suffering from mania, the medication may not be able to get them out of the mania.
She recommends that patients avoid coffee altogether if they are having a manic episode.
