To help you remember to take your medication, it can be helpful to follow certain instructions.
You may be one of those people who take medication with your morning cup of coffee or tea.
However, certain medications may not be best combined with your morning coffee, which could make the medication less effective or cause unpleasant side effects.
“Caffeine can interact with a variety of medicines and may cause side effects or reduce the effectiveness of the medicine,” Jackie Lee, drug safety manager and information pharmacist at Numark, told The Sun.
“Patients need to keep their caffeine intake fairly stable and moderate to reduce side effects and interactions with regular medications,” she said.
“If patients want to reduce or eliminate caffeine from their diet, they should talk to their healthcare provider about how it might affect any medications they are taking.”
Jackie listed seven medications that you should avoid or be careful taking with coffee, ranging from blood pressure medication to antibiotics and asthma medication.
1. Ephedrine
Ephedrine is a medication used to treat low blood pressure (also called hypotension), a condition in which blood pushes too hard against the walls of arteries.
A nasal spray to relieve congestion once contained ephedrine, but it is no longer sold in the UK, although it may still be available in other countries. Patient.info.
Jackie warned that combining this drug with coffee could cause unexpected and sometimes serious side effects.
“Ephedrine, when combined with caffeine, is known to cause hypertensive crisis, subarachnoid hemorrhage and in some cases psychosis,” she said.
“Patients taking this medication should avoid caffeine,” Jackie warned.
A hypertensive crisis is a sudden, dramatic rise in blood pressure that can cause symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, blurred vision, dizziness, and vomiting.
If you think you may be experiencing a high blood pressure emergency, you should seek help immediately.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage, on the other hand, is a rare type of stroke caused by bleeding on the surface of the brain.
The NHS is warning people to call 999 for this medical emergency, which causes the following symptoms:
- A sudden, severe headache that you have never experienced before
- Stiff neck
- Feeling sick
- Sensitivity to light
- Blurred or double vision
- Stroke-like symptoms – slurred speech, loss of strength on one side of the body, etc.
- Loss of consciousness or convulsions (uncontrollable shaking)
2. ADHD Medication
Both medications used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and amphetamines are types of stimulants, or drugs that increase brain activity.
Jackie warned against mixing coffee with medication as it could intensify the effects of the medication.
“Stimulants such as amphetamines and ADHD medications, when combined with caffeine, which is itself a stimulant, can potentiate effects such as increased heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety,” the pharmacist said.
3. Asthma medications
Bronchodilators are a type of medicine that makes breathing easier by relaxing the muscles in the lungs and opening the airways.
They are commonly used to treat conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a group of lung diseases caused by smoking, according to the NHS.
Caffeine actually acts as a mild bronchodilator.
“Taking bronchodilators such as theophylline with caffeinated beverages can increase theophylline concentrations,” says Jackie.
“Similarly, eliminating caffeine-containing foods from your diet may shorten the effective duration of each dose of theophylline.”
4. Insomnia medication
Benzodiazepines are a type of sedative that slows down the body and brain functions.
According to mental health experts, it can help ease anxiety and insomnia. Philanthropy heart.
A class of medications called Z drugs may also be prescribed for sleep disorders.
Common examples include diazepam and zopiclone, Jackie says, and she warns against taking them with coffee.
“In the case of benzodiazepines and Z drugs, caffeine appears to antagonize the sedative and even anti-anxiety effects of these drugs,” the pharmaceutical expert explained.
5. Blood Pressure Medications
Beta blockers such as propranolol and atenolol and calcium channel blockers such as verapamil are medications used to lower high blood pressure.
Jackie pointed out that both can interact with caffeine.
“Caffeine can counter the effects of beta-blockers and increase blood pressure,” she warned.
“There’s no need to avoid moderate consumption, but it’s best to avoid excess.”
How to Lower Blood Pressure
Sustained high blood pressure puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart, and other organs, increasing your risk of serious conditions like heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Here are some ways to reduce high blood pressure:
Reduce salt intake
It is recommended that adults limit their salt intake to 6g (about one level teaspoon) per day to avoid health effects such as high blood pressure.
According to a study on salt substitutes and stroke, the best tip is to replace table salt with an alternative that has less sodium and added potassium.
Avoid alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol narrows your blood vessels and increases your risk of high blood pressure.
Official drinking guidelines recommend that you don’t regularly drink more than 14 units per week to keep the health risks from alcohol low.
Get moving
Exercise is good for your heart and blood vessels.
Guidelines recommend 150 minutes of activity per week, but if you’re currently inactive, even just walking to the shops each day is better than nothing, and you can gradually increase your activity from there.
Research has shown that isometric exercises (exercises in which you hold your body in one position without moving, like wall squats or planks) are best for lowering blood pressure.
I will quit smoking
Smoking cigarettes is deadly because it makes your arteries sticky and narrows them, which can lead to blockages.
Although smoking does not directly cause high blood pressure, it can rapidly increase your blood pressure and heart rate and reduce the amount of oxygen that reaches your body’s cells.
I don’t drink coffee
Unfortunately, caffeine can dramatically raise your blood pressure in a short time, even if you don’t have high blood pressure.
Therefore, people with high blood pressure are advised to limit their coffee consumption as a lifestyle tip.
Losing weight
The above tips will help you lose weight, which is beneficial because being overweight is itself a risk factor for high blood pressure.
Being overweight can make your heart have to work harder to pump blood around your body, raising your blood pressure.
The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure tested. It is recommended that all adults over the age of 40 have their blood pressure checked at least every five years.
Calcium channel blockers may increase the level of caffeine in the blood.
As a result, taking these medicines with beverages such as tea, coffee, or cola drinks or some medicines, such as pain relievers, that contain caffeine may cause side effects such as nervousness or insomnia.
“If these symptoms are a problem, people should be advised to reduce their caffeine intake,” Jackie said.
6. Antibiotics
Antibiotics are used to treat and prevent certain bacterial infections.
It may also be worth cutting back on your caffeine intake if you’re taking common antibiotics, Jackie adds.
“Quinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin, may potentiate the effects of caffeine,” she explained.
Pharmacists say people may be advised to limit their caffeine intake from sources such as tea, coffee and cola drinks if they experience side effects.
7. Diuretics
Finally, Jackie lists diuretics as a medication to be careful of when combining with coffee.
Diuretics are also called “diuretics” because they increase the amount of urine produced and help flush excess water from the body.
“The effects of diuretics such as furosemide may be enhanced when taken with caffeine,” she said.
“Caffeine also has a diuretic effect.”
Furosemide is used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and the buildup of fluid in the body called edema.
Food and drug combinations to avoid
Tea and coffee are not the only drinks that you need to be careful with when combining with certain medications.
Drinks like grapefruit juice, along with some foods, can affect the way our bodies process drugs.
Certain drug and food combinations can also cause blood clots and liver damage.
Here are some things you should know:
- Grapefruit and Statins – Fruits and juices may increase the risk of side effects from cholesterol-lowering medications
- Dairy and Antibiotics – Milk, cheese, and yogurt may interfere with the absorption of antibiotics
- Leafy Greens and Anticoagulants – Kale, spinach, and romaine lettuce may help reverse the effects of blood-clotting inhibitors such as warfarin and promote blood clotting.
- Alcohol and painkillers – Some painkillers, when combined with alcohol, can cause dizziness, drowsiness, liver damage, and other serious complications.
Click here to learn about drug and food combinations to be aware of.
