Interaction is harmful! What medicines cannot be taken with coffee? The pharmacist named two types of people who should drink less
What medications should not be taken with coffee? Fear of causing excitement and nausea center
Coffee is widely loved by the public, and many scientific studies also believe that drinking coffee is good for the body. But coffee contains a lot of caffeine, which may interact with medicines and even affect their efficacy.
Pharmacist Cai Junyan from the Department of Pharmacy of New Taipei City Hospital pointed out in an interview that if blood vessels are compared to highways, some drugs may “block the intersection” and slow down the metabolism of caffeine, causing caffeine to accumulate in the body; some drugs may also cause caffeine influence, leaving the interchange too quickly, resulting in insufficient efficacy of the medicine.
Pharmacist Cai Junyan explained that these include blood pressure medicines such as “calcium channel blockers”, oral contraceptives, gastric medicines available in pharmacies, antidepressant medicines, oral antibiotics for the treatment of pneumonia, and antibiotics for the treatment of athlete’s foot. Fungal drugs may cause caffeine metabolism in the body to slow down, causing central nervous system symptoms such as excitement, headache, and vomiting.
In addition, taking some oral asthma medications with caffeine can cause over-excitement and nervousness. Coffee may also enhance the sedative effects of certain psychiatric medications, making people feel more sleepy. It is particularly important to note that bisphosphonate drugs used to treat osteoporosis will be less effective if taken at the same time as coffee, and may easily accelerate bone loss.
Pharmacist Cai Junyan also reminded that coffee will stimulate the body’s central nervous system and conflict with the effects of sleeping pills, resulting in a weakening of the drug’s effect. Cold medicines containing “ephedrine” are available in the market, which will increase the effect of caffeine and may lead to rapid heartbeat and inability to sleep. Avoid taking them together with coffee.
How long should be the interval between drinking coffee and taking medicine? Is it advisable for people with high blood pressure and osteoporosis to drink less coffee?
How long should it be before drinking coffee and taking medication? Pharmacist Cai Junyan said that under normal circumstances, the reminder will be at least 2 hours apart. However, women who are taking birth control pills or are pregnant may take twice as long to metabolize caffeine, so they should pay special attention when drinking coffee.
In addition, people with liver disease may take up to 4 days to metabolize caffeine. If you have the habit of drinking coffee, you should consult a doctor or pharmacist and pay attention to dietary control.
I am a chronically ill person, can I drink coffee? Pharmacist Cai Junyan pointed out that people with diabetes can drink coffee in moderation, but they should limit the sugar content. It is recommended to mainly drink Americano coffee without sugar. Gout patients can also drink it in moderation, but it is recommended to replace coffee with low-fat milk and pay attention to drinking 2000CC of water per day to maintain normal uric acid metabolism. If you have abnormal cholesterol, you should pay attention to fat intake and try to avoid flavored coffees such as latte and cappuccino.
Pharmacist Cai Junyan said that patients with high blood pressure and osteoporosis should be most careful when drinking coffee. Some blood pressure drugs interact with coffee, and caffeine itself can cause vasoconstriction and increase blood pressure, which conflicts with the effects of the drugs. Since coffee has a diuretic effect and can easily excrete calcium from the blood, it is not recommended for patients with osteoporosis to drink coffee to avoid accelerating the loss of calcium in the blood and aggravating bone loss.
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