Is your diet interfering with your medication regimen?
Many foods, drinks, or ingredients in diet can undermine the effects of certain medications. For example, drinking alcohol can diminish the effects of erectile dysfunction drugs such as sildenafil (Viagra), or cause extreme drowsiness when taken with antihistamines. Eating foods high with lots of sodium or salt can nullify the effects of diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and ARBs. Eating black licorice while taking digoxin (Lanoxin) to treat heart failure may cause an irregular heartbeat and heart attack. When prescribed a new medicine, one should ask if diet will affect the drug.
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