Why don’t you want to eat some medicines with coffee or tea?
For many of us, starting the day without a cup of coffee or tea is unimaginable. However, in some cases, caution should be exercised with respect to the drinks taken along with the medicine.
Some medicines can be taken at different times of the day but it is also advised not to take them with things that contain caffeine.
António Javier Carcas Sansovan, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Madrid, told BBC News, ‘There are about 60 drugs that do not interact negatively with caffeine.
When we take any medicine, it passes through our body once it reaches the stomach or intestine and goes into the blood and then gets distributed throughout the body.
Elena Piotra Roís de Azova, professor of pharmacology at the University of Navarra, told Bí Bí Si Mendo that drugs have pharmacological targets, that is, their positive effect begins when they reach specific areas in the body.
These targets are a strategic point for the treatment of a disease. While proteins are useful to initiate or block the effect of the drug.
For this, the drug has to be completely absorbed and distributed in the body.
The drug has to be metabolized, that is, it has to be removed from the body and this work is done by the liver. It is included in those parts of the body which cleanse the body.
But what would happen if the whole journey was increased by a lot? It depends on the drug and its purpose.
caffeine nervous system stimulant Remember that caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, which can cause jitteriness and high blood pressure.
If we are talking about a drug whose purpose is to produce a calming effect for the brain, then mixing it with coffee or caffeinated drinks would be harmful because it would reduce the effects of the drug.
Many of these drugs used in treatment belong to the family of ‘benzodiazepines’, which are used for insomnia and insomnia.
Piotra says that ‘along with the drug, caffeine will also reach the brain, then on the one hand your nervous system will be stimulated by caffeine and on the other hand the effect of the drug will be there’.
’ Taking these drugs with caffeinated beverages is strongly discouraged.
They say that ‘because you are taking malakiol through coffee or cola, they work exactly opposite to the medicines.’
drug overdose
Apart from this, some drugs use enzymes and proteins to get metabolized in the liver, like caffeine. Therefore, there is a kind of interference in it, due to which this medicine gets accumulated in the body in excess.
Experts caution that ‘for some drugs the increase in plasma may be irrelevant because they have a greater protective potential.
‘But for other very specific drugs, such as those prescribed for schizophrenia, for which this is essential in the treatment, hoarding can be dangerous.’
‘They are such medicines which do not matter to you in high doses, but if it exceeds the prescribed quantity, then it can increase the risk.’
Karkas says caffeine can modify the effects of some drugs by increasing or decreasing them. There are also drugs that block the action of the enzyme responsible for the above action by inhibiting the metabolism of caffeine.
An example of this is some antibiotics like quinolones.
The professor says that ‘it may happen that this drug suppresses or reduces the metabolism of caffeine and due to this the amount of caffeine in the body increases and its effect is more’.
digestive problems
It is also recommended that some medications, such as those used to treat hypothyroidism, be taken on an empty stomach.
Piotra states that ‘it is essential that thyroxine be taken on an empty stomach, without food or drink of coffee, and that some time should be waited before breakfast so that the drug is fully absorbed across the intestinal surface and thus our The best level of hormones can be achieved in the body.
and that the presence of food in the stomach and intestine can potentially hinder the absorption of some drugs.
‘Even if you take the recommended dose and if a part of it is not absorbed, it will not have a medical effect.’
However for other drugs, diet is the best principle. Some anti-inflammatory drugs can be very harmful for gastric mikosa.
For this reason it is sometimes recommended that it be taken with food to reduce the harmful effects of gastro.
milk factor in coffee Piotra says, ‘Don’t be fooled by coffee with a lot of milk.
‘Tetracyclines, which are a type of antibiotic, mix with milk to form a complex and prevent it from being absorbed.’
Taking some medicines with dairy products did not make any difference, but some antibiotics lost their effectiveness.
Piotra says it’s important to follow a doctor’s instructions if taking drugs that affect the central nervous system, such as antidepressants, because caffeine itself is a major stimulant of that system.
It is important that the medicines are taken exactly as prescribed by the health experts.
Forget the home versions. If it is a sachet and it is to be dissolved in water, do it as such, and not in juice or other liquid as these completely alter the effect of the medicine.’
They also say that there are many medicines that are not a problem to take with coffee.
‘You have to look at each case individually and the best way to be sure is to ask your pharmacist or doctor,’ says Karkaska.
‘It is generally good to drink coffee in moderation.’
