Potential Dangers Hiding in Your Refrigerator and Cabinets
Studies have confirmed that everyone needs to watch what they eat, especially when taking medications. Some of the most common foods found in people’s refrigerators and pantries also can cause the most serious side effects when consumed with certain medications. Always ask your doctor about the safety of the following foods and beverages whenever you are prescribed a new medicine:
- grapefruit juice;
- licorice;
- chocolate;
- dairy products;
- caffeinated beverages; and
- alcoholic beverages.
The extent of a specific food-drug interaction varies from person to person depending on the person’s age, gender, body size and other health issues. Caffeine and alcohol consumption may intensity drug and diet interactions by speeding up or slowing down certain metabolic processes. In general, the old, young, and people with chronic illnesses are most at risk to develop problems from food and drug combinations.
In some cases, it doesn’t matter what you eat, as long as your stomach is full when you take the medication. In other cases, the drug protocol may require the patient to take the medicine on an empty stomach to be the most effective. Whatever the case, your doctor should know if and when a specific food group will work in concord or in conflict with your prescription.
If You Have Been Injured by Drug and Diet Interactions…
Physicians owe the highest duty of care to their patients when it comes to informing them about the potential dangerous drug-nutrient interactions. If your doctor prescribed medication without informing you of the known dietary risks, our Jefferson County medication error attorneys at Gray & White can help you receive the compensation that you need and deserve to recover from a drug-related injury. Call us today at 1-502-210-8942 or 1-888-450-4456 for a free, no-obligation consultation.