Don't Eat This If You're Taking That: Medication and Food Interaction Guide
Author: AARP
Published: 2017/05/02 - Updated: 2024/07/07
Publication Type: Literature / Review
Topic: Disability Publications - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: AARP and Skyhorse Publishing release essential consumer guide to hidden risks of mixing food, supplements, and medicine. The revised and thoroughly redesigned edition focuses on which foods to take and which to avoid with the most common prescription drugs.
Introduction
Millions of Americans age 50-plus take prescription drugs, yet few know the health risks of taking them along with certain foods and over-the-counter (OTC) supplements. For instance, some blood thinners taken with everyday foods like spinach, kale, and tomatoes can increase the risk of irregular heartbeat and heart attack.
Main Item
To address these kinds of food and drug interactions, AARP and Skyhorse Publishing have just released a jointly published revised edition of Don't Eat This If You're Taking That: The Hidden Risks of Mixing Food and Medicine (Skyhorse Publishing paperback; May 2, 2017).
Written by Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., and her husband John Fernstrom, Ph.D., Don't Eat This If You're Taking That provides a consumer's guide to understanding how mixing prescription medications with certain foods and supplements can lessen their effectiveness or even cause a serious health problem.
"Most people are surprised to learn that even healthy foods can interfere with the actions of many medicines," says Madelyn Fernstrom. "Small changes in what you eat can make a big difference in making sure your medications are working the way your doctor intended."
Some examples of expert advice from Fernstrom:
- Avoid eating grapefruit when taking cholesterol medicine.
- Know which of the many herbal supplements can affect blood pressure.
- Steer clear of red wine, hard cheese, and chocolate while on certain antidepressants.
The revised and thoroughly redesigned edition focuses on which foods to take and which to avoid with the most common prescription drugs. Covering everything from antidepressants to herbal supplements, the book takes the mystery out of food and medication interactions. The book is divided into eight sections covering the most widely-used medications:
- Antidepressants
- Pain relievers
- Blood thinners
- Diabetes drugs
- Antacids
- Cholesterol drugs
- Blood pressure drugs
- Heart medicines
"This book will help anybody tackle the complexities of food and medicine interaction," said Jodi Lipson, Director of AARP Books. "Don't Take This If You're Eating That is especially useful for people taking more than one medication."
Each chapter of the book features a Dietary Supplements Alert box providing up-to-date information on drug interactions with OTC vitamins and minerals.
Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by AARP and published on 2017/05/02, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, AARP can be contacted at aarp.org NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.