What you need to know about how certain foods affect blood pressure medicines

A healthy diet is a key part of managing heart disease. In fact, a healthy diet can help reverse high blood pressure, and even reduce or delay the need for medication. But some foods, including healthy fruits and vegetables, can cause potentially dangerous interactions with certain heart medications.

One of the best-known examples of a food that negatively effects common cardiovascular medicines is grapefruit, which can affect the way certain cholesterol medications work.

Other examples include eating large amounts of spinach or kale which have high vitamin K levels, this can pose risks for people being treated with blood thinners to prevent strokes.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you can skip your fruit and veggies! It comes down to understanding what medications you are taking, what the warnings for your medications are, and talking with your health care professionals and pharmacist about how to lower the risk of interactions.

Common Food and Beverage Interactions

Here are a few common food and drinks that don’t mix with certain heart drugs. They may cause delayed, reduced, or enhanced absorption of a medication.

Foods high in potassium

People taking ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors or ARBs (angiotensin II receptor blockers) should limit their intake of high-potassium foods like bananas, oranges, avocados, tomatoes, white and sweet potatoes, and dried fruits — especially apricots. High potassium levels may cause dangerous heart rhythms.

Licorice

If you’re taking Lanoxin (digoxin) for heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms, some forms of licorice can increase your risk of Lanoxin toxicity. Licorice may also reduce the effects of blood pressure meds or diuretic (urine-producing) drugs.

Grapefruit

Don’t drink grapefruit juice with certain blood pressure-lowering drugs because it can cause higher levels of those medicines in your body, making side effects more likely.

Here are examples of some types of drugs that grapefruit juice can cause problems with (interact):

  • Some statins to lower cholesterol, such as Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin).
  • Some drugs that treat high blood pressure, such as Procardia and Adalat CC (both nifedipine).
  • Some drugs that treat abnormal heart rhythms, such as Pacerone and Nexterone (both amiodarone).

Alcohol

If you take a nitrate such as Nitrostat, or a beta-blocker called propranolol, you should avoid alcohol as it may cause a serious drop in blood pressure.

Taking Medication Safely

Whenever you are given a new medicine, whether it’s for your heart or any other reason, ask your doctor if there are any foods, beverages, other medications, or dietary supplements that may react with it. Write them down and stick the list on your refrigerator door.

Tell your doctor and pharmacist about any vitamins, dietary supplements, or over the counter medications you are taking.

Read the information that comes with prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications, as well as the “drug facts” printed on bottle labels.

References

  1. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/consumer-healthcare/medication-information/medication-interactions-food-supplements-and-other-drugs
  2. https://www.fda.gov/ consumers/consumer-updates/avoiding-drug-interactions#:~:text=Someone who eats an excessive,bologna%2C pepperoni%2C and salami.
  3. https://medshadow.org/4-foods-can-mess-meds/
  4. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/consumer-healthcare/medication-information/medication-interactions-food-supplements-and-other-drugs

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