Coffee and medicine don't mix, that's a fact. But which products are affected? Dr Gérald Kierzek, medical director of TipsForWomens, enlightens us.
Certain foods, drinks or even tobacco can influence the activity of a medication by attenuating, slowing down or, on the contrary, reinforcing one or more of its effects in the body, assures Health Insurance. And coffee is one of them! How in this context can we prevent interactions between coffee and medications? Answer.
Medicines and coffee: attention, caution
Consumption of caffeine, which is found in coffee, tea, but also certain sodas, can interact with different medications and modify their effects.
Lina Matta, director of outpatient pharmacy at Brigham and Women's Hospital, warns against these interactions in an article published by Harvard Medical School.
“The caffeine in coffee may increase the effectiveness of over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen and anti-inflammatory pain relievers including aspirin and ibuprofen. However, for many other important medications, coffee can cause interactions that decrease their effectiveness. For example, even decaffeinated coffee can reduce the absorption of a medication by making stomach contents more acidic.“, confides the specialist.
“These are not absolute contraindications but sometimes interactions possible,” emphasized Dr. Gérald Kierzek on his side.
The medical director of TipsForWomens therefore urges caution in the presence of these medications:
- Painkillers : “Coffee may increase the effectiveness of over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen and aspirin, but it may reduce the absorption of other medications by making stomach contents more acidic.” ;
- Heart medications : “Coffee may interact with these medications, changing their effectiveness” ;
- Hypotenseurs : “Coffee may affect blood pressure and the effectiveness of these medications”;
- Medicines for diabetes, asthma and stomach : “Coffee can affect their functioning” ;
- Diuretics : “They can be influenced by caffeine“.
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Beware of antibiotics!
Some antibiotics, such as fluoroquinolones – used to treat various bacterial infections – don't play well with coffee. Indeed, simultaneous consumption of caffeine and fluoroquinolones can result in significant interactions, increasing the risk of toxicity and side effects.
“When taking certain antibiotics, particularly from the fluoroquinolone family, you should avoid consuming caffeine. In fact, these medications reduce the elimination of caffeine and can then cause its accumulation in the body, with an overdose and toxic effects (heart palpitations, nausea and hallucinations).“, specifies the Health Insurance website.
Caffeine should also be avoided if “anti-asthma treatment with theophylline, because these 2 substances have similar effects, which may cause an increase in the side effects of the drug“, concludes the Améli website.
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