Common food-drug interactions that can result in negative side effects

Your doctor and pharmacist likely know about the medications you're taking, but chances are they don't know everything that you're eating and drinking.

Your nutritional habits may not seem like critical information, but just as there are countless combinations of drug-drug interactions and supplement-drug interactions, there are also a number of food-drug interactions that can have serious negative side effects.

I spoke with Sal Scaccia, Ph.D. and owner of Total Life Care Pharmacy in Harvey, to find out more about food-drug interactions, and here is his list of the most common food-drug combinations to watch out for:

Aged cheeses, chocolate, smoked meats, and wine are high in tyramine, an amino acid that can cause a sudden, dangerous spike in blood pressure when combined with certain antidepressants (particularly those in the class of MAOI antidepressants, like Marplan and Nardil).

Black licorice contains a compound called glycyrrhizin that can reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure drugs and diuretics. It can also increase the potency of certain steroids, potentially causing negative side effects.

Alcohol can interact with a wide range of over-the-counter and prescription medications, typically decreasing the effectiveness of antibiotics and blood pressure and diabetes medications, and intensifying the potency of pain relievers and sleep aids to potentially harmful levels.

Combining alcohol with the pain reliever acetaminophen (in Tylenol) can be toxic to the liver, and alcohol with anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen and naproxen (in Advil and Aleve) can increase the risk of stomach bleeding.

And mixing alcohol with prescription pain medicines (e.g. codeine, oxycodone, morphine) can have serious consequences, including coma or even death.

Milk and dairy products can inhibit the absorption of certain blood pressure medications and antibiotics, consequently reducing their effectiveness. Eliminating dairy altogether may not be necessary, though; talk with your pharmacist to find out if foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream may be consumed if it's at least one hour before or two hours after taking the medication.

Soy can slow thyroid function, and can interfere with thyroid medications, so let your physician and pharmacist know if you consume soy-based products on a regular basis.

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Common food-drug interactions that can result in negative side effects