A major side effect of taking your meds with coffee, new study finds



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Sometimes you’re in a rush to adjust to whatever you need to do in your day. It’s winning enough that you remember to take your meds, so gulping them down with a sip of coffee isn’t a big deal, right? Well, a new study highlights a major concern for coffee lovers who take any type of medication.

It’s always exciting to read a new discovery about one of the health benefits of coffee. However, a new review of studies from an international group of researchers (led by Italian endocrinology researcher Luigi Barrea) found that drinking coffee too close to taking medication “should be taken into account in order to avoid the interactions “.

This finding corresponds to a 2020 study conducted by two pharmacology researchers in Ethiopia. This study became more specific, suggesting that “coffee significantly affects the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of many drugs”.

Purvi Parekh, DO, an internal medicine doctor in Pennsylvania, tells Eat this, not that! that other complications may arise when taking medicine with coffee. “The main problems are that coffee can amplify the effects or affect the absorption of some common drugs,” Parekh explains. She points out that this, in turn, may interfere with your goal of “getting the full effect of the drug.”

Keep reading to see which medications, according to Parekh, can be commonly affected by drinking coffee. Plus, don’t miss out on this popular juice that may lower your risk of heart disease, according to a new study.

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Parekh says thyroid medications, in particular, should be taken on an empty stomach, followed by nothing else for at least half an hour. This is how the body can absorb thyroid medicine.

RELATED: Signs Your Thyroid Is In Trouble, Doctors Say

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If you take coffee with your osteoporosis medicine, Parek says, “you reduce the full effectiveness of the medicine.”

RELATED: A Major Effect Of Coffee On Your Muscles, New Study Finds

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“Acid reflux medications work best when taken in the morning, before anything else to eat or drink,” says Parekh.

It should also be borne in mind that because coffee contains acid, it can make the problem for which you are taking the medicine worse.

RELATED: 28 Best and Worst Foods For Acid Reflux

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“Caffeine in general deactivates this hormone which stimulates you to retain your water, so it is a diuretic,” explains Parekh. This means that the caffeine in coffee can amplify diuretic medications, such as those used to treat swollen legs.

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Additionally, due to the diuretic properties of caffeine, patients taking heart failure medications should be careful to drink caffeinated coffee.

RELATED: If You Drink Soda, This Is What It Does To Your Body

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When combined with coffee, medicines to treat high blood pressure can also cause you to experience a more severe diuretic effect. “We need to consider what additive effect these things might have together,” Parekh says.

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If you happen to take medication for a diagnosis related to distraction, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, Parekh says the caffeine in coffee could “speed everything up,” which could make your system less likely to benefit from the drug.

RELATED: Best and Worst New Coffee Drinks This Fall, Says Dietitian

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Some cold medicines, such as Sudafed, are stimulants, Parekh says. If you’re hoping to take a nap later in the day, be aware that drinking coffee while taking cold medicine can make it harder for you to rest.

All that doesn’t mean you should give up on this beloved brew. You may just want to stop your treatment so that there is no interference.

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