Food to Avoid When Taking Antibiotics

 Your physician probably gave you an antibiotic if you've ever suffered a bacterial infection. These drugs are intended to kill germs and inhibit their growth, but if you do not even know which foods to stay away from while taking antibiotics, your treatment may not be as effective as it could be.

Avoid these Fruits if Taking Antibiotics

It is crucial that you are aware of the things you should not eat when taking antibiotics. Foods that can prevent the drug from being absorbed might also induce nausea as well as other unpleasant side effects like diarrhea, vomiting, and more.

The main thing to remember is to stay away from grapefruit while taking antibiotics. The Mayo Clinic's medical experts claim that hazardous interactions with both antibiotics and grapefruit occur because compounds in the fruit affect how the medicine is metabolized by enzymes. As a result, the medication may either be ineffective or potentially fatal if it stays in your body for an excessively short or extended period of time.

Don't assume that taking your prescription hours before or after consuming grapefruit would suffice. For the duration of the prescription and for the 24 hours prior to and following the commencement of your course, it is advised to completely avoid citrus fruit when you have been prescribed antibiotics, especially if they are for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or heart issues.

Seville oranges can have the same effects as grapefruit, so it's not just grapefruit that raises a red alert. To ensure that nothing has grapefruit additions or citrus flavorings that might contain extracts from grapefruit or Seville oranges, double- & triple-check your nutrition labels.

Drug-Food Interactions with Antibiotics

When prescribed antibiotics, one less visible food-drug interaction to be mindful of is that which might happen with natural herbal supplements. Given their natural makeup, you might assume that herbal supplements are safe to take with anything, but in reality, they might interact poorly with the cardiovascular system and blood pressure when you're taking antibiotics.

Many supplements, including the blood thinner Warfarin, affect the effectiveness of common heart drugs, according to Mayo Clinic personnel (the majority of which are ignored by doctors when they are prescribing due to incorrect beliefs about their safety).

If you frequently take dietary supplements, err on the side of caution and stay away from danshen, licorice, St. John's wort, coenzyme Q-10, evening primrose, garlic, ginseng, saw palmetto, hawthorn, and ginkgo Biloba as they all affect the efficacy of antibiotics and can increase the risk of bleeding, low blood pressure, increased heart rate, and other health problems.

People that take antibiotics should abstain from drinking in addition to avoiding herbal supplements (or, at the absolute least, being aware of potential side effects). Alcohol consumption while taking an antibiotic prescription can cause symptoms of nausea, sleepiness, and dizziness, and it can also slow the rate during which you recover from the underlying illness, according to James M. Steckelberg, MD, of the Mayo Clinic.

What to Eat While Taking Antibiotics

Consider boosting the beneficial bacteria in your gut's microbiome with probiotics, prebiotics, including fermented foods if you frequently feel sick after taking antibiotics. You should consider kombucha (such as Health-Ade Kombucha) and various yogurts (such as Stonyfield Organic Probiotic Yogurt Smoothies).

Although there is no evidence to support the claims that these foods reduce nausea brought on by antibiotics, The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) believes it can't hurt. After all, if you take antibiotics, they will kill the harmful bacteria in your gut. Often, this also takes a lot of beneficial microorganisms. It's worth trying a simple home treatment like replenishing it with nutritious yogurts and beverages to see if it works for you.

Check with your doctor for further antibiotic food suggestions if you discover that ingesting probiotics and prebiotics don't have the calming, health-improving impacts you're looking for. Based on the exact antibiotic you are prescribed, they will be able to advise you on the specific items you should eat and stay away from.