Supplements or food -> drug interactions

[jim mcnamara]

TL;DR

https://reference.medscape.com/drug-interactionchecker finds references for possible interactions of drugs and supplements

Since supplement sales in North America are multi-billion dollar enterprises and many people take one or more supplements, this is a useful way to find out if there is a problem with a supplement interacting with a food or a drug. Supplements are sometimes prescribed, like Coenzyme Q10 for statin induced myalgia.

Examples: some statins and grapefruit are a bad combination, bisacodyl (a laxative) is inactivated when taken with milk.

The interaction can be be to block, to reduce, or to stimulate the drug response.

https://reference.medscape.com/drug-interactionchecker

It is interesting to play with. It has some limits.

 

[berkeman]

Summary:: https://reference.medscape.com/drug-interactionchecker finds references for possible interactions of drugs and supplements

Examples: some statins and grapefruit are a bad combination

Yep, that sucked giving up grapefruit. Sigh...

 

[hutchphd]

Grapefruit is a notoriously bad actor for increasing the rate of uptake for a bunch of drugs...anybody know why?

 

[jim mcnamara]

You asked
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.669.7074&rep=rep1&type=pdf

It is well known that grapefruits and grapefruit juice (GFJ) cause clinically important inhibition of the activity of intestinal CYP3A subfamily, mainly of the CYP3A4 form, and thus increases the oral bioavailability of many CYP3A4 substrates that undergo high presystemic metabolism even if consumed in normal quantities

Short answer: it speeds up the effects of an enzyme group. Which in turn increases the absorption rate of several groups of chemically similar drugs. And speeds up their biochemical effects. Sometimes dangerously.

Think: overdose

This is the opposite of blocking, the result is like taking too many meds orally at one time. From taking the correct dose.

 

[Tom.G]

If you are running an old browser, DO NOT BELIEVE THE GIVEN RESPONSE OF 'No Result' or 'No Interactions Found'.

I tried various combinations of Levothyroxine with Calcium Carbonate and received 'No Result' and 'No Interactions Found' using Firefox 43.0.1.

The information sheet that comes with Levothyroxine specifically warns against that combination.