People often combine foods. For example, chocolate and peanut butter might be considered a tasty combination. But eating chocolate and taking certain drugs might carry risks. In fact, eating chocolate and taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, such as Nardil (phenelzine) or Parnate (tranylcypromine), could be dangerous.
MAO inhibitors treat depression. Someone who eats an excessive amount of chocolate after taking an MAO inhibitor may experience a sharp rise in blood pressure.
Other foods that should be avoided when taking MAO inhibitors: aged cheese, sausage, bologna, pepperoni, and salami. These foods can also cause elevated blood pressure when taken with these medications.
There are three main types of drug interactions:
"Consumers should learn about the warnings for their medications and talk with their health care professionals about how to lower the risk of interactions," says Shiew-Mei Huang, Ph.D., deputy director of the Office of Clinical Pharmacology in FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
Tips to Avoid Problems
There are lots of things you can do to take prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications in a safe and responsible manner.
- Always read drug labels carefully.
- Learn about the warnings for all the drugs you take.
- Keep medications in their original containers so that you can easily identify them.
- Ask your doctor what you need to avoid when you are prescribed a new medication. Ask about food, beverages, dietary supplements, and other drugs.
- Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking an OTC drug if you are taking any prescription medications.
- Use one pharmacy for all of your drug needs.
- Keep all of your health care professionals informed about everything that you take.
- Keep a record of all prescription drugs, OTC drugs, and dietary supplements (including herbs) that you take. Try to keep this list with you at all times, but especially when you go on any medical appointment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a Web site where you can get more information and download a sample medicine record: www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/my_medicine_record.htm
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