Drug-Food Interactions

Drug-food interactions are a significant problem in clinical practice. Foods may alter the effects of drugs by interfering with pharmacokinetic processes, such as absorption and elimination.

Drug–food interactions

Medications which should be taken on an EMPTY stomach
Alendronate Ampicillin Astemizole Bethanechol Bisacodyl Captopril (Take 1 hour before meals) Cefibuten Cilostazol Demeclocycline Dicloxacillin Didanosine Etidronate Felodipine Indinavir Lansoprazole (take before eating) Levothyroxine Loracarbef Loratadine Methotrexate	Moexipril Mycophenolate mofetil Omeprazole (take before eating) Oxacillin Penicillamine Perindopril Repaglinide Rifabutin Rifampicin Riluzole Roxithromycin (take at least 15 minutes before or after a meal) Sucralfate Sulfadiazine Sulfamethoxazole – trimethoprim Tetracycline (Do not take with milk or other dairy products) Tolcapone Zafirlukast Zalcitabine
Medications which should be Taken with FOOD
Allopurinol (take after meal) Amiodarone Amoxicillin Clavulanate Aspirin Atovaquone Baclofen Bromocriptine Carbamazepine Carvedilol Cefpodoxime Chloroquine Cimetidine Clofazimine Diclofenac Divalproex sodium Doxycycline Felbamate Fenofibrate Fenoprofen Fludrocortisone Glyburide/Glibenclamide (take with breakfast) Griseofulvin Hydrocortisone Hydroxychloroquine Indomethacin Iron preparations (Take between meals; if GI upset occurs take with food) Itraconazole Ketorolac Lithium	Mebendazole Methenamine Methylprednisolone Metronidazole Misoprostol Naltrexone Naproxen Nelfinavir Niacin Nitrofurantoin Olsalazine Pentoxifylline Pergolide Perphenazine Piroxicam Potassium salts Prednisone Procainamide Ritonavir Salsalate Saquinavir Sevelamer Spironolactone Sulfasalazine Sulfinpyrazone Sulindac Ticlopidine Tolmetin Trazodone Troglitazone Valproic acid
Drug-GRAPEFRUIT interactions: Drugs which may exhibit increased serum concentrations based on this interaction
Alprazolam Amiodarone Amlodipine Astemizole Atorvastatin Benzodiazepines Buspirone Carbamazepine Carvedilol Cerivastatin Cilostazol Clarithromycin Clomipramine Codeine Cyclosporine Dapsone Dextromethorphan Diazepam Digoxin Diltiazem Estrogens Erythromycin Felodipine Fentanyl Finasteride Haloperidol Indinavir Itraconazole Lercanidipine Lidocaine Losartan Lovastatin	Midazolam Methadone Methylprednisolone Midazolam Nelfinavir Nicardipine Nifedipine Nimodipine Nisoldipine Nitrendipine Ondansetron Paclitaxel Progesterone Progestins Quinidine Ritonavir Salmeterol Saquinavir Sildenafil Simvastatin Sirolimus Tacrolimus Trazodone Triazolam Verapamil Vincristine Warfarin Zaleplon Zolpidem
Drug-ALCOHOL  interactions: Avoid alcohol or alcohol-containing products
Abacavir Griseofulvin Isocarboxazid Ketoconazole Metronidazole	Phenytoin Procarbazine Selegiline Warfarin

Note: there may be omissions on this list. Absence of a drug does not necessarily indicate that the drug lacks this potential interaction.

 

References:

1. Yamreudeewong W, Henann NE, Fazio A, Lower DL, Cassidy TG. Drug-food interactions in clinical practice. J Fam Pract. 1995 Apr;40(4):376-84. [Medline]
2. Crowther NR, Holbrook AM, Kenwright R, Kenwright M. Drug interactions among commonly used medications. Chart simplifies data from critical literature review. Can Fam Physician. 1997 Nov;43:1972-6, 1979-81. [Medline]

 

Created Oct 10, 2011.