Some foods may interact with certain medications, meaning that what you eat and drink could result in reduced efficiency and potential unwanted side-effects of your prescribed medication. Below we highlight some of the common foods that interact with blood pressure medications. Be sure to check with you doctor or pharmacist if your medication could interact with other medications or foods and always mention any non-prescription and over the counter medications or herbal supplements you are taking at the same time.

Common foods that interact badly with blood pressure medication

Bananas and potassium-rich foods:

  • ACE inhibitors such as captopril decrease blood pressure by causing your blood vessels to open wider to allow more efficient blood flow. Bananas and other foods like avocados, dried apricots, and tomatoes are high in potassium. Too much potassium can cause an irregular heartbeat and lead to potentially serious arrythmias if you’re taking ACE inhibitors.

Grapefruit

  • Grapefruit or grapefruit juice interacts with some calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine causing higher levels of those medicines in your blood. This can increase the likelihood of side effects. If you wish to have grapefruit in your diet, check with your doctor or pharmacist if your medicine is one of those affected.

Liquorice

  • This sweet treat should be avoided if you take ACE inhibitors or digoxin. This is because liquorice contains an ingredient called glycyrrhizin. Mixing digoxin and glycyrrhizin can cause irregular heartbeats and could lead to potentially serious arrythmias.

Alcohol

  • If you’re taking any sort of medicine, it’s best to avoid alcohol which can increase or decrease the effect of the medication. Alcohol can be toxic when mixed with certain medications as it can severely increase side effects.

Kale and other leafy greens:

  • Be careful of you take anticoagulants (blood thinners) such as warfarin. This is because they lower the chance of blood clots forming and are used to treat people with certain types of irregular heartbeat. These foods should be avoided as they are full of vitamin K, which can make these drugs less effective. Foods high in vitamin K should not be completely cut out of the diet entirely, but it’s important to eat a steady and consistent amount of vitamin K-rich foods.

https://www.choice.com.au/ health-and-body/medicines-and-supplements/prescription-medicines/articles/foods-and-medications-that-dont-mix

https://www.heart.org/en/ health-topics/consumer-healthcare/medication-information/medication-interactions-food-supplements-and-other-drugs

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