Don’t Eat This If You’re Taking That: The Hidden Risks of Mixing Food and Medicine

Neuroscientists Madelyn Hirsch Fernstrom (The Runner’s Diet) and John Fernstrom bring their expertise with nutrition and pharmacology to this discussion of foods and supplements that can inhibit common medications. The authors divide the book into sections focused on different categories of drugs, such as analgesic, cholesterol-lowering, and anti-reflux medications, and they include several lists of foods to limit or abstain from altogether. Some common culprits are obvious; alcohol is almost always to be avoided, though grapefruit appears on the prohibited lists almost as frequently. Readers are warned of the potential for life-threatening serotonin syndrome if they combine the herbal supplement St. John’s Wort with antidepressants, and they will learn that combining antacids with certain nerve pain medications can reduce the latter’s effects. Other lesser-known dangers covered in the book are the inhibiting effects of Vitamin K on anticoagulants, and of orange juice on the beta blocker atenolol. Additional topics include the way in which pain relievers function and the different ways beta blockers and calcium channel blockers lower blood pressure. This is an excellent resource for anyone taking prescription medication, collecting a wealth of vital information into one accessible volume. (Oct.)