Mr. Li, aged 38, has been diagnosed with hypertension five years ago, and he has always followed the doctor’s advice, persevering in taking medication to control the condition.
However, during the intense project sprint last month, in order to save time, Mr. Li ingested his antihypertensive medication without hesitation with readily available hot tea and beverages, fortunately without feeling uncomfortable.
A week later, during a lively gathering with clients, the atmosphere was exceptionally warm, and in his excited state, Mr. Li drank four liang of white wine in succession. After eating and drinking to his heart’s content, Mr. Li suddenly remembered that he had not taken his antihypertensive medication, so he unhesitatingly swallowed the pill with white wine instead of plain water.
Unexpectedly, shortly after swallowing the pill, Mr. Li suddenly blacked out, lost his balance, and fell heavily to the ground. Although Mr. Li regained consciousness a few minutes later, he immediately experienced persistent chest tightness, palpitations, and nausea with vomiting. Seeing the alarming situation, his colleagues promptly rushed him to the nearby hospital for emergency treatment.
After detailed examination at the hospital, it was found that not only did Mr. Li have low blood pressure, but his cholesterol level was as high as 6.1mmol/L, his blood viscosity was abnormal, and his kidney function was compromised. Further ultrasonic examination also revealed plaques in Mr. Li’s carotid artery, indicating a very high risk of acute thrombosis.
The doctor clearly pointed out that the severe deterioration of Mr. Li’s condition this time was most likely due to drug poisoning caused by taking medication after drinking alcohol.
In fact, cases like Mr. Li’s, where medication is taken after drinking alcohol, are not uncommon. Recently, there has been a widespread belief circulating on the internet, claiming that it is inadvisable to drink milk while taking antihypertensive medication. Whether this assertion is true or not is worth further exploration and verification.
Eating Antihypertensive Medication and Drinking Milk: The Truth Revealed!
Introduction: In life, we often hear rumors about food-drug interactions, including the belief that “You cannot drink milk while taking antihypertensive medication.” so, is there any scientific basis for this claim?
The Incompatibility between Antihypertensive Medication and Milk
In recent years, the belief that “You cannot drink milk while taking antihypertensive medication” has been widely circulated among the public. Its main point is: milk contains abundant minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and these substances can react with the active ingredients in antihypertensive medication, reducing the efficacy of the medication and even causing adverse reactions.
Scientific Truth
To verify this claim, we have reviewed a large amount of literature and interviewed experts in the field. Below, we will reveal the truth of this rumor for everyone.
1. Do the minerals in milk react with antihypertensive medication?
In fact, the calcium and magnesium minerals in milk do react with certain medications, but this does not mean that all antihypertensive medications cannot be taken with milk. Currently, the common antihypertensive medications on the market mainly fall into the following categories:
(1) ACE Inhibitors (such as Enalapril, Benazepril, etc.): These medications mainly work by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme, lowering blood pressure. Studies have shown that the calcium and magnesium minerals in milk have a certain impact on the absorption of ACE Inhibitors, but the impact is minimal and not sufficient to affect the efficacy of the medication.
(2) ARBs (such as Losartan, Irbesartan, etc.): These medications work by blocking angiotensin receptors, lowering blood pressure. Currently, there is no research confirming significant effects of milk on the absorption of ARBs.
(3) Calcium Channel Blockers (such as Amlodipine, Nifedipine, etc.): These medications work by blocking calcium channels, lowering blood pressure. The calcium and magnesium minerals in milk have a certain impact on the absorption of calcium channel blockers, but the impact is small.
(4) Diuretics (such as Hydrochlorothiazide, Furosemide, etc.): These medications work by promoting urine excretion, lowering blood pressure. Milk has no significant effect on the absorption of diuretics.
2. Why do some people experience adverse reactions?
This may be related to individual differences. Everyone has different physical constitutions, metabolism, and absorption capabilities of medications. Therefore, when taking antihypertensive medication, if drinking milk concurrently leads to adverse reactions, it may be due to individual constitution rather than milk interacting with antihypertensive medication.
Recommendations
Although there is no clear incompatibility between milk and most antihypertensive medications, for the assurance of medication effectiveness and safety, the following recommendations are for reference only:
1. Avoid taking milk with antihypertensive medication as much as possible. If you need to drink milk, it is recommended to do so 1-2 hours after taking the medication.
2. During medication, pay attention to physical reactions. If you feel unwell, seek medical attention promptly.
3. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, moderate exercise, all contribute to blood pressure control.
Long-term Use of Antihypertensive Medication, Be Cautious! It’s Best to Stay Away from These “4 Things”
Hypertension is a common chronic disease that requires long-term use of antihypertensive medications to maintain blood pressure stability. However, many hypertensive patients may not be aware that there are four types of foods that are best avoided during the process of taking antihypertensive medications to prevent affecting the efficacy of the medication and health. Let’s delve into these “4 Things” in detail:
1. High-potassium foods:
Potassium is an essential trace element for the body, helping maintain the normal function of the heart, muscles, and nerves. However, patients who take antihypertensive medications for an extended period need to be cautious of high-potassium foods. Because the diuretic components in antihypertensive medication promote the excretion of potassium from the body, excessive intake of high-potassium foods may lead to high blood potassium levels, causing adverse consequences such as arrhythmias.
High-potassium foods include: bananas, oranges, grapes, pomelos, potatoes, pumpkins, spinach, amaranth, etc.
2. High-salt foods:
Hypertensive patients need to limit their salt intake because excessive salt can lead to elevated blood pressure. Patients taking antihypertensive medications for an extended period, if consuming too many high-salt foods, may have unstable blood pressure control, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
High-salt foods include: pickled foods, instant noodles, potato chips, salted fish, salted meat, sausages, etc.
3. Stimulating foods:
Stimulating foods can irritate the stomach mucosa, leading to excessive secretion of gastric acid, affecting medication absorption. Patients on long-term antihypertensive medication should avoid consuming stimulating foods as much as possible.
Stimulating foods include: chili peppers, ginger, garlic, coffee, strong tea, alcohol, etc.
4. Tyrosine-rich foods:
Tyrosine is an important raw material for the synthesis of norepinephrine in the body, and norepinephrine has a vasoconstrictive effect. Patients on long-term antihypertensive medications, if they consume too many tyrosine-rich foods, may lead to elevated blood pressure, affecting the efficacy of the medication.
Tyrosine-rich foods include: cheese, chocolate, tofu, yeast extract, etc.
Detailed Content:
Li, a hypertensive patient aged 50, has been taking antihypertensive medications for an extended period. Although his blood pressure is relatively stable, he recently found that his blood pressure fluctuated with slight dietary indiscretions. After consulting with a doctor, Li learned that he had consumed some foods that were not suitable for patients taking antihypertensive medications long-term.
The doctor told Li that patients taking antihypertensive medications long-term are best to stay away from the mentioned “4 Things.” Firstly, high-potassium foods can lead to high blood potassium levels and may cause arrhythmias. Li recalled his love for eating bananas and decided to reduce his banana intake without hesitation.
Secondly, high-salt foods can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Li enjoyed eating pickled foods and, for his health, decided to quit this habit.
Moreover, stimulating foods can affect medication absorption. Li used to enjoy drinking strong tea but has now switched to light tea.
Lastly, tyrosine-rich foods may cause elevated blood pressure, affecting medication efficacy. Li liked eating cheese, and now he has reduced his intake as much as possible.
After adjusting his diet, Li’s blood pressure became more stable. He exclaimed, “It turns out that diet is crucial for hypertensive patients. Just by staying away from these ‘4 Things,’ blood pressure can be better controlled.”
