What are some negative effects that medications and supplements can have on the body?
By Janice Hermann Show
How Drugs and Nutrients InteractBoth prescription and over-the-counter medications can affect the way your body uses nutrients in food. In addition, certain foods or nutrients in food can affect the action of medications. A drug-nutrient interaction is the effect of a medication on food or a nutrient in food. Medications interact with foods and nutrients in several ways. Medications can decrease appetite or change the way a nutrient is absorbed, metabolized, or excreted. Such interactions raise concerns that medications may lead to nutritional deficiencies or that your diet may change how a medication works. This does not mean that if you are taking a medication you need to use a vitamin and or mineral supplement. There is little chance that taking a medication for a short time, such as a ten-day treatment, will affect your nutritional status. However, use of some medications for months or years may affect your nutritional health. Children, older adults, pregnant women, people who are poorly nourished, and people with a chronic disease are at greater risk of medications affecting their nutritional health. Changing the diet to include more foods rich in vitamins and minerals is preferred to taking vitamin or mineral supplements. In fact, vitamin and/or mineral supplements taken in excess can affect how a medication works. Drug-Nutrient InteractionsMedications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can affect how the body uses nutrients. For individuals taking medications for long periods of time drug-nutrient interactions may lead to vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
Food-Drug InteractionsFood and nutrients can also alter a medication’s effectiveness in many ways.
AlcoholAlcohol and medications do not mix well. Alcohol can adversely affect medications as well as nutrients. Alcohol can slow down the body’s metabolism. As a result medications can stay active in the body longer than they were supposed to. In some cases, mixing alcohol and medications can be fatal. A rule of thumb is to avoid alcoholic beverages when taking prescription or over-the-counter medications. Nutrient SupplementsNutrient supplements themselves can result in drug-nutrient interactions. In excessive amounts, vitamins and minerals act like drugs instead of nutrients. Nutrients in excessive amounts may interact with other nutrients or may even be toxic. Large amounts of zinc can interfere with copper and iron absorption. Similarly, large amounts of iron can interfere with zinc absorption. The Importance of Following DirectionsIt is important to follow the directions on how to take a medication. Many people do not take prescription or over-the-counter medications properly. Following the directions on how to take a medication can affect how or if a medication works. How to Lower the Risk of Drug-Nutrient Interactions
Questions to Ask Your Physician When You Get a Prescription
ReferencesWhitney, E.N. & Rolfes, S.R. (2015). Understanding Nutrition, 14th ed., Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Bernstein, M., & Munoz, N. (2016). Nutrition for the Older Adult, 2nd ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA. United States Department of Agriculture. ChooseMyPlate.gov. Accessed at www.choosemyplate.gov Janice Hermann, PhD, RD/LD Was this information helpful?YESNO What are the negative effects of supplements?Rashes, shortness of breath, diarrhea, severe joint or muscle pain, slurred speech and blood in the urine are other possible adverse events that can result from supplement use, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These symptoms can vary from less serious to life-threatening.
What effect does medicine have on the body?Some drugs replace missing substances or correct low levels of natural body chemicals such as some hormones or vitamins. Medicines can even affect parts of the nervous system that control a body process. Nearly everyone has taken an antibiotic. This type of medicine fights bacterial infections.
What are two possible effects of taking supplements with medications?Certain dietary supplements can change absorption, metabolism, or excretion of a medication. If that happens, it can affect the potency of your medication, which means you may get either too much or too little of the medication you need.
What are some health risks of taking medications?Medication side effects
Unwanted or unexpected symptoms or feelings that occur when you take medicine are called side effects. Side effects can be relatively minor, such as a headache or a dry mouth. They can also be life-threatening, such as severe bleeding or damage to the liver or kidneys.
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