During the long holiday, pay attention to your diet! Especially those taking medication! These days, pomelos are hitting the market in large quantities, making it the perfect season to enjoy them. But for people taking lipid-lowering drugs, this seasonal treat may carry hidden risks 鈥?at best reducing the drug's effectiveness, at worst causing additional harm to the body. Doctors from the Department of Pharmacy at Peking University Third Hospital remind patients taking statin lipid-lowering drugs to be especially careful with pomelos this season!

Doctors explain that when taking statin drugs, there may be drug-food interactions, and the most important thing to watch out for is pomelos. In autumn, pomelos hit the market in large quantities, and what everyone needs to avoid is grapefruit and pomelo 鈥?patients taking statins should not eat them. Grapefruit and pomelo contain an enzyme inhibitor that blocks the metabolism of statins in the body, causing statin concentrations to become very high and accumulate in the body, which increases damage to the liver and kidneys.

In fact, cases of food affecting drug efficacy are very common in outpatient clinics. This year, 65-year-old Ms. Yang has high blood lipids and hypothyroidism. She had a cardiac stent placed 4 years ago. Statins, ezetimibe, aspirin, plus thyroid medication 鈥?4 types of medication she must take every day. Her medication list happens to include statin lipid-lowering drugs. Over the years, she has been taking more and more medication, and the one she has never been clear about is levothyroxine. That day, she specifically went to the hospital to ask the doctor. Doctors at Beijing Shijitan Hospital explain that levothyroxine binds with components in milk, affecting drug absorption. It is recommended to take levothyroxine on an empty stomach, with at least a one-hour gap from milk, other foods, and other medications.

These drug and food combinations must not be ignored! Besides the seasonal pomelos, there are several easily overlooked "combination taboos" in daily diet. Quinolones such as levofloxacin and tetracycline drugs should not be taken with milk 鈥?the calcium ions in milk will bind with the drugs to form complexes, reducing intestinal absorption of the drugs. Grapefruit juice inhibits human liver enzymes, and when taken with drugs like simvastatin, the drugs cannot be metabolized normally and accumulate in the body, easily producing toxic side effects. Tea contains tannins, which will bind with drugs containing metal ions such as iron, affecting absorption. Alcohol is also a major high-risk taboo during medication. Doctors remind that during medication, try not to drink alcohol, and also avoid eating foods containing alcohol. Alcohol itself has a central inhibitory effect. If used together with sedative-hypnotic drugs, it will aggravate the central inhibitory effect, causing drowsiness and fatigue, and in severe cases can trigger respiratory depression. Some drugs will also produce a disulfiram-like reaction with alcohol, hindering alcohol metabolism, causing headaches, and even alcohol poisoning. In addition, coarse fiber foods can also affect drug efficacy. Some drugs that need to be taken on an empty stomach, if eaten together with foods high in coarse fiber, will slow down gastric emptying, and the drugs will reach the intestines more slowly, resulting in slower absorption.

Medication safety is not just about "whether to take medicine" but more about "how to take it" and "what to take it with." Remember three principles: check the ingredient list before taking medicine, consult a pharmacist promptly if you have questions, and control your diet during medication. Quickly forward this to family and friends who take medication long-term, avoid medication-food combination pitfalls, and protect medication safety.