Expert Cautions Against Mixing Drugs With Food

A medical practitioner with a private hospital in Warri, Dr Ovo Ogbinaka, has advised patients on medications not to mix food with medicine.
Ogbinaka who gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Benin on Tuesday said a drug is any substance that causes a change in an organism’s physiology or psychology when consumed.
“Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support,’’ the expert said.
“The foods we eat can interfere with the medications we take.
“Patients may not recognise that otherwise healthy foods can have severe consequences when mixed with certain drugs.
“As medication experts, pharmacists should recognise their responsibility to clearly communicate the risk of possible food-drug interactions for both prescription and Over-The-Counter (OTC) medicines.
“Dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese can interfere with certain medications, including antibiotics such as tetracycline, doxycycline and ciprofloxacin,” Ogbinaka explained.
According to him: “These antibiotics may bind to the calcium in milk, forming an insoluble substance in the stomach and upper small intestine that the body is unable to absorb.