Medication, food and drink

What you eat and drink can affect the effect of your medication.

This especially applies to milk products, grapefruit juice, cranberries and alcohol. Alcohol can amplify the effects and adverse reactions of some medication in an undesirable manner. Milk can prevent certain types of medication from entering the body. Grapefruit juice and cranberries may affect how the medication leaves the body. Therefore, you may experience that you do not get the desired effect or that you have adverse reactions.

Some medicines should be taken on an empty stomach in order for the medication to work, while other medicines should be taken with food to avoid adverse reactions.

You should ask your doctor or the pharmacy if you are in doubt as to whether your medication is affected by food or drink. You can also read about it in the patient information sheet which is in the medicine packaging.