Food Interactions with Prescription Drugs

Course overview

Prescription drugs can interact with foods, supplements, and herbs with detrimental consequences. Food-drug interactions can impair the intended action of medications by altering effectiveness. Morbidity, treatment duration, or hospitalization rates may increase. Food-drug interactions can lessen quality of life if medication is not controlling symptoms. Some populations, including older adults and those with compromised organ systems, can have significant unintended effects. The number of people taking prescription drugs continues to increase, and healthcare providers need to be aware of potential prescription drug interactions with food and dietary supplements.