Avoiding Food-Drug Interactions: A Proposal
By Susan Drier-Jonas
Abstract
The treating physician has a great responsibility when prescribing medication. He must be aware of any situations that might interfere with his prescription. He checks current medications ∈ order to avoid drug-drug interactions. However, other factors that may affect the effectiveness or clearance of the prescription are often overlooked, including food-drug and supplement-drug interactions. Even the healthiest and most desirable foods, such as leafy greens or fiber, can affect the medication, leading to treatment failure. Physicians rarely ask patients about eating habits, and patients do not know to offer such information. I therefore propose the use of a food frequency questionnaire during the first visit to the doctor, ∈ order to have a realistic basis for prescriptions and to allow physicians to advise patients about intake of various foods during treatment. In addition to opening communications between the physician and patient, this would result ∈ more effective treatment strategies that have better adherence, since they would be adapted to the patient’s current lifestyle. Physicians would be able to offer more inclusive instructions when prescribing, increasing patient confidence and treatment outcomes.
(Adapted from https://clinmedjournals.org)
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