Millions of people around the world start their day with a hot, steamy cup of coffee that acts as a laxative – a common effect of caffeine. According to studies, coffee stimulates your stomach, changing the time it takes for food to pass through your digestive system. However, it can also react with certain medications you are taking and change the time it takes for them to be absorbed into your bloodstream.

And so, various studies have reported that drinking coffee along with medication affects how well it may work for you. Doctors say that caffeine significantly affects the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of many drugs.

Which medicines should be avoided with coffee?

Antibiotic medicines

Antibiotics help treat and prevent bacterial infections by stimulating the central nervous system. And since coffee is also a stimulant, taking the two together can lead to restlessness and trouble sleeping – leading to insomnia in the long run.

Many other allergy medications, such as fexofenadine, should not be taken with coffee because it can over-stimulate your central nervous system – increasing anxiety symptoms.

thyroid medications

People who have hypothyroidism — in which your gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone — may experience weight gain, dry skin, joint pain, severe hair loss and even irregular menstrual periods in women.

And so, for people who take medication to balance their hormones, drinking it alone with coffee can reduce the effectiveness of the medication. Doctors say that coffee reduces the absorption of thyroid medication by more than half.

Asthma medication

Asthma medication makes it easier for you to breathe by relaxing your lung muscles and widening the airways. However, caffeine is a mild bronchodilator, which reduces the effectiveness of these medications, which treat most conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

Doctors say that when bronchodilators interfere with the medication they can also cause headaches, restlessness, stomach pain and irritability, especially in children.

Diabetes medication

Adding sugar or milk to coffee can immediately increase blood sugar levels and may also affect how effectively your diabetes medication works. In addition, doctors say that caffeine can worsen the symptoms of people suffering from diabetes.

alzheimer’s drug

Alzheimer’s is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and mostly affects people over the age of 65. According to experts, it is a brain disorder that results in a decline in cognitive function – making it extremely difficult to think, remember or carry out your daily tasks.

Millions of people with Alzheimer’s take medication for the disease. However, doctors say that drugs such as donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine are greatly affected by caffeine. Caffeine strengthens the blood-brain barrier and reduces the effect of the drug. Alzheimer’s drugs work by protecting the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and drinking excessive amounts of coffee reduces that protective effect.

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