Love your morning coffee? Be careful if you are taking it with these medications

Cold medication

According to The Independent, caffeine, the key ingredient in coffee, is a stimulant. When it is combined with pseudoephedrine – also a stimulant – which is a decongestant found in many anti-flu medications, it can cause serious problems like jitters or restlessness, headaches, fast heart rate and insomnia. Therefore, avoid consuming coffee when treating your cold.

Antidepressants and antipsychotics

Many psychiatric medications belong to the category of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. When one consumes coffee while taking this type of medication, elements in the coffee may bind with the chemicals in these medicines, reducing their absorption. So, avoid coffee if you are on antidepressants or antipsychotic medications.

Painkillers

Medicines used for pain, such as aspirin and paracetamol, can act quickly when combined with caffeine. This is supposed to be beneficial, but it can also sometimes cause problems, such as stomach irritation or bleeding. Though this is less likely, it can still be a problem for some.

Thyroid medicines

Levothyroxine, the common medication for thyroid, may be absorbed to a lesser degree if one consumes coffee too soon after taking it. This medication needs to remain in your stomach for a certain amount of time to be fully absorbed. However, caffeine speeds up the digestion process, meaning that the chemicals may be moved through the GI tract too quickly. So, avoid taking coffee immediately before or after taking this form of medicine.

Heart-related medicine

Coffee’s ability to make you more active may be very useful, but it is also a problem for those who have heart ailments. People with cardiac conditions should closely monitor how their heart responds to the consumption of caffeine. It could counteract the impact of medications for arrhythmias or blood pressure.