Drinking beverages with taking medication is generally considered a safe practice. Some medicines are typically advised to be taken with water to help them flow down the throat. Some drinks and substances, on the other hand, can have a detrimental impact on how the chemicals in these treatments work, resulting in potentially dangerous side effects.

While there is a lot of focus on how different prescriptions interact with one another, there is less focus on how medications interact with beverages that are easy to obtain and consume. Fruit juice is included in this category. When fruit juice is used with medication, the two can sometimes conflict, resulting in unpleasant or severe adverse effects. One of the most common instances of this is in the treatment of cholesterol.

Cholesterol is best treated with a combination of lifestyle changes and statins, a type of drug that lowers the amount of cholesterol produced in the liver.

Improving one’s food to make it healthier and more favorable for a longer life is one of the most successful lifestyle improvements.

Pomegranate juice is an example of a juice that has been used in the quest for lower cholesterol levels, according to certain studies.

The presence of antioxidants in pomegranate juice appears to reduce the build-up of dangerous cholesterol in the arteries, according to researchers.

However, while pomegranate juice has some advantages, it can interact negatively with other cholesterol drugs.

“Pomegranate juice may cause dangerous side effects when it interacts with certain prescription medications,” according to the Mayo Clinic, “such as the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, including captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) and ramipril (Altace).”

As a result, people with high cholesterol should consult their GP or doctor before beginning to take ACE inhibitors or statins in order to identify any dietary obstacles that may impair the medicine’s effectiveness.

This is because pomegranate juice isn’t the only fruit that can create negative side effects when used with drugs.

Grapefruit juice has been known to interfere with statins, whereas pomegranate juice has been known to interfere with ACE inhibitors.

“If you’re taking simvastatin or atorvastatin, avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice as they can increase your risk of side effects,” the British Heart Foundation advises.

“If you take another type of statin, limit your intake of grapefruit juice to very small quantities or you may want to avoid it all together.”

As a result, grapefruit juice should be avoided while taking statins.

• Headache • Dizziness • Feeling unwell • Feeling particularly weary or physically weak • Constipation • Diarrhoea • Indigestion • Farting • Muscle discomfort • Sleep issues are all possible adverse effects of statins.

On the leaflet that comes with each packet of medication, you’ll find a complete list of side effects.

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