Taking medicine is quite difficult for some people. Drug are known for their bitter taste, so some people do various ways to reduce the bitter taste of the drugs they are taking. One way that is often done is to drink medicine with sweet tea.
Tea is a drink that has many benefits, such as getting rid of toxins in the body,
increasing body immunity, calming, and even increasing energy. However, it can be seen that taking medicine with tea is not recommended. The presence of ingredients in tea can cause unwanted drug interactions; besides that, the effectiveness of the drug is also reduced.
The main ingredient of tea drinks is of course water, which accounts for more than 99% of the total amount of tea water. The remaining less than 1% is tea extract. The tea contains tannins, caffeine, catechins, and vitamin K.
The compounds contained in tea can reduce the effectiveness of the drug, for example:
• The presence of tannins in tea can interfere with the absorption of some drugs
• The presence of caffeine compounds in tea can bind to the chemicals in the drug, making it difficult for the drug to be digested. In addition, caffeine can be dangerous if taken together with drugs that stimulate the central nervous system, such as asthma medications that contain theophylline or epinephrine.
• Tea catechins may bind to certain drugs to affect their absorption and bioactivity. Tea catechins can inhibit the activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters or affect the expression of these proteins, either upregulation or downregulation.
Here are some drugs that should not be taken with tea :
1. Oral contraceptives
This medicine, which is useful for preventing pregnancy, should also not be consumed with tea. Oral contraceptives can extend the residence time of caffeine in the body and can enhance its stimulating effect.
2. Beta-blockers, Propranolol, and Metoprolol