Taking Medicine With Tea Is Good or Bad?

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

Caffeine (including caffeine from  green tea) can increase blood pressure in people taking propranolol and metoprolol (drugs used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease).

3. Blood-thinning drugs

People who are taking warfarin (a blood-thinning medication) should not take it with tea. Because green tea contains vitamin K, it can make warfarin ineffective. Meanwhile, you should not mix green tea and aspirin because they prevent platelets from  clotting. Using both together can increase the risk of bleeding.

4. Ephedrine

When taken with ephedrine, green tea can cause agitation, tremors, insomnia, and weight loss.

Ditulis Oleh : Hilda Fitria Wulandari
Mahasiswa Prodi Sarjana Farmasi
Fakultas Ilmu Kesehatan
Universitas Muhammadiyah Pekajangan Pekalongan

Reference :
Yang, Chung S & Eva Pan. 2012. “The Effects Of Greent Tea Polyohenols On Drug Metabolism”. 8(6):677-689