Table of contents:
- Effect on the body if you drink coffee after taking antibiotics
- The safe way to drink coffee after taking antibiotics
Drinking coffee will make you feel more refreshed and awake. However, if you are taking medication, coffee can affect the work of the drugs you are taking, one of which is antibiotics. In fact, drinking coffee after taking antibiotics is considered dangerous to health. Is it true?
Effect on the body if you drink coffee after taking antibiotics
Coffee has the main content in the form of caffeine. After drinking coffee, caffeine will enter the bloodstream and body tissues. Absorption usually lasts for 45 minutes and the effect peaks at 15-20 minutes after digestion.
Caffeine can last for 4-7 hours in the body, depending on how fast your body breaks it down. These compounds work by stimulating the nervous system so that you experience an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, energy levels, and so on mood.
Drinking coffee after taking antibiotics can cause interactions between caffeine and this drug. Among the various kinds of antibiotics, the types of antibiotics that interact with caffeine generally come from the fluoroquinolone group.
Floroquinolone is a class of antibiotics used to treat infections of the respiratory system and urinary tract. Types of antibiotics in this group include ciprofloxacin, gemifloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin.
The antibiotic floroquinolone can decrease the body's ability to break down caffeine. Even though it's not dangerous, you may feel the effects of caffeine in your body longer than you should.
Under normal conditions, caffeine helps you stay awake and makes you feel energized. However, if you drink coffee right after taking an antibiotic, such as floroquinolone, there are several possible drug interaction effects.
Some of the possible interaction effects between floroquinolone and coffee include:
- High blood pressure
- Headache
- Anxious and restless
- Trouble resting to insomnia
- Feelings of irritability
The interaction between caffeine and floroquinolone will not harm your health, but the side effects you experience will certainly make you uncomfortable. This is why you need to pause between drinking coffee and antibiotics.
The safe way to drink coffee after taking antibiotics
Antibiotics are not the only class of drugs that can interact with caffeine. Basically, almost all types of drugs can interact, both with other drugs, certain nutrients from food, body tissues, and stimulants such as caffeine.
The best way to prevent caffeine and antibiotic interactions is to provide a gap between the two. You need to wait for your body to absorb all of the antibiotics before you can safely consume coffee.
On average, drugs take 30 minutes to break down in the body. This time period can be increased if the drug has a protective layer, for example in capsules of drugs.
So, pay attention to the form of antibiotic you are taking. You certainly need to give a break of more than 30 minutes before you can drink coffee if you previously took antibiotics in capsule form.
For people who need to take antibiotics regularly, drinking coffee is a challenge. You need to carefully choose when to drink coffee after taking antibiotics to prevent drug interactions.
You can prevent the interaction between caffeine and antibiotics if you provide a break. If you have any doubts or experience other worrisome effects, consult a doctor immediately.
