How does taking medications affect the absorption of vitamins?
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
People with chronic diseases need vitamins as anyone. In the bodies of these people, in any case, there is a deficiency of vitamins. But what about if a person takes both medicines and vitamins? Can they negatively affect each other and the human body? About this - more.
[Vitamins and medications: who is the winner?
If you take medications for a long time, and the doctor has prescribed vitamins for you, pay attention to the composition of both. By the way, antibiotics have the ability to displace vitamins B2 and C from the body. Like many other medicines that can influence vitamins so much, they are poorly digested and worse - they are poorly excreted from the body.
If a person takes tranquilizers, it can adversely affect the intake of B vitamins, as well as vitamin C. The same not very good effect on these vitamins can produce and painkillers. Consider the fact that painkillers, tranquilizers and vitamins C and B are a bad neighborhood.
Why is this happening?
The fact is that antibiotics and tranquilizers are poorly compatible with vitamins B1, B5, B12 and vitamin C, because the latter are formed in the intestines by intestinal bacteria.
When a person takes antibiotics, the production of these bacteria is suppressed by exposure to antibiotics. Accordingly, the production of vitamins C and B is inhibited by the body. Then you can ascertain the vitamin deficiency and the consequences associated with it. Namely: fast fatigue, weakness, openness before viruses and bacteria.
What to do?
When you take antibiotics, you need to supplement the diet with vitamins C and B, which can be suppressed by antibiotics. These vitamins should be taken additionally or from products, or from pharmacy products.
Sleeping pills and vitamins
When a person takes sleeping pills, vitamin C can interfere with this process. Why? Yes, because this vitamin has a reverse effect, than for hypnotic drugs. So, sleeping pills and vitamin C it is better not to combine at all, if you want to sleep.
Calcium and iron in the body
These two drugs are leaders, and therefore are prone to struggle among themselves for assimilation in the body. That is, neither one nor the other drug with simultaneous admission is not absorbed to the full. If you take iron, and do not take calcium, then the first drug will be absorbed by almost 50% better.
B vitamins can also compete with each other
Namely: if you take vitamin B1, then you do not need to include vitamin B12 in your diet. It is capable of causing or enhancing allergies to the first drug.
In addition, if you take vitamin B12 together with vitamin B1, iron, copper and vitamin C (ascorbic), then the first will be absorbed by a third less and not have the effect that should occur.
Zinc and Company
The absorption of zinc is greatly hampered by calcium and iron. They can not be taken together. If you take all these drugs together, then in the body there may be a deficiency of zinc. And this leads to the inhibition of many reactions, in particular, the delay in child development.
If you use zinc in combination with folic acid (vitamin B9), the effectiveness of both will be significantly reduced. This is because the solubility of these drugs when combined is much reduced, they are poorly absorbed by the body.
Combination of certain vitamins and medicines
Many drugs and vitamins are not effective without each other. This is because their impact is significantly enhanced when combined.
Selenium and vitamin E help each other to assimilate in the body and give him all their useful substances
Magnesium and vitamin E in combination are very good, because the second element greatly enhances the effect of magnesium. And also helps him to linger in the cells and positively influence the cellular exchange.
Calcium and vitamin D are the perfect neighborhood. The reason is this vitamin is very helpful for calcium to be absorbed by bones and keep them in good health and perfect condition.
Iron is well absorbed if it is taken with vitamin A. If your goal is to increase hemoglobin in the blood, then you will reach it faster if you take these two drugs together. The effectiveness of increasing hemoglobin levels is significantly reduced if you include only iron in the menu.
Take vitamins and medications properly and stay healthy!