Supporting people in your practice
Supporting people in your practice
Use the questions below to boost your understanding:
- Can you think of a medicine that influences the absorption of a nutrient?
Bile and acid sequestrates, such as colestyramine, can interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. Prolonged high-dose intake can lead to vitamin deficiencies. Consequently, a tendency to bleed is listed as a side effect of colestyramine due to vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin supplements may be needed
- Can you think of a medicine that causes a micronutrient deficiency? And do you know how to identify micronutrient deficiency symptoms?
A commonly listed side effect of loop diuretics, such as furosemide and bumetanide, is electrolyte imbalance, such as potassium loss. Other common side effects of loop diuretics include fatigue and muscle spasms. Potassium deficiency also causes fatigue and muscle spasms. Therefore, correcting the potassium losses caused by the diuretic may help to reduce the medicine side effect symptoms
- How should micronutrient deficiency symptoms be managed?
Ideally, nutrients should come from foods. Advice should be given about rich dietary sources of the micronutrient(s) and which foods an individual should aim to eat more of, or add into their diet. When the deficiency has been caused by a medicine, and the medicine needs to be continued, nutritional status may need ongoing monitoring and micronutrient supplements may be needed
- Can you think of a nutrient or food that reduces the efficacy of a medicine?
Minerals and tetracycline antibiotics. Tetracycline requires the following warning labels:
- ‘Do not take milk, indigestion remedies, or medicines containing iron or zinc, two hours before or after you take this medicine’
- ‘Take this medicine when your stomach is empty. This means an hour before food or two hours after food’
- Calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc chelate in foods or medicines make tetracycline less available for absorption
- Can you think of a nutrient or food that increases the side effects and toxicity of a medicine?
Grapefruit interacts with many different medicines and some interactions can be severe, such as causing muscle damage (for example, with statins), or neurotoxicity or abnormal heart rhythm (for example, with immunosuppressants such as tacrolimus).