Taking the medication with certain foods and drinks could cause issues
People taking a common hay fever tablet to ease their allergy symptoms are being urged to avoid certain foods and drinks while taking the medication. NHS GP and health expert, Dr Punam Krisham, explained what patients need to know during today’s (April 24) episode of BBC Morning Live.
On Saturday (April 25), the pollen count is forecast to reach ‘Very High’ for many western parts of the UK, including Wales, north-east England and Northern Ireland. Levels will remain ‘High’ for the majority of the country on Sunday (April 26).
In the UK, nearly 10 million people in England suffer from hay fever, which includes people of all ages, according to the Met Office. This means that almost one in four adults and one in ten children are affected, and studies show that the number of people dealing with this condition is increasing every year.
Hay fever, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, brings on symptoms that feel a lot like a cold, like sneezing, coughing, itchy or watery eyes, and a runny or stuffy nose, but it can stick around for weeks or even months. These symptoms are caused by pollen and tend to get worse from March to September when pollen levels are high, and they can sometimes make you feel tired and give you sinus pain.
According to the NHS, you cannot cure hay fever, but there are things you can do to help your symptoms, or medicines you can take to help. Common hay fever medications include non-drowsy antihistamine tablets, such as cetirizine, loratadine, and fexofenadine.
In a fresh warning issued to viewers during the Morning Live segment, Dr Punam urged those taking fexofenadine to avoid certain fruits and fruit juices that many people enjoy at breakfast. When asked by host Gaby Roslin what to avoid, Dr Punam explained a “lesser known” issue that can interfere with how well the tablet works.
Gaby said: “There’s been other stories going around that certain drinks can interfere with them. So, what do we avoid?” Dr Punam said: “I think this is lesser known. There’s a very common antihistamine called fexofenadine, which people take now.
“What people don’t know is that there is a transporter in the gut that fexofenadine is absorbed via. Now, there are certain fruit juices like orange juice, grapefruit juice and apple juice that can actually block that transporter, so it means that the absorption of fexofenadine is affected and significantly reduced by about 70%.”
Gaby said: “So at breakfast, if you’re having it with apple juice or grapefruit juice…” Dr Punam interjected: “It can reduce the effectiveness of that, and it reduces the absorption of fexofenadine. So I would always say, when you’re taking that, take it with water and avoid any fruit juices a few hours before or a few hours after.
“I think this is a good point to just remind that antihistamines can interact with other medications and other things as well. So alcohol is a common one. Of course, when it’s nice and sunny, you might want a wee glass of wine or a beer, but alcohol could increase histamine in the body, which can make your hay fever symptoms worse.
“But it can also, alcohol is a sedative. So if you’re combining that with antihistamines, it can potentially make you feel more drowsy. It affects your alertness, your reaction times, etc. So just be wary of that.”
On the NHS website, a statement about fexofenadine reads: “Do not drink grapefruit juice, apple juice or orange juice while you’re taking fexofenadine as the medicine may not work as well. It’s best not to drink alcohol while you’re taking fexofenadine as it can make you feel sleepy.”
Sharing another piece of advice, Dr Punam said: “The NHS website has got the NHS look-up tool. In that, you type in whatever antihistamine you’re on, and it will go through everything that it interacts with, what you can and cannot take it with.”
People can find out more about antihistamines on the NHS website, including extra information about fexofenadine. Most antihistamines can be bought from pharmacies and shops, but some are only available on prescription.
