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Certain cholesterol drugs may interact with some foods, supplements or other drugs in potentially dangerous ways. Here's a list of cholesterol-lowering medications and some foods and drugs to avoid. Remember, this is just a guideline: It's always smart to talk with your physician before taking new medications.
Statins may interact with:
Food/Supplements: Grapefruits and grapefruit juice, tangelos and Seville oranges, resulting in excessively high levels of statins in the blood
Other Meds: May enhance effects of the anticoagulant drug warfarin and the heart medication digoxin, or lead to muscle damage when combined with certain antifungals, antibiotics, niacin, fibrates and calcium channel blockers, or other heart medications
Cholesterol absorption inhibitor may interact with:
Food/Supplements: None known
Other Meds: Cyclosporine, fibrates
Combination of a statin and cholesterol absorption inhibitor may interact with:
Food/Supplements: Grapefruit juice and grapefruits, tangelos, Seville oranges, alcohol
Other Meds: Antifungal medicines, some antibiotics, immunosuppressants (such as cyclosporine) and fibrates, niacin, HIV medications, calcium channel blockers and other heart medications, and certain antidepressants
Bile acid resins may interact with:
Food/Supplements: Folic acid and vitamins A, D, E and K
Other Meds: Diuretics, digitalis, steroid medications, some antibiotics, beta blockers, phosphate medications, anticoagulants, verapamil, raloxifene
