Medicines Food & Instructions

Licorice Avoid

Foods that have calcium

Take medicine 2 hours before
Amlodipine (Norvasc)
Calcium Channel or 2 hours after eating/drinking
Nifedipine (Procardia)
Blockers
Felodipine (Plendil)
Grapefruit & Seville Avoid
orange (fruit and/or juice)

Foods that have calcium Take digoxin 2 hours before or

Digoxin (Lanoxin)
2 hours after
Licorice Avoid

Antiarrhythmics Grapefruit & Seville Avoid

Amiodarone (Cordarone) orange (fruit and/or juice)

Take with or without food but be consistent

Grapefruit & Seville Avoid

Lipitor (Atorvastatin)
orange (fruit and/or juice)
Cholesterol Lowering Zocor (Simvastatin)
Medications “Statins” Crestor (Rosuvastatin)
Alcohol Have 3 or less drinks per day
Lovastatin (Mevacor)
Licorice Avoid
Atenolol (Tenormin)
Foods that have calcium Take medicine 2 hours before
Metoprolol
Beta Blockers Orange juice or 2 hours after eating/drinking
(Lopressor, Toprol XL)
Carvedilol (Coreg)
Take Carvedilol with food

Licorice Avoid

Spironolactone (Aldactone) May raise your potassium levels so do not eat a lot of
high potassium foods

Diuretics “Water Pill” Licorice Avoid

Chlorothiazide (Diuril)
Hydrochlorothiazide Alcohol Limit how much you drink
(Hydrodiuril)
Furosemide (Lasix) Eat high potassium foods consistently

Hydralazine (Apresoline) Licorice Avoid

Vasodilators Alcohol Limit how much you drink
Nitroglycerin
Clopidogrel (Plavix) Garlic, ginger, ginkgo Avoid eating a lot or taking
Ticlopidine (Ticlid) supplements
Antiplatelets
Take on an empty stomach
Dipyridamole
Alcohol Limit how much you drink
Benazepril (Lotensin)
Enalapril (Vasotec) Chili peppers Avoid
ACE Inhibitors
Lisinopril (Zestril)
Fosinopril (Monopril) Do not eat a lot of high potassium foods

Grapefruit & Seville Eat in moderation

orange (fruit and/or juice)
Losartan (Cozaar)
May raise your potassium levels so do not eat a lot of
ARB’s
high potassium foods
Irbesartan (Avapro)
Telmisartan (Micardis) Licorice Avoid
Valsartan (Diovan)
Taking Your Heart Medicine Safely

How to use this chart:

1. Find the heart medicines you are taking in the “Medicines” column
2. Find the foods that may interact with your heart medicine and read the instructions
3. Do this for all your medicines and fill out the front of this sheet

Your Medicines Foods You Need To Know About Instructions

Call your doctor or pharmacists about any questions!

28 Crescent St, Middletown, CT 06457

Sources: “Mayo Clinic Cardiac Diet” www.mayoclinic.com; www.uptodate.com; MICROMEDEX www.thomsonhc.com; “Avoiding Drug Interactions” www.fda.gov; 
Barberio J, “Nurse’s Pocket Drug Guide 2010; “Drug‐Nutrient Interactions with Commonly Used Cardiac Medications” www.cranberryinstitute.org 
M. Lombardo PharmD candidate 2011; L.Ayotte RPh, PhD