Do you watch your citric acid intake before/after taking stimulant medication?
Do you watch your citric acid intake before/after taking stimulant medication?
I've seen some sources say that too high or low of pH levels can impact how well a stimulant is absorbed into your system. It seems the biggest source in regular diets, especially American diets, is citric acid. I enjoy many citric heavy juices, and also drink a lot of soda. Do you guys watch your citric acid intake about an hour before and after you take your medication? Do you notice an impact either way? I drink a lot of juice/soda, so I would have to adjust my diet quite a bit (granted, probably not the worst thing).
See here's the thing I don't understand about this. And yes I've heard of this before. But both Adderall and Vyvanse say on their pharmacy forms that you can mix the medication in with orange juice to take it... So obviously the manufacturers aren't too worried about citric acid.
Read up about the specific medication that you're taking and there should be warnings or contra indicators for food intake along with that medication. All meds react differently and the companies making them will specify any requirements.
https://www.pharmacologyeducation.org/pharmacology/drug-absorption
When I took Vyvanse I couldn't eat grapefruit. It made me throw up and then I developed an aversion to it, and even now almost a decade since I stopped taking it I still really dislike grapefruit. I'm not sure if it's because of the citric acid content or what else, but oranges didn't ever bother me in that way.
Grapefruit has a unique effect on a dietary enzyme:
Many drugs are broken down (metabolized) with the help of a vital enzyme called CYP3A4 in the small intestine. Grapefruit juice can block the action of intestinal CYP3A4, so instead of being metabolized, more of the drug enters the blood and stays in the body longer. The result: too much drug in your body.
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/grapefruit-juice-and-some-drugs-dont-mix