Medication affecting food handling
Certain medications can affect a person's ability to safely handle food, either by causing side effects that impair hygiene or by increasing the
risk of contaminating food.
Medications that may cause gastrointestinal symptoms
- antibiotics may cause diarrhea or gastrointestinal upset
- laxatives can lead to urgent bowel movements or incontinence
- chemotherapy drugs often cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
Immunosuppressive medications
- corticosteroids for example, prednisolone
- biologics for example, infliximab, adalimumab
- drugs for autoimmune conditions for example, methotrexate, azathioprine
Medications that affect alertness or coordination
- sedatives or tranquilizers for example, diazepam, lorazepam
- strong antihistamines for example, promethazine
- opioid painkillers for example, codeine, morphine
Medications that cause skin reactions
- antibiotics for example, penicillin allergies
- anticonvulsants for example, carbamazepine
- NSAIDs for example, ibuprofen
Medications that may mask symptoms of illness
- antipyretics for example, paracetamol, ibuprofen, can mask fever
- anti-diarrheal drugs can hide symptoms of gastrointestinal infections
