The Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) says that activated charcoal could make all varieties of oral contraception capsules much less efficient, as properly. (When doubtful, discuss to your physician or pharmacist to see in case your meds could also be affected.)

Okay, however can the quantity of activated charcoal used for meals coloring really mess with these meds?

“Activated charcoal doses of 25 to 100 grams in adults and 10 to 50 grams in youngsters can stop the absorption of different medicine,” Dr. Mersek says. That’s typically the therapeutic dose given in instances of overdoses or poisonings.

Meals coloring typically makes use of a lot lower than that: For instance, a whole batch of Halloween cookies or a pitcherful of inky black margaritas could solely comprise a couple of teaspoon or two. And one teaspoon comprises nearly two grams of activated charcoal, Charles Michael White, PharmD, division head of the UConn Faculty of Pharmacy, tells SELF. (Nonetheless, the precise quantity will differ relying on the precise charcoal product, Dr. Mersek says.)

Most often, these small quantities deliver much less trigger for concern. A one-teaspoon dose “would solely have a modest impact on the absorption of medicine from the gut to the bloodstream,” Charles Michael White, PharmD, division head of the UConn Faculty of Pharmacy, tells SELF.

And timing your activated charcoal treats helps scale back the chance much more. The NIH recommends ready no less than an hour after you’re taking your meds earlier than consuming them. As for contraception capsules, you need to both eat or drink activated charcoal no less than three hours after or 12 hours earlier than taking your meds to verify your dosage is as efficient as potential, the NIH says. This provides your meds sufficient time to make their manner out of your digestive tract to your bloodstream.

The modest absorption points possible seen with a teaspoon-sized dose “could be dramatically lowered for those who keep away from taking activated charcoal merchandise for [about] three hours earlier than or after the activated charcoal is taken, and is secure for most individuals,” Dr. White says.

Nonetheless, he says, for those who’re taking what are referred to as “slim therapeutic index medicine”—by which small variations in blood concentrations could be critical, like with sure meds for epilepsy, arrhythmias, or organ transplants, amongst others—you have to be extra cautious. (In case you’re undecided in case your drug is taken into account one, ask your pharmacist.)

“It’s well-known that even small modifications in epilepsy drug blood concentrations may cause breakthrough seizures,” Dr. White says. “If I used to be taking a slim therapeutic index drug, I might merely skip the activated charcoal altogether.”

Further reporting by Ashia Aubourg

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