Many people take their medication with food in an effort to cushion the impact on the stomach. Some medications should be taken with food, but some foods can react with medication in unexpected ways.
Of course, taking most medication with alcohol is generally not advised, but drinking alcohol while taking any SSRIs used to treat depression, antibiotics like metronidazole, or common pain medication like Tylenol (or anything containing acetaminophen) can cause dangerous side effects like severe vomiting, liver toxicity, and gastrointestinal bleeding (per Everyday Health).
You might also be interested in other food and medication combinations. For example, combining statin medication and grapefruit can pose a risk. “Grapefruit contains a compound that inhibits a common drug-metabolizing enzyme called CYP3A4,” Aaron Emmel is a clinical pharmacist and spoke to Everyday Health. “Drinking a lot of the juice or eating the fruit inhibits this enzyme, and the drug accumulates in your system, which can be dangerous.” If you take warfarin for blood thinners, it is important to avoid kale and any other food high in vitamin K. This can cause the drug’s effects to be negated.