For those with high blood pressure, taking prescription medication can literally save lives. While medications are not a substitute for maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle habits, scientific studies have shown how powerful blood pressure lowering medications can be.
For example, according to a 2024 scientific study published in CureusTaking blood pressure-lowering drugs significantly reduced high blood pressure in older adults with high blood pressure, thereby reducing their risk of heart attack, heart attack, and stroke.
As with any other medication, it is important to know how certain foods and beverages may interact with blood pressure medications. This way, you can get the maximum benefit from the medicine while remaining safe. With that in mind, there’s one drink combo that a pharmacist says most people don’t realize can interact negatively with blood pressure medications.
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Drink combos to avoid if you’re taking medication for high blood pressure
It’s normal to reach for an energy drink when feeling tired, but if you’re taking medication for high blood pressure, you may want to avoid it—especially if you’re combining it with a sugary drink like grape juice. It’s a surprisingly common combination, and Welch’s Grape Juice even has its own energy drink.
Dr. Taylor Clark, PharmD, A clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Studies explains that highly caffeinated beverages can raise blood pressure. She shares that caffeine raises blood pressure by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system and releasing catecholamines, which are molecules that act as neurotransmitters and hormones (AKA chemical messengers).
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“This can directly negate the effects of blood pressure-lowering medications. For this reason, it is recommended that patients with high blood pressure limit their caffeine intake. The 2025 hypertension guidelines recommend consuming less than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day, and in patients with severe, uncontrolled hypertension, avoid caffeine for more than one day,” says Clark.
The effect can be worse when you combine highly caffeinated beverages with high amounts of sugar (such as soda or fruit juice). Because sugary drinks have been scientifically linked to raising blood pressure. She points out that even some beverages many consider healthy, such as grape juice, can be high in sugar or artificial sweeteners.
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“A meta-analysis investigating the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages on cardiometabolic diseases has shown that consumption of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, stroke, and all-cause mortality. The data suggest that higher rates of consumption are associated with higher risk of Clark’s disease,” says the study. Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened fruit juice increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
“Diabetes is a known risk factor for high blood pressure, even though it’s not directly linked to high blood pressure,” she says.
A safe way to increase your energy
As scientific research shows, relying on sugary, highly caffeinated drinks for an energy boost isn’t a good idea—advice everyone can benefit from. If you’re taking blood pressure medication, you may be wondering what’s a safe way to boost your energy.
If you want to drink energy drinks, Dr. Clark suggests checking the label first and making sure the caffeine content doesn’t exceed 300 milligrams, which would be unsafe. But you can still drink coffee: A cup of coffee usually contains about 95 milligrams of caffeine.
If you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, Dr. Clark should limit coffee consumption to one cup a day, staying in line with the 2025 hypertension guidelines mentioned earlier. points to a study published in Journal of the American Heart Association Participants with high blood pressure who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had a significantly increased risk of heart attack.
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Green tea is a safe bet when it comes to enjoying caffeinated beverages if you have high blood pressure. Dr. Clark says that one study shows that drinking green tea (which contains 20 to 50 milligrams of caffeine per cup) is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease. In fact, drinking green tea every day is a great way to support your heart. It is high in antioxidants, which help prevent inflammation, a key driver of heart disease.
Consider this a good reminder that taking blood pressure medication is not a substitute for maintaining healthy dietary habits. It’s still important to pay attention to what you eat and drink, including the caffeine and sugar content of your go-to drinks. This way, you can get the maximum benefit of your medicine.
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Sources:
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Dr. Taylor Clark, PharmD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Studies
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Chaudhary, R., Siddiqui, Y., Sebai, A., et al. (2024). Efficacy of antihypertensive drugs in reducing blood pressure and cardiovascular events in the elderly population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cureus. 16(1): e.52053
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Writing Committee Members, Jones, DW, Ferdinand, KC, et al. (2025). AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM Guidelines for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of Hypertension in Adults: Report of the Clinical Clinical Committee of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Practice Committee.High blood pressure. Volume 82, Number 10. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYP.0000000000000249
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Malik, AH, Akram, Y, Shetty, S, et al. (2014). Effects of sugar-sweetened beverages on blood pressure. American Journal of Cardiology. 113(9):1574-1580
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Li, B, Yan, N, Jiang, H, et al. (2023). Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages and fruit juices and risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and mortality: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition. 10:1019534. Two: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1019534.
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Xi, B., Li, S., Liu, Z., et al. (2014). Fruit juice intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 9(3):e93471
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Teramoto, M., Yamagishi, K., Muraki, I., et al. (2023). Coffee and green tea consumption and cardiovascular mortality in individuals with and without hypertension. Journal of the American Heart Association. 12(2):e026477
This story was originally published by Parade on December 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Add Parade as a favorite source by clicking here.
