Grapefruit & Adverse
Medication Reactions
Eating
Grapefruit Isn't Always Healthy
Grapefruit is often promoted as
a healthy "diet food." For some, however, there
may be times when eating grapefruit or drinking
the juice can cause unanticipated problems --
like
adverse reactions to certain medications,
such as cholesterol- or blood pressure-lowering
drugs and others.
According to "Today" show
contributor Dr. Judith Reichman, "Grapefruit
juice inhibits the activity of an enzyme called
CYP3A4, which is produced in the intestines and
involved in the metabolism of over 50 oral
medications.
Grapefruit juice (and, of course, grapefruit)
can inhibit the activity of the enzyme that
breaks down these medications. More of the
medication — sometimes dangerously high amounts
— can then enter the blood."
The most common
grapefruit-unfriendly drugs:
-
Benzodiazepams (Valium,
Xanax, Halcion)
-
Buspirone (BuSpar)
-
Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
-
Fexofenadine (Allegra)
-
Statins (Lovastatin, Mevacor,
Zocor)
-
Nifedipine (ProCardia)
-
Viagra, Levitra, Cialis
-
Theophylline, Warfarin,
Coumadin
According to Dr. Reichman, sweet
oranges and tangerines do not pose the same
problems. No data is available on lemon juice (although
I can speak from personal experience that I
haven't had the problems with lemon juice that I
experienced from grapefruit; I even had problems
with soft drinks containing a small amount of
grapefruit juice. -- Pam).
Additional information:
Grapefruit and meds: A cocktail to avoid?
Grapefruit can be
toxic when mixed with drugs
Related Discussion
in Chronic-Illness.org Forum:
Grapefruit and meds: A cocktail to avoid?
(Both cited articles included in the
discussion.) |
