This improves the profile of lipoproteins in the blood and decreases deaths from heart disease in patients at risk of it ( 2). Statins work by limiting the natural production of cholesterol. Some cholesterol medications called statins are affected by grapefruit. With that in mind, here is detailed information about 32 common medications that may interact with grapefruit, categorized by use. For a small number of drugs, grapefruit’s effects can be serious. Taking your medication a few hours apart from consuming it isn’t long enough. Grapefruit’s ability to affect medication lasts for 1–3 days. One whole grapefruit or one glass of grapefruit juice is enough to alter how these medications affect you. There are three things to know to understand if and how you can safely consume grapefruit with these medications. In fact, studies show that they increase the blood levels of over 85 medications ( 1).īy slowing the way in which CYPs normally break down medications in your gut and liver, grapefruit can increase the side effects of these drugs ( 1). Grapefruit and a few of its close relatives, such as Seville oranges, tangelos, pomelos, and Minneolas, contain a class of chemicals called furanocoumarins.įuranocoumarins disrupt the normal function of CYPs. It is thought the lack of fibre in juices may cause spikes in blood sugar levels.Medications are processed in your liver and small intestine by a specialized group of proteins called cytochrome P450 (CYPs).ĬYPs break down medications, reducing the blood levels of many of them. But eating whole pieces of fruit cuts the likelihood of developing the disease. showed that one glass of orange juice a day can increase the risk of a form of diabetes linked to poor diet and obesity. Research from Harvard Medical School in the U.S. The study is not the first to highlight the dangers behind supposedly healthy juices. There, juice deactivates a liver enzyme that breaks down drugs, making normal doses potential overdoses. A different mechanism is at play with the drugs whose levels are boosted by grapefruit juice. Researchers have pinpointed a naringin-like compound in orange juice and are looking for a similar one in apples. Experiments showed naringin, the chemical which makes grapefruit taste bitter, blocked the drug from moving from the small intestine into the bloodstream. Taking it with juice cut its absorption into the bloodstream by half. The link between medicinal drugs and certain fruit juices was made after volunteers in a study were asked to take the hay fever drug fexofenadine at the same time as either a glass of water or grapefruit juice. Anyone on medication should be advised to speak to their doctor or pharmacist before taking fruit juice with medicines. Normal advice is to take medicinal drugs with water on an empty stomach to get the most consistent effect. Thus, it should be possible still to take grapefruit, orange, and apple juices while on affected medications provided there is a sufficient time interval. Juice taken four hours prior to drug intake did not have an effect. Those drunk up to two hours before can reduce drug absorption.īut patients need not stop drinking juice altogether. The study showed juices do not need to be taken at the same time as drugs to have a dangerous effect. Many other drugs are also likely to be affected. So are the cancer drug etoposide and a drug given to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs. The multi-purpose antibiotic ciprofloxacin used to combat germs behind food poisoning and bone and joint infections, is also affected. The latest study shows that fruit juices can also reduce the power of medicines – potentially stopping them from doing any good.ĭrugs shown to be weakened by grapefruit, orange and apple juices include the blood pressure-lowering beta blockers atenolol, celiprolol, and talinolol and the hayfever treatment fexofenadine. Their findings led to warnings that the drink should be avoided by those on some medicines. I’m sure we’ll find more and more drugs that are affected this way.’ Twenty years ago, it was shown that grapefruit juice dangerously magnifies the effect of the blood pressure drug felodipine. Researchers stated that: ‘This is just the tip of the iceberg. The potential effects are so serious, researchers warned, that if in doubt, patients should swap fruit juices for water or another alternative when on medication. It is thought the drinks stop drugs from entering the bloodstream and getting to work in the body – possibly rendering them useless. Research has shown that orange, apple, and grapefruit juice can also wipe out the benefits of some antibiotics and hayfever pills. Drinking fruit juice dramatically reduces the effectiveness of drugs used to treat cancer, heart conditions and high blood pressure.
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