Guest guest Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Grapefruit Juice and Medication JoAnn Guest Jan 12, 2005 21:43 PST (HealthDayNews) -- A glass of grapefruit juice is an excellent and delicious way to start the day. But the fruit juice also causes the body to absorb greater amounts of certain medications, according to Montana State University-Northern. -- Some drugs that interact this way with grapefruit juice include calcium-channel blockers such as felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), and verapamil (Calan, Verelan), as well as the tranquilizers midazolam (Versed) and triazolam (Halcion). If you take any of these drugs, often drink grapefruit juice, and haven't noticed any ill effects -- discuss the matter with your doctor, just in case. ===================================================================== Grapefruit? How does it affect vitamins or supplements? -- Hi " mrsjoguest " I have heard that one should check with their pharmacist before mixing Grapefruit juice with medicine; But Grapefruit? How does it affect vitamins or supplements? Regards, Lorenzo --- Lorenzo, I have been advised that there are supplements with Enzymes that are dangerous if combined with grapefruit or grapefruit juice. I believe that the problem lies with all those which contain 'algae' in the list of nutrients. The company that makes spectrabiotics (Cell Tech) has issued the warnings with several of their " enzyme " supplements. Regards, JoAnn ===================================================================== Why should one avoid grapefruit when taking Valium --- Today's Question Why should one avoid grapefruit when taking Valium or a cholesterol-reducing medication? -- Anonymous Today's Answer (Published 03/28/2003) Actually, grapefruit juice more than grapefruit seems to be the culprit – it interferes with the absorption and metabolism of a number of drugs (although there is increasing concern that eating grapefruit might also lead to this effect). Something in grapefruit juice – no one knows what – blocks the action of " specific enzymes " needed to absorb and break down drugs. These enzymes, found in the intestinal wall and liver, are called cytochrome P-450 3A4 and 1A2 (CYP3A4 and CYP1A2, for short). Several constituents of grapefruit juice have been implicated, including specific flavonoids and other phytochemicals called " furanocoumarins " . Concentration of these compounds varies from one batch of juice to another. By inhibiting the action of these enzymes, grapefruit juice increases your body’s " absorption " of certain drugs, and also slows the process of breaking them down in the liver. Thus certain drugs affected by these enzymes stay in the body longer than normal. These include the calcium channel blockers used to treat high blood pressure, non-sedating antihistamines such as Hismanal (astemizole), certain tranquilizers including Valium (diazepam), Xanax (alprazolam), Halcion (triazolam), and others, a number of cholesterol-lowering drugs, including Lipitor (atorvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin) and other statins, immunosuppressive drugs used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs and antiviral agents used to treat HIV/AIDS. If you take any of these drugs with grapefruit juice, you may feel a difference. For example, with calcium channel blockers you might notice flushing, headache, an increased heart rate, or blood pressure which is lower than intended. With the tranquilizers, you may notice increased sedation. More dangerous side effects including kidney toxicity and increased susceptibility to infections could develop among those taking immunosuppressive drugs. Grapefruit juice can even " enhance " your response to 'caffeine', resulting in nervousness and over-stimulation. Interestingly, grapefruit juice seems to be the only citrus juice to have this effect. If you’ve always taken your medication with grapefruit juice and never noticed any of the symptoms I’ve mentioned, there’s probably no reason to make a change, but it would be a good idea to tell your physician about your juice consumption. And if you have any concerns about whether grapefruit juice could be interfering with any medication you take, ask your physician or pharmacist about possible interactions. Dr. Andrew Weil www.drweil.com --- marian-@a... Wed Jul 17, 2002 2:10 am Grapefruit JoAnn, thinks this subject has been covered in the past but agrees that there may be new people to the group who are not aware of the dangers of grapefruit - as I wasn't until JoAnn kindly advised me. Grapefruit juice and drugs don't mix: Can increase impact of medication http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_8213.html " Friday, June 21, 2002 TORONTO (CP) - Like grapefruit juice? Taking Viagra? Bad idea, Health Canada says. In fact, a variety of medications for a variety of conditions can interact negatively with grapefruit juice - fresh or frozen - and the fruit itself, the department warned in an advisory issued Friday. There are several substances in grapefruit that can interfere with the way the body metabolizes some drugs, " amplifying " the effect of many and minimizing the effect of a few. In some cases, consuming grapefruit while on certain medications can produce a life-threatening adverse reaction, Health Canada said. " As little as one glass of grapefruit juice (8 oz./ 250 ml) can cause this effect, " the release warned. And it may not just be grapefruit. While sweet oranges and their juice do not appear to cause the same reaction, sour ones such as- Seville oranges may have a similar effect, the department warned. " SOURCE: Health Canada Advisory- Health Canada is advising Canadians not to take certain drugs with grapefruit juice http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/protection/warnings/2002/2002_49e.htm " OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising the public not to take certain drugs with grapefruit juice. Although interactions between grapefruit juice and certain drugs are well documented in the medical and scientific literature, this information may be unknown to the public. " ===================================================================== John Joined: 20 Nov 2003 Posts: 8 Location: England Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:54 pm Post subject: Drugs and natural products - A lot of drugs have the ability to kill you, certain natural products increase the effectiveness of drugs which means they are more likely to kill you, the fault of the natural product or the drug?. Warfarin can kill but eating Broccoli which is rich in bio flavonoids and vitamin C can increase Warfarin's potential danger. John Bright http://www.alternative-medicine-message-boards.info " Health Alerts - Protect Yourself " - Forum JoAnn Guest mrsjo- DietaryTi- http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes AIM Barleygreen " Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future " http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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