Why Grapefruit and Some Medications Don’t Mix

 Grapefruit and its juice can be a tangy, healthy treat. It helps to boost levels of vitamin C, fiber, potassium and lycopene in your body, making it the most nutritious among citrus fruits. Unfortunately, grapefruit does not get along with a number of medications.
If you take certain medicines for high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms or allergies, your pharmacist may have told you to avoid grapefruit. An enzyme in your intestines helps break down—or metabolize—many medicines. Grapefruit can stop this enzyme from working. This leaves more of the medicine in your body for a longer time. As a result, you get too much of the medication.
Conversely, some medicines rely on proteins called drug transporters to help you better absorb the medications. Grapefruit can stop these proteins from working. As a result, you get too little of the medication.
These effects can occur from eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice. Three other fruits—Seville oranges, pomelos and tangelos—can do the same thing. So if your medicine interacts with grapefruit, you’ll want to avoid all of those citrus fruits.
Examples of medicines that can be a bad mix with grapefruit include:
• Certain statin drugs used to lower cholesterol.
• Some drugs used to treat high blood pressure.
• Certain organ-transplant rejection drugs.
• Some anti-anxiety medicines.
• Some corticosteroids used to treat Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
• Certain medicines used to treat abnormal heart rhythms.
• Some over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines, such as fexofenadine (Allegra), used to treat certain allergies.
Not all of the medications in these categories interact poorly with grapefruit. And according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the interaction can depend on the person, the medication, and the amount of grapefruit ingested.
According to Bud Lawrence, MD, Owner of Henry Mayo Urgent Care, you should always read the label on any medicine you buy over- the- counter. “It’s a good idea to ask your pharmacist about any foods that might not mix well with your medicines,” says Dr. Lawrence.
Henry Mayo Urgent Care is located at 23929 McBean Parkway, suite 102 in Valencia. Hours of operation are 10 a.m to 10 p.m., seven days a week. No appointment needed. For more information, call 661-200-2500 or visit www.henrymayourgentcare.com for posted wait times.