In the article, we consider how compatible grapefruit and medications are.
Grapefruit is a leader among the most famous, popular and healthy fruits for the body. The outlandish “grape fruit” was brought from Barbados to America in the early nineteenth century. Since then, scientists have been arguing about the benefits and harms of a wonderful fruit that has an exquisite bitter-sour taste, wonderful aroma and attractive appearance.
Doctors warn people about the dangers of mixing a huge number of drugs with a seemingly completely harmless food product like grapefruit. The fact is that this fruit can cause an overdose of some drugs. It also prevents the breakdown of drugs in the liver and intestines. Let's talk about the compatibility and interaction of grapefruit and drugs.
Hazardous properties of this fruit
The chemical components contained in grapefruit (we are talking about furanocoumarins) flush out enzymes that break down drugs. This leads to the fact that medicines in the intestines are not metabolized, and a large number of them penetrate the blood. One pill, drunk with such juice, is like ten tablets taken with a glass of water.
That is, in fact, grapefruit and medications are incompatible.
Of the eighty-four known drugs that interact with grapefruit, forty-three can have serious side effects, including sudden death, acute kidney failure, respiratory failure, digestive bleeding, and bone marrow suppression among immunocompromised people.
In addition to grapefruit and its juice, other citrus products like orange, often used in the manufacture of marmalade, as well as lime and pomelo, are no less dangerous when combined with medications.
Drug Interactions and Compatibility
What is really the compatibility of grapefruit and drugs? Let's figure it out.
Do not forget that the effect of grapefruit can persist for a day, in this regard, people who take certain drugs should refuse to use it for the duration of therapy or ask a doctor for alternative medications. Thus, the fruit in question is incompatible with most pharmaceuticals. So most often there is no compatibility of grapefruit and drugs.
Next, we find out which medicines with this product are better not to use.
What medications should not be taken with grapefruit?
As a rule, these are the following tools:
- First of all, we are talking about statins (medicines designed to lower cholesterol), for example, Lovastatin along with Atorvastatin, Simvastatin, Ezetimibe and Simvastatin.
- Antihistamines in the form of Fexofenadine and Terfenadine.
- Calcium antagonists (designed to lower blood pressure). We are talking about Nimodipine, Felodipine, Nisoldipine and Verapamil.
- Medications for treating a psychiatric disorder, such as Buspirone along with Triazole, Carbamazepine, Diazepam, Midazole and Sertraline.
- Preparations for the digestive system, for example, Cisapride.
- Immunosuppressive medicines in the form of Cyclosporin and Tacrolimus.
- Painkillers like Methadone.
- Drugs for erectile dysfunction, for example, Sildenafil (Viagra).
- Antiretroviral medicines (for HIV), for example, Saquinavir.
- Antiarrhythmic drugs in the form of "Amiodarone" and "Disopyramide."
Pressure Medication and Grapefruit
Not so long ago, scientists studied the question of how drugs for high blood pressure (i.e. calcium channel blockers) are compatible with alcohol. In order for no psychological factors to influence the result of the experiment, the specialists decided to mask the taste of the alcoholic drink with white grapefruit juice.
Many side effects
As a result, it suddenly turned out that a pure extract of this product caused much more side effects and overdose symptoms than alcohol. In this regard, henceforth, in the field of medicine and pharmaceuticals, a strong statement has been established that in no case should one take such a fruit with drugs for pressure control.
What is the danger of the interaction of grapefruit and drugs?
What is wrong with grapefruit, why is it dangerous when combined with medicines?
In fact, there is nothing wrong with this fruit. Almost all the components that can affect the use of drugs have a beneficial effect on the human body, and only together with medical products can such a product play a trick on people. It contains:
- Furanocoumarins, which block the work of one of the most important enzymes, due to which a large number of medical drugs are metabolized. As a result, much more pharmaceutical preparations enter the bloodstream than they should actually be, and they have an extremely toxic effect on the body. In order to restore the normal activity of this enzyme, it takes as much as seventy-two hours after consuming grapefruit.
- Flavonoids, also blocking a number of enzymes responsible for the processing of drug components in various organs. The metabolism of drugs slows down significantly. As a result, elevated concentrations of chemicals accumulate in the human body.
Glycoprotein blocking component
There is still an unknown component in this fruit, which blocks the so-called glycoprotein, which is responsible for cleansing cells of unnecessary foreign substances: for example, they throw an excess of drugs. If this component works poorly, then high concentrations of drugs begin to accumulate in the tissues, which can serve the development of toxic poisoning.
How to combine grapefruit and medication?
Should people give up grapefruit?
There are undoubted lovers of grapefruit among us, for whom, if possible, it would be extremely sad to refuse these favorite fruits. Fortunately, pharmacologists believe that such a sacrifice is not necessary. You just need to consume these pleasures or drink such juice four hours before taking the medicine.
It is likely that nectar does not affect a person in such an unfavorable way, but, nevertheless, it is better to remember such a possibility. Some fruits contain the same substances as grapefruits, but, however, in much lower concentrations. Among them, it is worth noting apples along with oranges and pomelo. Therefore, pharmacologists of people warn that it is best not to drink drugs at all with juice.
We examined how to combine grapefruit and medicine.