1/13/2024 0 Comments Eating grapefruit and medicationsWhen being prescribed any medication it's important to inform your physician of all medications you're currently taking - prescription, over-the-counter and dietary supplements - to read the patient information material that comes with the medication and to ask about potential interactions, Gerbstadt says. Calcium supplements, for example, may decrease the absorption of dietary iron, which is why people at high risk for iron deficiency are encouraged to take calcium supplements at bedtime, instead of with meals. "Most supplements have the exact same chemicals and ingredients as pharmaceutical drugs but simply in a naturally occurring form or lower dose," she says.ĭrugs, of course, can have negative interactions with other drugs, and the same can be true of supplements. "Often, people think that herbal supplements are benign and don't have interactions, and that's absolutely false," says Christine Gerbstadt, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dietary supplements (which also include vitamins, minerals and herbs) can likewise interfere with how some medications work. In December, a team at the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center published a paper about ongoing efforts to create a grapefruit hybrid with significantly reduced interaction risk.Ĭoncerns about the interactions between foods and drugs are not limited to prescription medications. There's more attention than ever before being paid to reducing interactions between food and drugs, Derendorf says, and researchers are focused on finding safe alternatives, removing the chemical compounds that cause interactions, and in some cases, changing the genetic makeup of foods so that they do not interfere with medications. Sweet oranges, such as navel and Valencia, do not contain furanocoumarins. These include Seville oranges (often used in marmalade), limes and tangelos, a cross between tangerines and grapefruit. In all such cases there are alternative medications available that will not interact with grapefruit and the other citrus fruits that contain furanocoumarins, the culprit behind the "grapefruit juice effect," Derendorf says. "For other drugs such as the antihistamine fexofenadine (Allegra), grapefruit juice blocks the uptake into the bloodstream and the concentrations in blood will go down." An example is the lipid-lowering drug simvastatin (Zocor)," says Derendorf. "If the drug is metabolized in the gut wall to a large extent and this metabolism is blocked, then the concentrations in the blood will go up. Derendorf was not involved in the Canadian review. It's been known for some time that grapefruit juice can "both increase or decrease the absorption of a small number of drugs," says Hartmut Derendorf, chairman of pharmaceutics at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Even some licorice can reduce the effects of certain blood pressure drugs and diuretics.Ī recently published review in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that found an increasing number of prescription drugs could have potentially dangerous interactions with grapefruit and grapefruit juice highlights the importance of consumers being aware of possible food and drug interactions. And eating large quantities of chocolate while taking some antidepressants can cause a sharp rise in blood pressure. Milk and other calcium products, for example, can block the absorption of certain antibiotics. But attention to medical labels, and not your taste buds, is needed when combining certain foods with medications. From milk and cookies to chocolate and peanut butter, some foods make a tasty combination.
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