Can I Eat Grapefruit While Taking Verapamil?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Can I eat grapefruit while taking verapamil? Notes for Consumers:

Avoid taking Verapamil with grapefruit juice

. Grapefruit juice and grapefruit-containing foods may increase the effects of Verapamil. If your heart rate or blood pressure drops too low while taking this medicine, you may become dizzy or feel faint; do not stand or sit up too quickly.

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What happens if you eat grapefruit on verapamil?

verapamil food

Grapefruit juice can

increase the blood levels and effects of verapamil

. Contact your doctor if you experience sudden, unexplained weight gain; swelling of the hands, ankles, or feet; chest pain; or difficulty breathing.

What can you not take with verapamil?

Verapamil can slow down the removal of other medications from your body, which may affect how they work. Examples of affected drugs include

asunaprevir, colchicine, flibanserin, ivabradine, lomitapide, midazolam, triazolam

, among others. Some products have ingredients that could raise your heart rate or blood pressure.

Can you eat grapefruit with blood pressure medicine?

They’re used as part of the treatment of conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and coronary heart disease.

Grapefruit juice interacts with some calcium channel blockers and increases the level of the medicine in your blood

.

Can you eat grapefruit with calcium channel blockers?


Avoid grapefruit products while taking certain calcium channel blockers

. Grapefruit juice interacts with the drug and can affect heart rate and blood pressure. This can cause symptoms such as headaches and dizziness.

Does verapamil cause weight gain?

If you are taking it for high blood pressure, you should continue taking this medication even if you feel fine as high blood pressure often has no symptoms. Can verapamil cause weight gain?

Yes, but it is usually water weight

.

Can I take vitamin D with verapamil?

Verapamil (Verelan, Calan SR).


Taking high doses of vitamin D with this blood pressure drug can cause hypercalcemia, and might also reduce the effectiveness of verapamil

.

Why should you avoid grapefruit juice while taking verapamil?

Grapefruit juice

may increase verapamil blood levels

. The importance of this interaction regarding verapamil effectiveness and side effects is unknown.

What does verapamil do to the heart?

Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker. It works by affecting the movement of calcium into the cells of the heart and blood vessels. As a result, verapamil

relaxes blood vessels and increases the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart while reducing its workload

.

Is verapamil a good blood pressure medicine?


Verapamil is used to treat high blood pressure

. Lowering high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks, and kidney problems. Verapamil belongs to a class of drugs known as calcium channel blockers. It works by relaxing blood vessels so blood can flow more easily.

What fruits interfere with high blood pressure medication?

People taking ACE inhibitors or ARBs should limit their intake of high-potassium foods like

bananas, oranges, avocados, tomatoes, white and sweet potatoes and dried fruits —, especially apricots

.

What medicines prevent you from eating grapefruit?

Examples of common medications that interact with grapefruit juice include certain statin cholesterol drugs such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin, simvastatin (Zocor), felodipine (Plendil) and other calcium channel blockers, clarithromycin (Biaxin), and loratadine (Claritin).

Does grapefruit raise blood pressure?

Citrus fruits, including grapefruit, oranges, and lemons,

may have powerful blood-pressure-lowering effects

. They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that may help keep your heart healthy by reducing heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure ( 4 ).

Are calcium channel blockers safe for long term use?

In general,

calcium channel blockers taken by mouth are safe for long-term use

. In many cases, you can take them indefinitely. However, you should never stop taking them suddenly without talking to your healthcare provider.

Do calcium channel blockers cause weight gain?

Side effects from taking calcium channel blockers are usually fairly mild, but may include:

Weight gain

. Swelling in the lower legs, feet, or ankles.

Is verapamil a beta blocker?

Abstract. Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker widely used as an antihypertensive agent, and

its pharmacological effects may partly be due to some degree of beta blockade

.

Does verapamil affect memory?

However, verapamil in both used doses,

improved memory deficit

in the elevated plus maze task and passive avoidance test, reversed the increased acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and preserved the mouse brain from the oxidative stress induced by scopolamine (Ponne et al., 2019).

Can verapamil cause hair loss?

Respiratory: dyspnea. Skin: arthralgia and rash, exanthema,

hair loss

, hyperkeratosis, maculae, sweating, urticaria, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme. Special Senses: blurred vision, tinnitus. Urogenital: gynecomastia, impotence, increased urination, spotty menstruation.

Is it better to take verapamil in the morning or at night?

The extended-release tablets and capsules are usually taken once or twice a day. Take verapamil at around the same time(s) every day.

Certain verapamil products should be taken in the morning and others at bedtime

. Ask your doctor what the best time is for you to take your medication.

Can I drink milk with verapamil?

Long Acting Capsule, Tablet, Long Acting Tablet

Take your medicine as directed. Your dose may need to be changed several times to find what works best for you.

It is best to take this medicine with food or milk

.

Can you take Tylenol with verapamil?

Interactions between your drugs


No interactions were found between Tylenol and verapamil

. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.

Can I take calcium supplements with verapamil?


Supplemental calcium may decrease the effects of calcium channel blockers

, such as nifedipine (Procardia), verapamil (Calan SR, Verelan), diltiazem (Cardizem, Cartia XT, others) and others. In fact, calcium is delivered through an IV line to help reverse a calcium channel blocker overdose.

What is the side effects of verapamil?

  • Blue lips and fingernails.
  • chest pain.
  • coughing that sometimes produces a pink frothy sputum.
  • difficult, fast, noisy breathing, sometimes with wheezing.
  • dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up from a lying or sitting position suddenly.
  • lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting.
  • shortness of breath.

Can you drink wine on verapamil?


Yes, you can usually drink alcohol with verapamil

. However, it’s best to not drink alcohol for the first few days when you start taking verapamil or if your doctor increases your dose. Wait until you know how the medicine affects you. This is because drinking alcohol can increase the effects of verapamil.

What does verapamil do for migraines?

Studies have shown that verapamil may be effective in the preventive treatment of migraine and cluster headache patients. Verapamil is a calcium blocker that may work by

preventing the constriction of the blood vessels prior to the migraine attack

.

What foods to avoid while taking calcium channel blockers?

Do not eat

grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice

while you’re taking a calcium channel blocker. Avoid alcohol because it can change how calcium channel blockers work and make the side effects worse. Your doctor needs to know about all the medications you’re taking, to avoid problems with calcium channel blockers.

Does verapamil help heart palpitations?

Five patients improved subjectively, with a marked decrease in the sensation of palpitations during intake of increasing doses of verapamil. The study indicates that

chronic oral treatment with verapamil may sometimes relieve the subjective sensation of palpitations in patients with atrial fibrillation

.

Does verapamil cause congestive heart failure?


Verapamil can cause cardiac failure

, because it has a potent negative inotropic effect and causes increased capillary filtration pressure by vasodilatation (1).

Is 120 mg of verapamil a lot?

Does verapamil make you pee more?

Verapamil

increased the tidal voided urine volume

, the pressure at which micturition was induced, and the end-point pressure of micturition, and reduced the voiding in obstructed and control bladders.

Is verapamil being discontinued?


Mylan discontinued verapamil extended-release tablets in June 2021

. Pfizer has Calan SR tablets available.

When should you not eat grapefruit?

What should I avoid while taking blood pressure medication?

  • Decongestants, such as those that contain pseudoephedrine.
  • Pain medicines (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen.
  • Cold and influenza medicines. These often contain decongestants and NSAIDs.
  • Some antacids and other stomach medicines. …
  • Some natural health products.

How long after eating grapefruit can I take medication?

Interactions can happen

up to three days

after eating or drinking grapefruit. This means you cannot drink grapefruit juice in the morning and take your medications later in the day to stop possible medicine interactions.

Can I drink coffee while taking verapamil?

Side effects from Caffeine may get worse if you take Verapamil. Too much Caffeine can cause effects like nausea, nervousness, or sleeplessness.

You may need to limit your Caffeine intake

. Common foods and beverages containing caffeine include coffee, teas, colas and chocolate.

Can you drink wine on verapamil?


Yes, you can usually drink alcohol with verapamil

. However, it’s best to not drink alcohol for the first few days when you start taking verapamil or if your doctor increases your dose. Wait until you know how the medicine affects you. This is because drinking alcohol can increase the effects of verapamil.

Sophia Kim
Author
Sophia Kim
Sophia Kim is a food writer with a passion for cooking and entertaining. She has worked in various restaurants and catering companies, and has written for several food publications. Sophia's expertise in cooking and entertaining will help you create memorable meals and events.