How Does Grapefruit Affect Calcium Channel Blockers?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

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

.

What can you not take with verapamil?

Some products that may interact with this drug include:

aliskiren

, clonidine, disopyramide, dofetilide, dolasetron, fingolimod, lithium. Other medications can affect the removal of verapamil from your body, which may affect how verapamil works.

Can I eat grapefruit while taking verapamil?

You

should avoid consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice as much as possible during treatment with verapamil

. If you have been regularly consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice with verapamil, do not increase or decrease the amounts of these products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.

Does grapefruit interfer with blood pressure medication?

Though

grapefruit does not interfere with most blood pressure medications

, it can cause a few medications to overcorrect blood pressure.

What drugs should not be taken with 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).

Should verapamil be taken at night?

The regular tablet is usually taken three to four times a day. 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

.

Does verapamil make you gain weight?

We conclude that propranolol, gabapentin, atenolol, verapamil and valproate

affect body weight

in a modest percentage of patients at 6 months. A greater mean weight gain at 6 months was found in patients treated with pizotifen, amitriptyline, and, in one patient out of 13, with propranolol.

What blood pressure meds should not be taken with grapefruit?

  • Some statin drugs to lower cholesterol, such as Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin).
  • Some drugs that treat high blood pressure, such as Procardia and Adalat CC (both nifedipine).

What should you not take with blood pressure medicine?

  • Atenolol. …
  • Furosemide (Lasix) …
  • Nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia) …
  • Terazosin (Hytrin) and Prazosin (Minipress) …
  • Hydralazine (Apresoline) …
  • Clonidine (Catapres)

What fruit should be avoided if an individual is taking a statin medication?


Grapefruit

and statins: Eating grapefruit, either the fruit itself or as juice, can slow the body’s ability to metabolize statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, which include Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor.

How long should you wait to eat grapefruit after taking medication?

This makes it more likely that you will have side effects from the medicine. 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 eat grapefruit in the morning and take Lipitor at night?

How much grapefruit is okay when taking statins like Lipitor? To be on the safe side, many researchers suggest

you avoid consuming grapefruit entirely when taking statins such as Lipitor

.

Which medicines should not be taken together?

  • Dangerous duo: Tylenol and multi-symptom cold medicines. …
  • Dangerous duo: Any combo of ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. …
  • Dangerous duo: Antihistamines and motion-sickness medications. …
  • Dangerous duo: Anti-diarrheal medicine and calcium supplements. …
  • Dangerous duo: St.

Is verapamil bad for your heart?

Important warnings. Heart problems warning:

Avoid taking verapamil if you have serious damage to the left side of your heart

or moderate to severe heart failure. Also, avoid taking it if you have any degree of heart failure and are receiving a beta blocker drug.

Can I drink coffee with verapamil?

Verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan) can decrease how quickly the body gets rid of caffeine. Taking caffeine along with verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan) can

increase the risk of side effects for

caffeine including jitteriness, headache, and an increased heartbeat.

Why was verapamil recalled?

This recall is due to

an impurity, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)

, which was found in the recalled products.

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.