Mixing the prescription painkiller oxycodone with grapefruit can cause serious breathing problems, and adding the fruit to a dose of the popular statin simvastatin, or Zocor, can lead to
rhabdomyolysis
, a breakdown of muscle fibers that can lead to kidney damage.
Why can't you eat grapefruit with opioids?
Drinking grapefruit juice regularly while taking
opioids could increase the bioavailability of the opioid
. Some people who abuse opioids may attempt to do this to increase the psychoactive effects of the drug. This practice can be potentially dangerous.
Can you eat grapefruit if you're taking oxycodone?
Avoid eating grapefruit
or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medication unless your doctor or pharmacist says you may do so safely. Grapefruit can increase the chance of side effects with this medicine.
What prescription 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).
Does grapefruit juice increase the effects of opioids?
An opioid potentiator is any substance that is taken in combination with opioids to enhance their effects. Potentiators interact with opioids in the blood to cause various reactions. For example, orange juice and grapefruit juice
have been shown to increase the effects of opioids like oxycodone
.
What are the side effects of eating grapefruit?
It showed that grapefruit can increase these drugs' effects, resulting in
excessive drowsiness
( 12 ). Eating grapefruit while taking the mood-related medications above can result in heart rhythm changes, excessive sleepiness, and other drug-specific effects.
Why is grapefruit bad for high blood pressure?
Grapefruit contains compounds that may interfere with how your body absorbs some drugs
, including some blood pressure medicines. It can leave too much or too little of the drug in your bloodstream, which may be dangerous. Always ask your doctor or pharmacist if grapefruit could affect the medicine you're taking.
Does grapefruit intensify high?
Compounds in grapefruit called
furanocoumarin chemicals are the cause of the increased medication potency
. These chemicals interact with the cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) enzyme, found in the small intestine and liver, which partially inactivates many medications under normal circumstances.
Why can't you eat grapefruit with certain meds?
Many drugs are broken down (metabolized) with the help of a vital enzyme called CYP3A4 in the small intestine. Grapefruit juice
can block the action of intestinal CYP3A4
, so instead of being metabolized, more of the drug enters the blood and stays in the body longer. The result: too much drug in your body.
How long after eating grapefruit can I take 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.
What fruit should be avoided if an individual is taking a statin medication?
With some statins, drinking
grapefruit juice
, or eating grapefruit, is a bad idea. Grapefruit juice can cause that statin to stay in your body much longer, and the drug can build up. This can increase the risk of muscle breakdown, liver damage, and even kidney failure.
Does grapefruit lower blood pressure?
1. Citrus fruits. 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 ).
Does grapefruit juice make Viagra work better?
Conclusions: Grapefruit juice
increases sildenafil bioavailability and tends to delay sildenafil absorption
. Sildenafil pharmacokinetics may become less predictable with grapefruit juice.
Does grapefruit help lose belly fat?
Sorry, but
grapefruit doesn't burn fat
. There have been a few studies about grapefruit and weight loss. In one, obese people who ate half a grapefruit before meals for 12 weeks lost more weight than those who didn't eat or drink any grapefruit products.
What happens if you eat a grapefruit everyday?
Regularly consuming grapefruit is thought to
improve heart health
by reducing risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. In one study, people who ate grapefruit three times daily for six weeks experienced significant reductions in blood pressure over the course of the study.
What are the benefits of eating grapefruit?
Like many citrus fruits, grapefruit is loaded
with vitamin C
, a nutrient shown to help boost your body's immune system. Grapefruit is also loaded with Vitamin A, another vitamin that has been proven to help immune function. This powerful combination could help keep the amount of time you spend sick to a minimum.
