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The Fruit You Should Avoid If You Take Medication Oscar Wong – Getty Images<\/p>\n
If you’re one of the one in two Americans<\/a> who’s taken prescription medication in the last 30 days, you probably already know that many medicines have side effects. However, it’s also important to keep a watchful eye on interactions\u2014many drugs interact with more than just alcohol<\/a>, including certain foods.<\/p>\n Enter: grapefruit, a breakfast and cocktail staple. As common as grapefruit is, it can have interactions with certain prescription medications and even some over-the-counter drugs. The interactions aren’t commonly discussed, but they’re important to understand for your safety or for the well-being of someone you know who takes medicine.<\/p>\n How does grapefruit interact with medications?<\/p>\n In a nutshell, grapefruit contains compounds called furanocoumarins that block an enzyme in your gut referred to as CYP3A4. “That enzyme breaks down a lot of medications before they enter your bloodstream,” says Jobby John, PharmD<\/a>, the CEO and founder of Nimbus Healthcare<\/a>, “When you eat grapefruit, you’re turning off the guard at the gate, so more of the drug gets through than your body was expecting.”<\/p>\n Additionally, Sarah Oreck, MD, MS<\/a>, a board-certified reproductive psychiatrist and therapist, adds that grapefruit can also inhibit drug transporters in your intestine that help absorb medications. “This means some drugs might not work as well because less gets into your system,” she says. “So depending on the specific medication, grapefruit can either make levels too high or too low.”<\/p>\n For example, consuming grapefruit while taking an interacting statin could result in an increased risk of statin-associated side effects like muscle pains or in the most severe cases, muscle damage and kidney failure caused by having too much medication in the bloodstream, according to Sarah E. Wheeler, PharmD<\/a>, a pharmacist and assistant professor at VCU School of Pharmacy<\/a>. “If the interacting medication is a blood pressure medication, the primary symptom of the interaction would be blood pressure levels dropping too low,” she explains.<\/p>\n What medications have interactions with grapefruit?<\/p>\n Researchers have identified more than 85 drugs<\/a> that react adversely with grapefruit. Some of the most common include:<\/p>\n Cholesterol-lowering statins (like Lipitor or Zocor)<\/p>\n Blood pressure medications (specifically calcium channel blockers)<\/p>\n Anti-anxiety medications (like Buspar)<\/p>\n Erectile dysfunction medications (like Viagra or Cialis)<\/p>\n Immunosuppressants used for conditions like post-transplant care<\/p>\n Certain pain and antihistamine medications<\/p>\n “Not all drugs in these groups are affected,” says Adam Gardner, PharmD<\/a>, a pharmacist and chief operating officer at TelyRx<\/a>. “The interaction is specific to certain medications, not entire drug classes. If you start a new prescription, the safest rule is to always ask your pharmacist whether grapefruit is a concern.”<\/p>\n