What medication 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).
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.
Why is grapefruit not good with medication?
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.
Can I eat grapefruit in the morning and take Lipitor at night?
Grapefruit Juice and Certain Statins Do Not Mix Grapefruit juice and certain statins (used to treat high cholesterol) such as Lipitor (atorvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), and Zocor (simvastatin) do not mix.
How much grapefruit is safe with statins?
Do not drink grapefruit juice if you’re taking simvastatin. Grapefruit juice increases the level of simvastatin in your blood and makes side effects more likely. Atorvastatin interacts with grapefruit juice if you drink large quantities (more than 1.2 litres daily), but an occasional glass is thought to be safe.
Do statins age you faster?
So, while these findings are interesting and potentially important, there’s quite a large leap from these studies of minced fat cells to the conclusion that being treated with statins will lead a person to age prematurely.
How much grapefruit is too much with statins?
How much grapefruit is ok while on certain statins? The exact amount of grapefruit it takes to have a negative reaction when taking lovastatin, atorvastatin, or simvastatin is unknown. Just one grapefruit or one glass of grapefruit juice could be enough to cause an interaction in some people.
Why you should never take statins?
Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis (rab-doe-my-OL-ih-sis). Rhabdomyolysis can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death. The risk of very serious side effects is extremely low, and calculated in a few cases per million people taking statins.
Why is grapefruit bad for heart patients?
Grapefruit juice may enhance drug toxicity for antiarrhythmic agents such as amiodarone, quinidine, disopyramide, or propafenone, and for the congestive heart failure drug, carvediol. Some drugs for the treatment of peripheral or central vascular disease also have the potential to interact with grapefruit juice.
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.
Do bananas interfere with any medications?
Bananas. Don’t eat them if you take ACE inhibitors such as captopril, enalapril and fosinopril among others. ACE inhibitors lower blood pressure and treat heart failure by opening up blood vessels, so blood flows more efficiently.
Can you eat oranges with blood pressure medication?
However, eating too many potassium-rich foods like bananas, oranges and green, leafy vegetables can be problematic if a person is taking ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Designed to lower blood pressure, these medications also reduce potassium excretion via urination.
Are eggs bad for high blood pressure?
Eggs are also a well-known source of protein which is perfect for breakfast. Egg whites are especially good for high blood pressure. You can prepare scrambled eggs and add some vegetables to it.
Is peanut butter good for high blood pressure?
Peanuts and peanut butter can lower your blood pressure, but it’s worth noting that you should use a low fat or low sodium variety. Many peanut butters are loaded with sodium and trans fats, which can increase your blood pressure.
Is cheese bad for high blood pressure?
Cheese is a great source of protein and calcium but is often high in saturated fat and salt. This means eating too much could lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).