Why should you not eat grapefruit with blood pressure medicine

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interact with Amlodipine. Amlodipine is broken down by enzymes (CYP3A4) in the lower intestine. People have varying levels of these enzymes in their body, so eating grapefruit can affect people differently, even when they both take Amlodipine. Eating grapefruit can block the action of these essential enzymes. Blocking these enzymes causes the drug to stay around for longer, allowing too much Amlodipine to enter your bloodstream. These higher levels of Amlodipine mean more potent effects of the drug and more substantial side effects.

What happens if I eat grapefruit while taking Amlodipine?

Eating grapefruit while on Amlodipine can cause the same side effects as if you were taking a much higher dose of the drug. Severe cases of dizziness, headaches, vomiting, joint pain, tiredness are possible, as well as liver and muscle damage leading to kidney failure in severe cases.

Can I eat citrus fruit while taking Amlodipine?

Grapefruits are the primary fruit to avoid when taking Amlodipine, including red, pink, white and or Blanco varieties. Seville oranges (used in orange marmalade), pomelos and tangelos (a cross between tangerines and grapefruits) may also have similar effects, so it is best to avoid these fruits when taking Amlodipine.

Sources

FDA- https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm292276.htm

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Why should you not eat grapefruit with blood pressure medicine

Grapefruit might not be a healthy breakfast option if you take these meds. ~ iStock

Grapefruit is one of the best breakfast foods to burn fat, as well as being an excellent source of vitamin C.  But be aware that your grapefruit or grapefruit juice can affect the way some medications work, especially those used to treat high blood pressure or irregular heart rhythm.

Those are the findings based on research done by Dr Ingrid van Heerden, published in a Health24 article.

The effects of grapefruit on some medications are so far-reaching that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires some prescription and over-the-counter drugs taken by mouth to include warnings against drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit while taking the drug.

Why can it be dangerous?

In most types of medications that interact with grapefruit juice, "the juice lets more of the drug enter the blood. When there is too much drug in the blood, you may have more side effects," the FDA's Shiew Mei Huang said in an agency news release.

Drugs that can be affected by grapefruit include:

  • Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin)
  • High blood pressure drugs, such as Procardia and Adalat CC (both nifedipine)
  • Organ-transplant rejection drugs, such as Sandimmune and Neoral (both cyclosporine).
  • Anti-anxiety drugs, such as buspirone
  • Corticosteroids used to treat Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, such as Entocort EC and Uceris (both budesonide)
  • Drugs used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, such as Pacerone and Nexterone (both amiodarone)
  • Some antihistamines, such as Allegra (fexofenadine)

Grapefruit juice doesn't affect all drugs in the listed categories. And, the severity of the interaction can differ depending on the person, the drug and the amount of grapefruit juice consumed, the FDA said.

Better safe than sorry

Read all information provided with your medications and talk to your doctor, pharmacist or other health care provider to find out if a medication is affected by grapefruit juice, or how much, if any, grapefruit juice you can have. Also, check to see if any other fruits or juices may affect your medication in a similar way to grapefruit juice.

Read more:

Grapefruit ups breast risk

How grapefruit can affect medications

Mixing grapefruit with meds could be deadly

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What blood pressure meds should not be taken with grapefruit?

Here are examples of some types of drugs that grapefruit juice can cause problems (interact) with: 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).

Why does grapefruit affect blood pressure medication?

Calcium channel blockers 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 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.

How does grapefruit affect high blood pressure?

Grapefruit juice enhances the systolic blood pressure-lowering effects of dietary nitrate-containing beetroot juice. Br J Clin Pharmacol.