Grapefruit Juice and Medication
added 02/06/08
by Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D.
Many everyday foods can affect the way the body uses certain medications. For example, dairy foods can interfere with certain antibiotics, and the vitamin K found in green leafy vegetables can impede the blood-thinning effect of warfarin.
Blood levels of certain prescription medications can be increased by grapefruit juice up to 72 hours after it has been consumed. This occurs because natural components in the juice, called furanocoumarins, inhibit the activity of certain enzymes. Normally, these enzymes break down medications in the intestines, before they get into the blood stream. The grapefruit furanocoumarins interfere with this normal enzyme activity, allowing more active medication than expected to enter the blood stream. This interference can lead to increased blood levels of the medication with related side effects.
According to researchers:
1. Most prescription drugs do not interact with grapefruit or grapefruit juice. Those that may lead to interactions with grapefruit juice are primarily limited to certain immunosuppressants, statins, calcium-channel blockers, hormones, antihistamines, HIV and psychiatric medications.
2. Within each drug class, non-interacting alternative medications exist that should provide the same therapeutic effect as those that are affected by grapefruit juice.
3. Consumption of grapefruit and grapefruit juice is safe while taking any over-the-counter, non-prescription medication.
4. Patients with any questions about their prescribed medications should consult with their pharmacist or doctor.
For more information:
- Putting Drug Interactions with Grapefruit Juice in Perspective in Pharmacy Times, a peer-reviewed publication for pharmacists
Seen the Co-op Cafe Gallery?
The Co-op Café Gallery came into being in 2002 with a whisper rather than a roar. The Co-op’s Lebanon Food Store had just expanded, using a pleasant open area in a retail footprint previously occupied by another business. From the beginning, the new space seemed perfect—except for its empty walls. So to fill those walls, old Co-op banners, posters, and other promotional materials from days gone by were dug out and put up as a temporary solution. The bright light of the space meshed well with the vibrant colors of the graphic design, and the idea of an art gallery was born.
Killdeer Farm
Spinach from Liz and Jake Guest’s Killdeer Farm is often one of the the first Upper Valley-grown vegetables to arrive at the Co-op in the spring—and it keeps on coming, fresh and tender, into November. The Guests’ skill and passion for farming stems from the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s. They sell certified-organic arugula, varieties of red and green lettuce, cilantro, carrots, and potatoes to the Co-op as part of their diversified farm operation.
