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“When I say sudden death, I’m not being sensational,” said Dr. David Bailey, a clinical pharmacologist who is the head author of the study linking grapefruits to health risks for those on meds.
According to Dr. Bailey's research, 26 drugs introduced in the last four years have proven to cause serious side-effects when interacting with grapefruit juice. More than 85 drugs have been identified so far -- any of them for heart issues -- that are impacted by grapefruit, though not all have serious health risks.
But for the worst cases, respiratory failure, kidney failure, gastric bleeding, and even death can occur. Bailey comments:
"What I’ve seen has been disturbing. It’s hard to avoid putting a drug out on the market that is not affected by grapefruit juice."
What is so "bad" about grapefruit? Some citrus fruits like limes, pomelos, and grapefruits contain organic chemical compounds called furanocoumarins. These compounds help concentrate the effects of the medication in the system, something usually regulated in our own bodies by an enzyme called CYP3A4. Furanocoumarins "knock out" this important enzyme, leaving the meds to accumulate to sometimes toxic levels within the bloodstream. The result: an effect similar to being over-medicated.
While medications with such risks are supposed to carry warning labels, Dr. Bailey thinks doctors and patients are not taking the risk seriously enough: "Basically, most people are sort of aware of grapefruit juice drug interactions, but I don’t think it’s in the forefront of their mind on a regular basis."
You can read a list of the drugs that interact with grapefruit here.
Via NBC News
When I had my kidney transplant operation in 2004, I was prescribed a blood pressure medication that says I can't have grapefruit juice while taking the medication. I've heeded that warning ever since, and I guess I'm much better off.
ReplyDeleteI'm on two blood pressure medications because a side effect of the anti-rejection drugs I take is high blood pressure due to shrunken capillaries. The anti-rejection drugs are necessary because my body's immune system considers the kidney as a harmful presence.
I also can't smoke marijuana because it stops the anti-rejection drugs from working. I never smoked before the transplant, and I have no plans to start at any point in the future.
Thanks for sharing that. I was on a heart med several years back that was on that list, and was never given a warning about grapefruit; it makes me wonder if not knowing about the risks led to some complications, as I would drink grapefruit juice from time-to-time. Now I just plain stay away from the fruit as a precaution. :-)
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