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Friday, December 21, 2012

Grapefruit juice - drug interactions can be deadly


A breakfast favorite can be dangerous to your health.
 
Plainfield Today readers who enjoy grapefruit or grapefruit juice and who are also on prescription medications for a variety of conditions will want to know about the potential deadly effects of interactions between many drugs and the tasty citrus fruit.

A story in yesterday's New York Times (see here) highlighted the issue and was called to my attention by a reader.

As it happens, I have been washing down my morning doses of five prescription drugs with a 6 oz. glass of grapefruit juice for months now -- and two of my prescriptions (Amlodipine and Losartan) are among those negatively affected by grapefruit.


Dr. David Bailey, a Canadian researcher cited in the story has studied the interaction for many years and has a printable updated list of 85 drugs available online (see here, PDF).

If you are taking prescription medications for a variety of conditions -- high blood pressure, diabetes management, urinary tract and gastrointestinal issues and many other treatments -- and also enjoy grapefruit or grapefruit juice, you will want to read this timely article and check your meds against the list.


-- Dan Damon [follow]

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3 comments:

Maria Pellum, Plainfield Resident said...

Dan,

The sad thing is that it is rare the doctor that warns the patient about this interaction, not sure it is because they are busy or because they simply don't believe on natural ingredients working against their prescriptions. Glad you brought attention to this issue, while I am still under no meds of any kind I know that one day I just might :-) Thanks!

Bob said...

Hi Dan,

I love grapefruit juice, but also take blood pressure meds, so I can't imbibe. It will also negate other drugs or worse. I hope this helps get the word out, as this has been known for many years.

Anonymous said...

Yes Dan
I had a reaction to it was in ICU unit for 2 Days