WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Some things just don't go well together because of harmful interactions. That mixing alcohol with medications is dangerous is well known, thanks to the publicity about the dangers of the deadly cocktail. But another dangerous combination, which many may not have known, is drinking grapefruit juice several hours before or several hours after taking a medicine.
The grapefruit juice is known to increase the absorption of certain drugs into the bloodstream, thereby leading to more adverse events.
According to Shiew Mei Huang, acting director of the FDA's Office of Clinical Pharmacology, the following are some types of drugs that grapefruit juice can interact with :
* some statin drugs to lower cholesterol, such as Zocor (simvastatin), Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Pravachol (pravastatin) * some blood pressure-lowering drugs, such as Nifediac and Afeditab (both nifedipine) * some organ transplant rejection drugs, such as Sandimmune and Neoral (both cyclosporine) * some anti-anxiety drugs, such as BuSpar (buspirone) * some anti-arrhythmia drugs, such as Cordarone and Nexterone (both amiodarone) and * some antihistamines, such as Allegra (fexofenadine).
For example, in the case of statin drugs, if too much of the drug stays in the body, it increases the risk for liver damage and muscle breakdown that can lead to kidney failure, warns the FDA in a statement.
However, on a few other drugs, grapefruit juice has been found to reduce the absorption of the drug, thereby decreasing its effectiveness. For example, the drug Allegra, which is available in both prescription and non-prescription forms to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergies, is less effective if taken with grapefruit juice. Some of the drugs like Allegra carry a label that states 'do not take with fruit juices.'
Some prescription drugs have been required by the FDA to carry labels that warn against consuming grapefruit juice or fresh grapefruit while using the drug. And the agency's current research into drug and grapefruit juice interaction may result in label changes for other drugs as well, says Huang.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX