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Does Grapefruit Juice and Medicine Mix?

By Submitted

03/16/2018

Grapefruit juice and the actual grapefruit can be part of a healthful diet—most of the time. It has vitamin C and potassium—substances your body needs to work properly. But it is not good for you when it affects the way your medicines work.

For example, if you drink a lot of grapefruit juice while taking certain statin drugs to lower cholesterol, too much of the drug may stay in your body, increasing your risk for liver damage and muscle break-down that can lead to kidney failure.

Drinking grapefruit juice several hours before or several hours after you take your medicine may still be dangerous. It is best to avoid or limit consuming grapefruit juice or fresh grapefruit when taking certain drugs.

Ask your pharmacist or other health care professional if you can have fresh grapefruit or grapefruit juice while using your medication. Read the medication guide or patient information sheet that comes with your prescription drug to find out if grapefruit juice affects your drug.

Also, read the label on an over the counter drug, which will say whether you shouldn’t have grapefruit or other fruit juices with it.

For more information, see this Food and Drug Administration Consumer Update at

http://1.usa.gov/wE27vZ.

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