Grapefruit Drug Interactions
Zoloft, Xanax, Birth Control Interaction

Grapefruit Drug Interactions have been discussed in numerous reports and studies. Some doctors believe the following drugs should be used with caution with grapefruit: Zoloft, Valium, Wellbutrin, Allegra, Flomax and Singulair. There are also many other less known drugs that appear in lists as possibly having undesired effects when taken in a time period that grapefruit is also consumed.

A mayo clinic nutritionist has written that grapefruit and some citrus fruit may interfere with the enzymes that metabolize medication in your digestive system. This could lead to unintended levels of the medication in your system and harmful side effects. Patients are strongly advised to check with their doctor about eating or drinking grapefruit and citrus while taking medication.

Statins and Grapefruit Juice


There has also been detailed study and research about the combination of grapefruit juice and statins. Consuming grapefruit, either whole or as juice, around the time of taking statin medication may result in unexpected levels of the drug in the body. The metabolism of the statins could be adversely impacted and there may be unexpected effects to the liver and kidneys.

As with any concerns about medications and health, always check with your doctor or physician when you have concerns. This interaction between grapefruit and drugs has been studied and researched and there are many articles available. However, the best information is always the advise you obtain directly from your doctor.

Pharmacy Technician and Grapefruit Juice Drug Interactions


If you are planning to become a Pharmacy Technician, or already are a CPhT, having knowledge of the possible complications between certain drugs and grapefruit will certainly be helpful in your career and in helping your customers. The list of drugs that may have unexpected results when taken with grapefruit is relatively large so you are likely to have customers that may ask questions regarding this issue.

A large part of the work of a Pharmacy Technician is helping customers with questions about medication and drugs. Some customers may have heard about the studies on grapefruit and medication and will have questions. Others may not be aware of the various articles and research pertaining to drugs and grapefruit and as a Pharmacy Tech you may decide to inform them about these possible issues. As Pharmacy Techs are not doctors, it is likely best to simply inform customers of these possible grapefruit drug interactions and suggest that they ask their doctor for definitive answers.

Part of the "reward" in the role as a Pharmacy Technician is forming bonds with customers and receiving thanks for helping them in unexpected ways. Simply knowing about the possible issues with grapefruit and some medicine may help you form a special bond with some of your customers and they are sure to notice that you brought it to their attention.

We hope this information has been informative. There are numerous resources on the web that go into deeper medical anaylsis of grapefruit drug interactions. The Mayo Clinic and Wikipedia are examples of a well regarded medical site and a publicly edited site that have more information on this topic.



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