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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice are packed with vitamin C and potassium, but health experts say they can interfere with several kinds of prescription medications. Grapefruit season is well underway in the United States. But author Caroline Moss claimed in a recent tweet that people taking antidepressants may want to steer clear of the citrus fruit. Moss also suggests that medical professionals in the U.S. are not required to inform people that they should avoid eating grapefruit if they are taking certain medications. THE QUESTION Can grapefruit negatively interact with some medications? THE SOURCES U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Harvard HealthMayo ClinicDr. Christine Cadiz, assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences at the University of California Irvine THE ANSWER Yes, grapefruit can negatively interact with some medications. WHAT WE FOUND Harvard Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Mayo Clinic all say grapefruit can interfere with several kinds of prescription medications. According to the FDA, many drugs are broken down, or metabolized, with the help of an enzyme called CYP3A4 in the small intestine. The FDA says grapefruit juice can block the action of intestinal CYP3A4, “so instead of being metabolized, more of the drug enters the blood and stays in the body longer.” This could result in a person having too much of the drug in their body. “A medication that's broken down too quickly won't have time to work,” Katherine Zeratsky from the Mayo Clinic writes. “On the other hand, a medication that stays in the body too long may build up to potentially dangerous levels.” The FDA says grapefruit can also lessen the body’s absorption of certain medications. “Although scientists have known for several decades that grapefruit juice can cause too much of certain drugs in the body, more recent studies have found that
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