In that case, you could have less of the drug in your bloodstream than what you need, so the drug might not be effective for its intended purpose. Of the statins, atorvastatin, lovastatin and. As a result, the drug stays in the blood and accumulates, increasing the risk of side effects such as muscle pain. Consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice can inhibit an enzyme that’s necessary for statins to be metabolized, Qato cautions. On the flipside, it can also block absorption of certain drugs in your intestines. Grapefruit and cholesterol-lowering drugs.
If that happens, it increases the risk of experiencing a side effect from that drug. First, grapefruit can block a key drug-metabolizing enzyme in your body, which in turn could lead to an increase in the blood levels of certain drugs. Grapefruit and medication could cause problems in two ways. Here's how to know if you can safely enjoy grapefruit with your medication. Both grapefruit juice and the fruit itself can interact with more than 50 drugs-such as cholesterol-lowering statins, high blood pressure medications, and allergy drugs-raising the risk of side effects and other problems.
February is National Grapefruit Month, but before you down a glass of the juice in celebration, be sure to check whether it's safe to pair grapefruit with the medication you take.
