We all know that eating more fruits and vegetables is good for health, not to mention that grapefruit can consume food and lose weight, so many people often use grapefruit as a fruit after tea and dinner.
Not only that, but grapefruit juice and grapefruit tea are also very popular drinks. However, not everyone is suitable for eating and drinking grapefruit juice, what is the specific reason? Here's the answer.
First, the "nemesis of drugs" - grapefruit
Among the many fruits, grapefruit can be said to be the biggest nemesis of drugs, which will not only make the drug lose its efficacy, but also make some drugs become "poison", which will be fatal when severe!
In daily life, for patients who need to take medication for diseases, especially for patients with cardiovascular diseases, although sometimes the drugs will inevitably be taken with food, this must not include grapefruit and grapefruit juice.
In the hospital, grapefruit and grapefruit juice have long been included in the "blacklist" of cardiologists, who will warn patients that they must not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice during the period of taking antihypertensive drugs or lipid-lowering drugs.
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This is because many of the drugs we take are catabolized in the liver, and in this process require the participation of enzymes in the liver, which we collectively refer to as cytochrome P450 enzymes.
Whether it is grapefruit or grapefruit juice, in addition to causing changes in the activity of these enzymes, resulting in an increase or decrease in the concentration of drugs in the body, the consequences are drug failure or adverse reactions, but also by increasing the absorption of oral drugs and reducing the metabolic effect of the intestinal wall to increase the efficacy of oral drugs.
In more detail, in fact, the real culprit is a component called furan coumarin contained in grapefruit, which has been found to have a very strong inhibitory effect on cytochrome P450 enzyme, which can affect many drugs metabolized by this enzyme, such as the antihypertensive drug felodipine, if you eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice at the same time, the antihypertensive effect of nonlodipine will be significantly enhanced.
2. What drugs should be avoided with grapefruit? What are the possible consequences of serving together?
In clinical work, patients are urgently sent to the hospital for rescue due to grapefruit and medication, so there are so many drugs, which drugs should be avoided with grapefruit? What are the consequences if I accidentally take it together? Today, the author has already helped you sort it out.
1. Antihypertensive drugs
From the perspective of frequency of use, the most prone to take accidents with grapefruit is antihypertensive drugs, such as felodipine, nitrodipine, nifedipine and verapamil in antihypertensive drugs, etc., should pay attention to avoid taking with grapefruit, once taken together may cause blood pressure to drop too low, patients may appear dizziness, fatigue and other symptoms, the elderly are easy to lead to falls.
2. Lipid-lowering drugs
Usually statin lipid-lowering drugs such as lovastatin, atorvastatin, and simvastatin, etc., can easily lead to liver function impairment and rhabdomyolysis.
3. Drugs for dilating cerebral blood vessels
As with nimodipine, concomitant administration may cause cerebrovascular ischemic attacks and lead to dizziness.
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4. Anti-epileptic drugs
For example, carbamazepine, taking it together may cause carbamazepine poisoning, causing muscle tremors, tics, rapid heartbeat and shock.
5. Anti-arrhythmic drugs
Mainly amiodarone, co-administration may induce new arrhythmias and even AV block and cardiac arrest.
6. Sedative hypnotics
Such as diazepam, triazolam, etc., the same administration may enhance the sedative hypnotic effect, the patient will still have a feeling of lethargy the next day, may also induce sedative hypnotic respiratory inhibition of adverse reactions.
7. Antihistamines
If terfenadine is taken together, concomitant administration may induce adverse reactions of terfenadine causing arrhythmias.
8. Immunosuppressants
For example, cyclosporine can enhance the effect of cyclosporine, which may lead to damage to liver function and a decrease in blood cells.
9. Antitumor drugs
Such as dasatinib, erlotinib, the same administration will also affect the effect of antitumor drugs, and even toxicity.
Third, in addition to grapefruit, is there any other fruit that cannot be eaten?
The answer is yes, although the most studied at present is grapefruit, but with grapefruit similar fruits such as grapefruit, Shatin grapefruit, red grapefruit and other orange grapefruit fruits, it is best not to take with the drug, it is recommended that within 72 hours before and after taking the drug, do not eat this type of fruit and drink juice or fruit tea containing such fruits.
4. What fruits can be eaten?
Of course, there are many fruits that can be eaten, and some fruits are also very helpful for the treatment of diseases. For example, in kiwifruit, it has been found that there are ingredients in kiwifruit that can inhibit the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme and help lower blood pressure.
In addition, there are persimmons, apples, citrus, grapes, water chestnuts, bananas, pears, lemons and pineapples, etc., which are also very suitable fruits for patients with hypertension, and the nutrients in these fruits can enhance the elasticity and toughness of blood vessels, improve blood circulation, and help prevent and treat hypertension and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
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Therefore, in addition to paying attention to the interaction between drugs, we must also pay attention to the interaction between drugs and food, otherwise it may cause serious consequences if we are not careful.
bibliography:
Guo Lianqing,Li Jinheng. Characteristics and individual differences of grapefruit juice and drug interaction[J].Journal of Graduate Medical Sciences,2002,4(15):184-186.
[WANG Xiangyang,CONG Junfeng,GU Shuang.Study on 5 kinds of vegetables and fruits inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme[J].Chinese Journal of Food Science,2020,20(11):45-52.
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