Why Shouldn't I Drink Grapefruit Juice With My Meds?

I was reading an interesting article today by Marcia Purse on About.com.  I drink a glass of grapefruit juice every morning. I had always heard that BuSpar should not be taken with grapefruit juice but I don't take it very often so I figured I was safe. I was not aware of how dangerous it is and why.  There is a long list of medications that are affected by the enzymes in grapefruit juice. Did you know that the interaction could cause the medication level in your bloodstream to go up 400%? I didn't. Some of the psychiatric meds mentioned in this article include: Prozac, BuSpar, Tegretol, Anafranil, Clozapine, Elavil, Halcion, Haldol, Luvox, Prozac, Seroquel, Serzone, Trazedone, Valium, Versed, Zoloft and many others. "The reason why grapefruit juice is a problem for people taking certain drugs - including many psychotropic meds - is that grapefruit juice (unlike any other citrus juice) inhibits two enzymes that are important in metabolizing, or breaking down, these medications. When the enzymes aren't doing their job, much more of the drug in question remains available to enter the patient's bloodstream, and in some cases, this can have dangerous, even toxic, effects."  MORE

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