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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by cocohoneynut on March 16, 2004, at 9:24:34
Hello all:
I've got a great concern of drinking grapefruit juice while on the medication Effexor. Has any one every done this with any of the meds they're on? If so, what happened to you?
Posted by Metalblade on March 16, 2004, at 10:16:14
In reply to MEDICATIONS and GRAPEFRUIT JUICE, posted by cocohoneynut on March 16, 2004, at 9:24:34
Oh no, don't do it. The medication will intensify the acid in the grapefruit juice and it will devolve your internal organs.
Actually I love grapefruit and eat them all the time with no problems.
Posted by Sebastian on March 16, 2004, at 11:16:25
In reply to MEDICATIONS and GRAPEFRUIT JUICE, posted by cocohoneynut on March 16, 2004, at 9:24:34
I find that if I drink a lot of grapefruit juice, it will give me the runs. That would happen without meds too. Its all the acid in grapefruit and other acitic fruits. No other problems. I take celexa, wellbutrin and zyprexa.
Posted by jlbl2l on March 16, 2004, at 18:42:42
In reply to MEDICATIONS and GRAPEFRUIT JUICE, posted by cocohoneynut on March 16, 2004, at 9:24:34
grapefruit juice uses some of the same enzymes i think its like some p450 cytochrome or something to convert itself in your system. it just so happens nearly all drugs also use this same enzyme system as well, so if you take both of these at any time usually, 12 hours together, you are risking ( i cant remember can someoene help me) i believe increasing the effects of the parent drug (which would be effexor so, you would overload your system with effexor cause the p450 couldnt handle breaking down both the grapefruit AND effexor *OR* its the other way around - it would INACTIVATE the effexor totally because the grapefruit would compete and would essentially "win" the p450 enzyme therefore making none left for the effexor to convert and it would just be excreted in your kidney, bowel whatever and do nothing. THIS is assuming effexor usines the p450 enzyme or whatever that damn enzyme is...youll have to look it up. just look on some search engine for effexor and grapefruit im sure there will be some interactions or dicussions of this. there is on many other medications. IE Paxil.
Posted by Tony P on March 17, 2004, at 4:04:42
In reply to MEDICATIONS and GRAPEFRUIT JUICE, posted by cocohoneynut on March 16, 2004, at 9:24:34
I have tried grapefruit juice with Buspar, which carries a grapefruit warning label; I noticed little difference, maybe made it work a little faster, that's all. This does NOT mean that it's safe with any med - I wouldn't experiment with a heart drug, for example!
jlbl2l is right I think, it's a matter of the enzyme(s) that clear the med out of your system being inhibited so you potentially build up an excessive dose in your body. There may be another effect speeding up the actual absorption of the med - I don't think the full book's been written yet.
Ask your pharmacist, I find mine is more knowledgeable about these issues than my MD.
Tony P
This is the end of the thread.
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