I take the drug pimozide, also called Orap. The last time I got my prescription filled, it said that you can’t consume grapefruit, of all things, while taking this medication. I had never seen that indicated on the medication before. Is this a new thing that has just been discovered? Why grapefruit and not other citrus fruits? And just what would happen to you if you did eat grapefruit with this medication? Any medical professionals out there who might know?
Grapefruits (and grapefruit juice) contain a substance that inhibits the body’s ability to break down certain drugs like Orap.
Normally, many drugs are broken down in the body by things called cytochrome P450 enzymes. These enzymes are blocked by what’s in grapefruits. So, the levels of the drugs build up and up in the bloodstream. When the levels are that high, the drugs actually become dangerous.
grapejuice can both help and hinder the body’s absorption of drugs. check out onhealth.com for more info… i know this link won’t work, but it’s a try:
http://onhealth.webmd.com/conditions/resource/pharmacy/multum7/item,73247.asp
The topic of grapefruit and drug interactions seems widely covered on the Web. Sites like this can be found by a Yahoo search using the terms “grapefruit” and “drug”.
err, i meant grapefruit