[guide.chat] warning don't mix medicine with grapefruit
- From: vanessa <qwerty1234567a@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "GUIDE CHAT" <guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:19:55 -0000
The fruit can cause overdoses of some drugs by stopping the medicines being
broken down in the intestines and the liver.
The researchers who first identified the link said the number of drugs that
became dangerous with grapefruit was increasing rapidly.
They were writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The team at the Lawson Health Research Institute in Canada said the number of
drugs which had serious side effects with grapefruit had gone from 17 in 2008
to 43 in 2012.
They include some drugs for a range of conditions including blood pressure,
cancer and cholesterol-lowering statins and those taken to suppress the immune
system after an organ transplant.
One tablet with a glass of grapefruit juice can be like taking five or 10
tablets with a glass of water?
Dr David Bailey
Researcher
Chemicals in grapefruit, furanocoumarins, wipe out an enzyme which breaks the
drugs down. It means much more of the drug escapes the digestive system than
the body can handle.
Toxic
Three times the levels of one blood pressure drug, felodipine, was reported
after patients had a glass of grapefruit juice compared with a glass of water.
The side effects are varied depending on the drug, but include stomach bleeds,
altered heart beat, kidney damage and sudden death.
Dr David Bailey, one of the researchers, told the BBC: "One tablet with a glass
of grapefruit juice can be like taking five or 10 tablets with a glass of water
and people say I don't believe it, but I can show you that scientifically it is
sound.
"So you can unintentionally go from a therapeutic level to a toxic level just
by consuming grapefruit juice."
The report said: "We contend that there remains a lack of knowledge about this
interaction in the general health care community."
They added: "Unless health care professionals are aware of the possibility that
the adverse event they are seeing might have an origin in the recent addition
of grapefruit to the patient's diet, it is very unlikely that they will
investigate it."
Other citrus fruits such as Seville oranges, often used in marmalade, and limes
have the same effect.
Neal Patel, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said: "Grapefruit isn't the
only food that can cause issues, for example milk can stop the absorption of
some antibiotics if taken at the same time.
"Although some of these interactions may not be clinically significant, some
may lead to more serious outcomes.
"Pharmacists are the best port of call for anyone concerned about how their
diet may affect their medication. Information about any interactions would
always be included in the patient information leaflet that comes with the
medicine."
from
Vanessa The Google Girl.
my skype name is rainbowstar123
Other related posts:
- » [guide.chat] warning don't mix medicine with grapefruit - vanessa
