Comments on: Grapefruit + prescription drug = overdose

By: Aaron Gilliland

Aaron Gilliland — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:27:00 +0000

You magnificent bastard.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:17:00 +0000

Is that why Irumodic Syndrome was incurable?

By: Promethean Sky

Promethean Sky — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:50:00 +0000

One of my medications has this interacting, good thing I’ve always despised grapefruit. I find it odd that so many people are unaware of this. When I get my medications filled, there are brightly colored stickers on the pill bottles with warnings.

By: Luther Blissett

Luther Blissett — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:49:00 +0000

Xeni, I would have posted this just as a random addition somewhere in the thread, but it might be important to you: don’t drink to much Earl Grey (and other stuff with Bergamott in it). The same mechanism as in Grapefruit. See Wikipedia, for a start.

BTW, since maybe spring will start somewhere on the northern hemisphere: allergics are affected as well. Cetirizine and allied antihistaminics may be metabolized differently when you take these plant metabolites. Don’t go crazy about it, but be aware.

By: Freddie Freelance

Freddie Freelance — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 05:40:00 +0000

I also love grapefruits. And your Mom, but not in that creepy way.

By: Dlo Burns

Dlo Burns — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 03:43:00 +0000

Ester of rosin is used to make citrus oil mix with sugar water.

By: Dlo Burns

Dlo Burns — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 03:38:00 +0000

No greyhounds then?

By: Sandy

Sandy — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 01:14:00 +0000

I eat 1/2 graperfruit every morning.But I also like Sour Patch Kids, those sour cherry candies, Gr.Fruit juice, lemonade, limeade, etc.

By: Ernest Valdemar

Ernest Valdemar — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 23:32:00 +0000

I am actually drinking Fresca right this very moment, which is odd because I don’t typically drink Fresca. While I enjoy the occasional Fresca, I’m quite surprised that any active components of natural grapefruit can be found in this tasty stew of acids, Aspartame, “natural & artificial flavors,” vegetable gums, preservatives, and, believe it or not, “ester of rosin” and “acacia.” Fresca is made of trees!

By: jroycenewman

jroycenewman — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:19:00 +0000

Guys. Ask your pharmacist. They spent their entire college education learning about just these issues and they will explain what the risks of grapefruit will be. If yours won’t make some general statements about “very dangerous” vs. “probably fine, just look out for symptom X”, then get a new pharmacist.

By: Aloisius

Aloisius — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:59:00 +0000

I am hardly the only one. I give you, Google…

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:55:00 +0000

Are you on crack? Grapefruit is delicious. Orange juice is nauseatingly sweet.

By: Bill Mungai

Bill Mungai — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:53:00 +0000

Have 10 gallons of grapefruit wine fermenting away. I wonder if the fermentation process makes any difference?

By: SamSam

SamSam — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:41:00 +0000

Pah, I pity the unfortunate souls who have never developed an adult appreciation for bitter foods.

And don’t tell me you’re a super-taster. I’ve done the tests and can taste all the bitter compounds, and still love grapefruit.

By: SamSam

SamSam — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:38:00 +0000

Barely any quinine in tonic anymore, even the fanciest ones. Certainly not enough to be considered “medicinal.”

By: dragonfrog

dragonfrog — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:20:00 +0000

And psilocybin.

By: mike3k

mike3k — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:29:00 +0000

I never liked grapefruit.

By: bill_mcgonigle

bill_mcgonigle — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:03:00 +0000

First, quit sugar. Grapefruits are naturally sweet, but if you’re a sugar junkie your sweet receptors will be deadened. They’ll come back in a couple months.

For a shortcut, drop a Miracle Fruit Tablet and then try eating it – it’s like a totally different fruit – I actually find them too sweet without the sour flavor masking it!

By: Tavie

Tavie — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:54:00 +0000

Geez. My (elderly) Dad is on Lipitor, among other drugs – Lipitor’s definitely on the list, though – and eats at LEAST a grapefruit every day. He’s crazy about grapefruit.

Going to ask him to talk to his doctor about this…

By: Jeremy Sweeney

Jeremy Sweeney — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:51:00 +0000

This is why I used to drink tons of grapefruit juice. Super fun when you’re on SSRIs and SNRIs.

By: Jeremy Sweeney

Jeremy Sweeney — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:50:00 +0000

Oh my god. Rhabdo – the #2 most common differential on House.

By: bill_mcgonigle

bill_mcgonigle — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:49:00 +0000

Yeah, but that only applies to people living under regimes with these sorts of rules. Charities that are trying to get medication in third-world countries that don’t have these problems and where the cost of drugs is a significant problem could probably use this technique. As a bonus, they might be able to pay people to grow the grapefruits and others to refine them.

By: Jamie Lee

Jamie Lee — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:46:00 +0000

It also increases the duration though not general potency of opiates, which can be useful when you’re trying to increase the efficacy of your prescription meds during a hard month. It’s definitely good to be aware of though.

By: Aaron Harmon

Aaron Harmon — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:40:00 +0000

Good thing that grapefruit tastes like bitter feet. I might have hurt myself.

By: Xeni Jardin

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:39:00 +0000

Yep, familiar with this. I was told to stop eating grapefruit when my chemo began because it can reduce efficacy of drug. And now that I’m on hormone therapy for cancer, it’s newly verboten. Used to love it!

By: Road Junkie

Road Junkie — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:25:00 +0000

So drugs companies can give us a lower dosage if they mix grapefruit juice in it? I’m all for that.

By: Jacob Ewing

Jacob Ewing — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:21:00 +0000

Indeed. It was one of the things I rather disliked about carbamazepine (a.k.a. Tegretol) when I was taking it.

Although I’ll admit I was more bothered by fact that you’re not supposed to drink alcohol while taking it.

By: Jillian Galloway

Jillian Galloway — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:11:00 +0000

Can we all say “Grapefruit Prohibition”? After all, the alcohol prohibition was a deadly failure and the marijuana prohibition is a deadly failure, so let’s (for the sake of the children) have a grapefruit prohibition. All we have to do is demonize the plant, arrest hundreds of thousands of people every year for possessing it and create a massive black market for it – then we’ll have achieved the exact same results that the alcohol and marijuana prohibitions have.

By: Adelwolf

Adelwolf — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:09:00 +0000

Knowing this would have been nice when I was on buspirone. Not that I’m a big fan of grapefruit, but as toasterslie and Dlo Burns mentioned, some tasty items have it as flavoring. I don’t remember if I ever had any Fresca during that time, but I ended up okay.

By: Dlo Burns

Dlo Burns — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:55:00 +0000

Some breeds are better than others, and some people just really f’n love tart things.