Grapefruit & Drugs

It takes as little as 1 grapefruit or 1 cup of grapefruit juice to interact SIGNIFICANTLY with conventional drugs. Spacing apart drugs from eating grapefruit does NOT help the problem in any way. Grapefruit has the ability to inhibit enzyme (CYP3A4) in the gut that is responsible for some of the breakdown of certain drugs. Drugs are designed to take this effect into account. By eating grapefruit juice, you will have MORE (or less depending on which drug) drug in your system causing toxic effects. This effect can last 2-3 days due to permanent inhibition and time delay for production of new enzymes. Always tell your health care professional, esp pharmacist, that you are a grapefruit consumer!