Depression and Grapefruit

Just say no to grapefruit

I remember when I first starting taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication that I was told I couldn’t eat grapefruit anymore. While this didn’t leave me suicidal, it certainly puzzled me then as it does now.

So in the interest of the depressed grapefruit lovers everywhere, here are a few articles that examine the issue:

Grapefruit and Drug Interactions

Grapefruit May Sabotage Meds

Grapefruit Juice and Medications: A Potential for Adverse Events

Basically grapefruit has a bad interaction with a drug metabolizing enzyme called the CYP 3A4 enzyme. It makes it so that effectiveness of certain medications is drastically reduced.

Why grapefruits and not other citrus? I don’t know. But apparently, depression and grapefruit don’t mix.

Bummer.

-DMR

6 thoughts on “Depression and Grapefruit”

  1. I actually learned about this in my Pharmacy Technician course. I can’t answer the “why” question, but I know that it has something to do with the timing of the drug release. It actually will effect any timed released drugs including allergy, depression, and other drugs with inactive ingredients that allow the drug to be released at a certain rate in the blood stream. It should be noted that for any and all drugs, asking about side effects and reading the pamphlets are very important. Doctors and Pharmacists are great at what they do, but sometimes things can slip by. Think about how much safer you’ll feel once you, the doctor, and the pharmacist have checked for drug, food, and vitamin supplement interactions. 🙂

  2. I actually learned about this in my Pharmacy Technician course. I can’t answer the “why” question, but I know that it has something to do with the timing of the drug release. It actually will effect any timed released drugs including allergy, depression, and other drugs with inactive ingredients that allow the drug to be released at a certain rate in the blood stream. It should be noted that for any and all drugs, asking about side effects and reading the pamphlets are very important. Doctors and Pharmacists are great at what they do, but sometimes things can slip by. Think about how much safer you’ll feel once you, the doctor, and the pharmacist have checked for drug, food, and vitamin supplement interactions. 🙂

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