Grapefruit juice (500 ml) was taken together with the antihypertensive drug, while one grapefruit was taken before drug ingestion… A 50-year-old man with essential hypertension was studied. “The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ingestion of grapefruit juice or grapefruit on the hypotensive effect and plasma concentration of dihydropyridine calcium antagonists, i.e., amlodipine and nifedipine. 2010) reports a very similar situation to yours: The authors explain their protocol & results: A Case Study of Grapefruit & Nifedipine:Ī study published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Hypertension (Jan. Remember, your doctor already increased your dose. It could also mean you are getting too much medicine. The fact that the combination of grapefruit and nifedipine lowered blood pressure into the “normal” range is not necessarily as desirable as you might think.
Grapefruit juice and lisinopril skin#
Skin reaction (requires immediate medical attention!). Fluid retention in extremities, edema in hands and feet, swollen ankles. Low blood pressure (hypotension), dizziness, fainting. Side effects are more likely with grapefruit on board. But it could also increase the risk of complications. But now, this interaction is widely recognized.ĭoubling or tripling the dose of a medication by impeding its metabolism means unintended impact. That means the combination could boost effectiveness and lower blood pressure even more than planned. They couldn’t imagine how grapefruit or grapefruit juice could have a clinical impact on medication. When we started talking about this interaction over 25 years ago, a lot of health professionals laughed. Canadian researchers accidentally discovered that a glass of grapefruit juice could dramatically boost blood levels of felodipine and nifedipine. The grapefruit drug interaction effect was first reported in 1991 ( Lancet, Feb. Other complications could include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, heart failure and kidney damage. Dangerous heart rhythm disturbances could result. Such a combination could be life threatening. We worry even more about the combination of amiodarone or dronedarone with grapefruit. In the case of statins, that could mean muscle pains and weakness. That means grapefruit may also increase the risk of adverse reactions. Grapefruit juice can raise blood levels and magnify the effects of such medicines. Heart rhythm medicines amiodarone ( Cordarone, Pacerone), dronedarone ( Multaq) and blood pressure pills felodipine ( Plendil) and nifedipine ( Adalat CC) are also affected by grapefruit. They include some cholesterol-lowering drugs: atorvastatin ( Lipitor), lovastatin ( Mevascor) and simvastatin ( Zocor). Let’s tackle the second issue first: Grapefruit and Drug Interactions:ĭozens of medications are affected by grapefruit. The other has to do with the potential for grapefruit to interact with blood pressure medicine. One has to do with the direct grapefruit effect on blood pressure. The answer to this question is complicated because there are two issues to deal with. When I ran out of grapefruit, I was shocked to see the readings climb again. I continued my medication and ate a grapefruit every day. 
My medicine bottle says, “avoid grapefruit,” but the past few weeks I gave in to temptation and bought several. My BP was in the 150/90 range, still on the high side.
When I went back to my doctor, she dropped the lisinopril and increased the dose of nifedipine. That brought the blood pressure down, but it made me cough. Lately the medicine wasn’t controlling my blood pressure, so my doctor added lisinopril.
I take nifedipine for high blood pressure. For this discussion, though, we will try to answer an intriguing question from a reader: “Will grapefruit lower blood pressure?” Grapefruit and Blood Pressure: Other research suggests that red grapefruit helps lower triglycerides and cholesterol ( Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, March 8, 2006). Whether grapefruit would be helpful for overweight humans is less obvious ( Metabolism, July, 2010). Grapefruit also seemed to reduce insulin resistance and inflammation. One study reported that a grapefruit extract reduced weight gain in obese rats ( Journal of Medicinal Food, Aug. It has been promoted for its ability to help people lose weight. Grapefruit has a reputation for having lots of health benefits.
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