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Grapefruit Drug Interactions Now Known to be Deadly

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:00:59 EST

Many people have a glass of grapefruit juice or a half a grapefruit every morning to start their day. But what many people are unaware of—until today—is that the natural contents found in grapefruit can have deadly consequences when coupled with many very commonly prescribed medications.
 
According to a November 27 NBC Online article about the negative impacts of grapefruit on everyday prescriptions, 'Pharmacologist David Bailey of Western University in London, Ont., says adverse effects can include sudden death, acute kidney or respiratory failure, and gastrointestinal bleeding.'
 
But what's scarier is what isn't being reported: the effects grapefruit can have on unprescribed drugs. Sadly, the United States is saddled with a prescription drug abuse problem, and to boot, many drugs that are not legal (by prescription or otherwise) have not been studied, so there's no way to know whether they are safe to consume with grapefruit or not.
 
It's also a major concern for those who try to pass a drug test with citrus body cleanses or by way of fasting. Grapefruit is an essential part of many common cleanses, so it's not improbable at all to consider that many people may be consuming grapefruit in an effort to prepare for a urine drug test—these people may find themselves in a compromised position if the fruit interacts with their prescription medications or any over-the-counter drugs they use with any regularity.
 
'There's a real danger here—we've know about grapefruit causing issues with medication efficacy for decades, but this is a new danger that we're just learning about in our industry,' says Sandy Aldridge, a pharmacy technician for a large national chain drug store. 'It's scary when you think what people could do to themselves without knowing it—there's really no such thing as too careful anymore.' Adds Aldridge.
 
'For those who don't know how to pass a drug test, taking the Internet's word for it on blind faith is a bad idea. Don't ever consume grapefruit if there are doubts about the drug interactions it could have with medications—whether they have been prescribed or not.'