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Grapefruit Drug Interaction Report Challenged by
Florida
Jan. 19, 2005 - The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC)
is seeking clarification on allegations about grapefruit-drug
interactions made, they say, "without appropriate scientific support" in a University
of Rochester Medical Center's press release, which was published
yesterday in SeniorJournal.com. The FDOC says their first priority is the health of consumers in regards to possible
interactions between grapefruit and certain drugs.
(Click
here to
"Grapefruit Juice with Certain Medications Can Be
Deadly Mix")
"The conclusions concerning death and pregnancy
made in the University of Rochester Medical Center's press release are
not based on scientific evidence," comments Dr. Hartmut Derendorf,
Distinguished Professor of the University of Florida's College of
Pharmacy. "Many scientific studies showed grapefruit interactions with
some specific drugs, but I cannot find any evidence that death or
pregnancy resulted from grapefruit juice."
Dr. Derendorf adds another point: For
birth control pills, grapefruit may increase the levels of some birth
control components, but not decrease the effectiveness that would result
in pregnancy.
The FDOC acknowledges that grapefruit juice is
known to interact with certain cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as
Lipitor, but there's no scientific evidence, they say, that the interaction leads
to death.
To help share the facts about grapefruit
interactions with certain affected prescription drugs, the FDOC says
they work
with leading experts, including Dr. David Greenblatt, of Tufts
University School of Medicine. Important points from Dr. Greenblatt's
research include:
>While some prescription medications may
interact with grapefruit juice, most do not.
>For patients who are prescribed a medication that interacts with
grapefruit juice and don't wish to comply with this restriction, there
generally are non-interacting, alternative medications within each drug
class that should provide the same therapeutic effect with no need to
avoid grapefruit juice.
>It is safe to consume grapefruit juice while taking any over-the
counter medication.
A patient can visit the web site,
www.druginteractioncenter.org to look up their prescription drug and
see if it interacts with grapefruit. In addition, FDOC encourages patients
to consult with their pharmacist or doctor about their prescription medication(s). After all, food and drug interactions are not uncommon
and interactions can vary by individual and prescription type.
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