grapefruit and lipitor

 

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About Eric Brandt
Expertise
I am a practicing pharmacist.On my drug information website, I have
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include Parkinson`s disease. depression, menopause, diabetes, sleep
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You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Pharmacology > Pharmacy >
Atorvastatin (Lipitor)/Grapefruit interaction

Pharmacy - Atorvastatin (Lipitor)/Grapefruit interaction
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Expert: Eric Brandt - 5/5/2007

Question
The question asked by "Cliff" begged clarification of 'avoid
grapefruit and grapefruit juice when taking Lipitor'.

Never, same time, same day, etc. Is the grapefruit substance in
question systemic or only interact during digestion and uptake of the
statin?

Do the grapefruit hybrids such as tangelos carry similar risks?

If grapefruit increase uptake, why are we not lowering the dose of
statins to a level where the grapefruit boost is safe and/or
beneficial? This could make partial sustitution additionally
beneficial beccause of the benefits of eating citrus fruits?

Answer
Hi John,
The issue with grapefruit and statins is that he grapefruit juice
contains a substance which inhibits the metabolism of the statin,
effectively simulating a higher dose. Since the consumption of
grapefruit is not as consistant as taking the medication you can not
lower the dose one day and not the next. Your blood levels are not
consistant. Also the extent to which metabolism would be inhibited
would depend on the amount of this substance in the fruit or the juice
and that amount is not consistant.
It is best to avoid grapefruit at any time while taking the statin.
Thank you for using Allexperts
Sincerely,
Eric Brandt, B.Sc. Pharm

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