Can you eat grapefruit with xanax?

Let’s talk about an important matter that most people skip over – would eating grapefruit while taking Xanax increase the risk of any complications? Many medications come with warnings to avoid specific foods or drinks, but what if you’re a grapefruit-loving individual, and now it seems like you need to give up on life’s simple pleasures. Well, we are here to help clarify why grapefruits and Xanax might not be the best combination.

What Is Xanax?

Before jumping into whether grapefruits can stir trouble when combined with xanax, let us first understand what exactly is this magical pill. Firstly, Xanax is a medication that helps treat anxiety and panic disorders in humans by inhibiting certain neurotransmitters’ release in our brain that causes these issues. A doctor usually prescribes them as they are benzodiazepines and have sedative effects that calm down patients who cannot control their thoughts or mind effectively.

However, yes – this medication does come with a set of precautions attached to it; for instance, alcohol consumption should mix well (neither from your body nor morally).

Is It Safe To Mix Grapefruit With Medications?

It’s not uncommon knowledge amongst medically-oriented individuals that consuming certain foods/drinks alongside particular medications can lead to severe reactions such as heart palpitations or even death! No kidding! So we shall use some science chit chat no matter how unpleasant that may sound heh.

One compound found inside fruit-bearing vegetables such as limes and oranges is called Furanocoumarins. They interfere with cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP), which play crucial roles in metabolizing drugs within our body^1. This interference leads medicines’ effectiveness diminishing rather than excreting out from your system- So much for all the painstaking attempts by scientists towards invention!

Now coming back directly to the star of the show- grapefruit. Grapefruits are infamous for their drug-interacting tendencies, causing medication levels to rise inside our bodies.

Why Is Grapefruit Juice Harmful For The Body?

That’s right, another million-dollar question! Though it sounds surreal as fruits often symbolize healthy nutritious values, grapefruit can prove detrimental to human health when mixed with certain pills.

Even in regular individuals not on medications, ingesting large quantities of grapefruits could lead to abdominal pain and diarrhea^2. This negative effect is what researchers attribute to excess intake of naringin, an essential compound excessively present within pink or red-colored juicy goodness\s.

Therefore doctors advise against consuming grapefruits whilst taking benzodiazepines such as xanax because both compounds have overlapping metabolic pathways that result in a larger amount than necessary lingering inside your system and multiplying chances of adverse reactions.

Conclusion

In conclusion: You oughta avoid chugging down any sour-sweet fruit bearing concoctions while consuming those white bars unless you want yourself feeling jittery due to abrupt changes/alteration within your body chemistry! Instead stick with some water with lemon/honey (both variable ingredients in this case) if you’re looking for a refreshing drink And I mean come on people it’s 2021.. drinking plain old ice water shouldn’t be considered boring anymore!\sunsure\~

Hope we clarified your doubts regarding mixing these two entities- You can sulk over no more about cutting fruits filled with amazing nutrients out from your diet instead find alternative sources!

A type II inhibitor that blocks cytochrome enzymes (CYP 3A4).
+ In laymen terms works as a bad potion leaving drugs ineffective.

References:

  1. Bailey D.G., Dresser G.K.: “Interactions between grapefruit juice and cardiovascular drugs.”, Am J Cardiovasc Drugs. 2004;4(5):281-97.

  2. Furanocoumarins Wiki Publication

Random Posts