does grapefruit lower blood pressure naturally

That said, we’ll take a look at some common scenarios below. The effect of mixing medications with grapefruit juice depends on so many factors-like which medications you take and how much grapefruit you consume-that we can’t give you a straight-up answer. It doesn’t affect intravenous medications. This can make the medication less effective.Įither way, grapefruit only has an effect on medications that you take as pills. Grapefruit can also interfere with medications in other ways: Sometimes it stops the medication from being converted in the body into a more “active” form. This can make the medication last longer in the blood and cause unwanted side effects. The main enzyme affected is one called cytochrome p450 (or CYP450, for short). Grapefruit juice blocks enzymes responsible for breaking down medications in the body.

If you really want to know… Why does grapefruit interact with certain medications? Some steroids: budesonide (Pulmicort), methylprednisone (Medrol)Ī more complete list is available here, but the list of affected medications is always changing so it’s best to check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are a grapefruit-lover.

Some HIV medications: Intelence, Invirase

Some opioid painkillers: oxycodone (Roxicodone, Oxycontin), methadone (Dolophine), fentanyl (Duragesic)ĭrugs with estrogen hormones: estradiol (Estrace) and estrogen-containing contraception, such as Loestrin, Yasmin, and Aviane (your birth control will still work, but you might get more side effects)Įrythromycin (Ery) ( Clarithromycin is ok) Some anti-anxiety medications: sertraline (Zoloft), buspirone (Buspar), alprazolam ( Xanax), diazepam (Valium) Some erectile dysfunction medications: sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), vardenafil (Levitra) Some anti-arrhythmia medications: verapamil (Calan), amiodarone (Cordarone)īlood thinners: Eliquis, Xarelto, clopidogrel (Plavix) Many blood pressure medications: nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat CC), amlodipine (Norvasc), felodipine (Plendil)-to name a few Some cholesterol-lowering medications: simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor) Here is a list of some common medications affected by grapefruit juice: It was found in this study that grapefruit had a better effect in lowering blood pressure than statin drugs.We’re not talking about rare drugs either: The medications to watch out for include common blood pressure drugs, erectile dysfunction medications, anti-infections drugs, antihistamines, steroids, opioid painkillers, and even birth control pills. The yellow also lowered blood pressure but not as much as the red grapefruit. So which is better yellow or red grapefruit? Well, in a study made where people who had a history of high cholesterol, those that ate the red grapefruit had the most effect in lower their blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high trigylcerides, grapefruit has been found to reduce the effects of these conditions.

This narrowing of your arteries restricts the flow of your blood, increases your blood pressure and making you more susceptible to heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure occurs when fats, cholesterol, and nutrients in the food you eat start to accumulate along your artery walls. Eating less meat and eating more fruits and vegetables can lower your blood pressure. The food you eat is critical in determining if you will have high blood pressure and if you can lower it. If you are a women, and even if your not, here is what you need to start doing. Heart disease is the number one killer of women.

Does grapefruit lower blood pressure naturally