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Cardio-vascular Health

Grapefruit Juice, Mevacor

Beware of Mevacor and Grapefruit Juice

By Dr. W. Gifford Jones

Do you enjoy grapefruit juice for breakfast? If so be careful how much you drink if you're taking cholesterol©lowering drugs such as Mevacor, Zocor and Lipitor. Studies show that grapefruit juice carries a powerful punch. It can increase the levels of Mevacor in the blood 15 times. And this may result in rhabdomylosis, a skeletal muscle©wasting disease.

Dr. Dave Bailey, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario was the first scientist in the world to discover that grapefruit juice has the ability to raise the level of drugs in the blood.

In 1991 Dr. Bailey reported a study in the British journal "Lancet". It showed an interaction between felodipine (Plendil and Renedil) drugs used to treat hypertension, and grapefruit juice. At the time it was considered a mere academic curiosity. But those who ignored its warnings were in for a shock.

Now a group of Finnish researchers have proved that grapefruit juice magnifies the level of Mevacor in the blood. It's the same as an overdose of 15 times the recommended dose of Mevacor. And it risks "rhabdomyolysis". That's too big a price to pay for lowering blood cholesterol.

Dr. Bailey claims that the effect of a glass of grapefruit juice lasts 24 hours. He continues," There's a real possibility that if a patient takes Mevacor with grapefruit juice for two to three weeks he would develop this complication."

I find this report frightening. After all, it's not as if patients on these cholesterol©lowering drugs were pouring themselves a three ounce Martini for breakfast. Who in his wildest dreams would have thought that enjoying grapefruit juice was living on the edge?

Dr. Bailey says he and his colleagues have notified the manufacturer of this interaction.

Merck Pharmaceuticals agrees that grapefruit juice can elevate blood levels of some cholesterol©lowering drugs. But it contends the Finnish study used unrealistic amounts of grapefruit juice. And that not a single case of rhabdomylosis has ever been documented in over 30 million patients.

Dr. Bailey is not impressed by this point. He says, "The fact that there is not a reported serious interaction between grapefruit juice and Mevacor does not mean it does not exist. It may not have been recognized because of a lack of awareness."Ô 0*0*0* Merck scientists are now studying the effects of a single glass of grapefruit juice on the action of Mevacor. One wonders why this wasn't done earlier. After all, Dr Bailey's research showing the power of grapefruit juice was published in 1991! It would appear that his report simply collected dust.

What should medical consumers do? Finnish researchers report that not all cholesterol©lowering drugs are affected by grapefruit juice. For instance, Pravachol and Lescol do not have this interaction as other enzymes are mainly responsible for their metabolism.

Mevacor is not the only drug that reacts with grapefruit juice. Others include antihistamines such as Seldane or Hismanal, dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, cyclosporine and Prepulsid.

Today everyone should be on the alert for drug interactions. Some elderly people are taking 10 or more drugs. This could result in an enormous number of drug induced complications.

And there's another problem. As we age all of our organs gradually become less efficient. For example, the youthful liver and kidneys easily remove drugs from blood circulation. Older organs are less effective, allowing drugs to accumulate and reach dangerous levels. We still have a lot to learn about drug interactions. And we should all ask this question. If something like grapefruit juice causes trouble, what happens when we take two or more powerful drugs in combination?

This means that patients must familiarize themselves with whatever drug they are taking. One way is to read the information provided by pharmacies when prescriptions are filled. At the moment however, they don't carry the warning about grapefruit and these cholesterol©lowering drugs.

Be sure to ask your doctor about drug interactions. But remember you can't rely entirely on his or her advice. None of the doctors in my survey knew about the interaction between grapefruit juice and certain drugs.

Next week, why Aspirin, the most popular drug in the world today, is also one of the greatest therapeutic bargains of all time. And how having a couple of Aspirins immediately available can save your life.


W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com

My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:

Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1

Pre-2008 articles by Gifford Jones
Canada Free Press, CFP Editor Judi McLeod