Grapefruit Reaction

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

The other night I ordered a seabreeze at my brothers wedding... a little booze, ice, cranberry juice, and about a shotglass-worth of grapefruit juice, and I only drank about 3/4 of the maybe 6 oz. drink anyhow. This was Saturday...

Then I remembered yesterday (after some particularly careless unprotected sex with my boyfriend) that my bcp pack (I take Kariva - the generic of Mircette) has a sticker on it that says "do not take with Grapefruit or Grapefruit Juice" and now I'm a little concerned. I never really understood the warning but I never thought much of it because citrus isn't a huge part of my diet besides the occasional lemon product.

So my question is, what's that warning all about? Is the small amount of grapefruit juice going to have a negative effect on how my pills work? Saturday I took my 2nd pill of the pack, if that matters, but I'm hoping that I'm not gonna have to worry about babies because of it.

I guess I get to wait it out - a whole month almost - before I really see what the warning was for... yikes.

Comments

helpful info

[chakrakhan.livejournal.com]

I've heard about this before. Grapefruit juice somehow concentrates the medicinal effect, I'm no chemist but here's a link:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=46462

Re: helpful info

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

Hmm... a blood pressure thing, it looks like.

Rad! Thanks.

[kowaiyukidono.livejournal.com]

Grapefruit, cranberry, and pineapple juices can slow liver function. My husband's mother is a nurse, so I hear that kind of thing occasionally. Some drugs are better taken with it, because the body usually breaks them down quickly. It's also why grapefruit, cranberry, and pineapple juices are popular in certain alcoholic drinks. If I recall correctly, grapefruit is the most potent of these juices in that respect.

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

Really my only worry is that (like antibiotics) grapefruit juice could do something to damage the effectiveness of the pill as a birth control method.

I go on cranberry juice kicks occasionally but I don't drink grapefruit juice hardly ever and I rarely eat much pineapple, so the effects of those reacting negatively on my liver function (especially since I drink very little and very rarely) isn't as big of a concern to me as getting pregnant right now would be.

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

Thanks ladies, I feel much better already.

It affects the metabolism of the medicine..

[ex-vega.livejournal.com]

I was on some other meds a while back that were not supposed to be taken with grapefruit. I talked to my doctor about it and we looked up the medical info (doctors have the coolest programs for this type of thing) and what we found was that for that medicine, the amount of grapefruit you had to have was quite high. I don't remember exactly what grapefruit does, but I remember that it somehow affects metabolism of the drug, that is it either digest it too fast which is no good for your bc or too slow which is also no good. Based on my previous experience, I would say that the amount of grapefruit you had will probably not affect your protection. Here are some links:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7182385/#storyContinued
"Grapefruit juice (and, of course, grapefruit) can inhibit the activity of the enzyme that breaks down these medications. More of the medication — sometimes dangerously high amounts — can then enter the blood."

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/21/Business/Grapefruit_article_se.shtml
It's known that grapefruit juice is metabolized by the same liver enzyme that also affects some drugs. That may cause problems because the juice can prevent the liver from properly breaking down a small number of drugs.

Karch admitted she could find no specific case of birth-control pill failure due to grapefruit juice. "It is theoretical," she said in the e-mail. "So that statement might do well to be rephrased."

http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Nutrition-Vitamins/5-01-19GrapefruitChallenge.htm
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.

Re: It affects the metabolism of the medicine..

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

That last one, especially, made me feel much better. I figured that even if the juice DID have some negating reaction to the Kariva, an ounce or so of it couldn't be enough to make much of a difference, but I also didn't just want to forget about it and risk some unwelcome effects (babies, to be blunt).

Thanks so much for the information.