Reception of some common drugs in combination with grapefruit can cause fatal side effects, according to a paper published in the journal of the Canadian medical Association (Canadian Medical Association Journal, CMAJ).



About 20 years ago, scientists discovered that the adoption of some common drugs in combination with ordinary food can be dangerous for health. Due to chemical incompatibility may experience dangerous side effects, including fatal, anaphylactic shock, acute renal failure, respiratory failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, suppression of bone marrow function, and others.

Employees of the Institute of Lawson for the study of health problems in canadian London (Lawson Health Research Institute) explained irreconcilability with medicines citrus, having studied the interaction of drugs with grapefruit and Seville orange oranges. It turned out that in these fruits contain furanokumariny - active substances that repeatedly increase the dose taken medicinal substance, making it deadly. According to specialists, a glass of orange juice a day can increase the dose more than three times.

Scientists have determined that furanokumariny come into reaction with protein CYP3A4, which is biochemical "trigger" for almost 50% of all drugs are a specific type. All incompatible with furanocoumarins drugs have three characteristics: they are taken orally (ingested), the active ingredient in full into the blood, and they always CYP3A4, which is their induction in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract.

"With grapefruit not combine many of the drugs that are often prescribed for doctors, in the most ordinary cases, like cardiovascular disease. The likelihood of unpleasant consequences increases as the last four years, the number incompatible with grapefruit medicines grew" - says one of the authors David Bailey (David Bailey).

According to the research, for today it is known 85 of these medicines, 43 of which would be lethal. However, such drugs is becoming more: in 2008 there were only 17. One common medicines, giving this effect is simvastatin, based on dozens of drugs with different trade names.

"If it's not written in the statement, the doctors may not know about incompatibility of drugs with citrus and not to inform the patient on purpose. However, few patients give a complete report about your diet, so a dangerous combination may become, unfortunately, a complete surprise to both" - says Bailey.

The authors stress that furanokumariny remain in the body for many hours after eating grapefruit, so suspect" citrus at the time of treatment are safer to just exclude from the diet.